Which finish remover?

[George Sabin]

:confused:
Well we got some furniture in that does not match all the rest. So my wifey wants to make it pretty. I say ... no prob ... we will just strip down the old and re-apply what we want.

This isn't low end furniture and is mostly veneers so I am not about to sand it ... ever.

So I start with a quick test with "turpentine" ... nothing. Then acetone ... nothing ... mineral spirits .... nothing ... I buy a Gallon of BIX stripper that has Methanol, Acetone, Toluene and Methyl Chloride in it ... nothing !!!

I grab a bottle of goof-off .... nothing ! :confused:

OK ... what is this mysterious cheapo finish? Polyurethane? What do I get it off with? Naphta ?

I need help with the right solution for a solvent/stripper that will melt this stuff away.

ANY SUGGESTIONS ???

Thanks!

[Jim Becker]

It's probably a catalyzed factory finish and likely going to be hard to remove. If the Meythyl Chloride and Toluene didn't touch it...your options are limited; sand or paint.

[George Sabin]

I'm thinking of trying something with more Meythyl Chloride in it and seeing what that will do.

I was hoping there was something a little better ... just doesn't appear to be anything out there.

[Howard Acheson]

Most factory furniture these days is either a two part catalyzed lacquer as Jim suggested or increasingly, a two part polyester. Both are really tough and very resistant to chemicals. Don't be surprised if even the most aggressive stripper will have problems if the finish is the polyester. Catalyzed lacquer is not much easier.

You might best learn to love what you have.:(:(

[Matt Meiser]

Be careful that whatever chemical eventually removes the finish isn't a solvent for the glue holding on the veneers too. :eek:

[Rich Engelhardt]

Hello,

I'm thinking of trying something with more Meythyl Chloride in it and seeing what that will do.
You might as well save your money.
Methyl Chloride (Chloromethane) - is a weak sister of Methyl-ene- Chloride (Dichloromethane).

As far as I know, strippers containing Methylene Chloride are no longer made for over the counter sales. If there are any that still use it, the amount of it in the product will be extremly small.
DCM is a heavy carcinogen. In sufficient quantity and concentration, you'd be required to treat the removed material as hazardous waste. that's why if/when it's used anymore as an ingrediant, the amount used is miniscule.

Commercial strippers can still buy it though. You might want to check the yellow pages and price out for having the pieces dipped. It won't be cheap, but when you figure in both your time, the mess involved and the amount of material you'll go through, it may be worth it.

[Sam Yerardi]

You may try sanding just a bit, enough to break the surface, and then try a stripper. It probably won't work but it won't hurt to try.

[Steve Schoene]

Since you are talking about factory furniture, you may be seeking to do something that opens a bigger can of worms than you have in mind. Lots of factory finishes are fairly complex multi-step processes involving dyes, toners and glazes designed to obscure defects in the wood such as pulling together colors that don't match.

[Sam Yerardi]

Steve

Good point.

[Howard Acheson]

>> As far as I know, strippers containing Methylene Chloride are no longer made for over the counter sales.

I don't believe that is true. While MC has been listed by some states as a possible carcinogen, it is still widely sold. BIX is one that is almost wholly MC.

A couple of ways to tell is to look for a paint remover that is listed as non-flammable and/or look for the can that is the heaviest. MC is very heavy so the heaviest can will contain the most MC.

But, even MC may not remove a two part finish.

Go here for info about paint removers: www.popularwoodworking.com/features/finish7.html

[George Sabin]

RANT WARNING !!!

You know ... I have thousands of dollars of the best woodshop equipment ... and my wife must have her "end table" ... turns out that it ends up being a "hope chest." Sheeeze!!!

So after it comes in and it isn't "just right" ... I try everything to remove the finish and swear I will never sand it ... it is crap furniture and I didn't want it in the first place ... heck I could build some in a flash with a pile of seasoned ironwood I have at the ready ... but Noooooooo ... she has to order this stuff ...

OK ... so I figure ... sure honey ... I'll set you up a nice work area and you can sand your little heart out ... just turn on the two shop air cleaners ...

Sure enough ... she only turned on one and my garage is a dusty mess ... so I get the leaf blower out and do a "mans dust job" to get the garage back to normal.

Ok now the wifey is tired of sanding ... and ends up pissed cause I have been calling her "Sandy" for a few days ... so ... now she has talked me into doing it for her ... for a $100 bill ... I'll do it ... the $100 is ridiculous ... because I will spend thousands of $$$ of my time sanding for 6 hours on a POS hope chest ... but I'll take the $100 ... and after I rub her nose in it a few more times ... I'll get her something nice ...

I sure hope I don't have to do this again ... I doubt she will want to ... but you know ... she worked on it for 5 hours and has learned her lesson ... so we will see.

/Rant

[Mike Conley]

If she reads that, I hope you have a nicely furnished dog house!!!! :eek:

[Rich Engelhardt]

Hello Howie,
Well shoot! It looks like (after I did some digging into the MSDS sheets) my info is somewhat dated.
MeC in the mid 80's, or rather removing MeC from everything from strippers to ice cream to decaffeinating coffee, was the buzz.
It looks like it's crept back into some strippers.
Zip Strip has a generous 80% MeC content.
Bix though appears to be on the extreme lower end with only a 15 to 25% MeC content.

[Howard Acheson]

>> Zip Strip has a generous 80% MeC content.

That's what I use. I just couldn't think of the name. Bix came to mind.