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Originally Posted by JohnDavisNYC  what is the best way? i'll sand that bitch for hours if i have to, but would like to know the best way....
then, i plan on sanding it really nice and smooth, and leaving the wood plain, raw... maybe i'll oil it, if there is something someone recommends.
thanks,
john |
Depends on what the finish consists of. If it's a varnish or nitro lacquer then paint remover will get it off. If it's one of those tough poly finishes paint removers won't touch it. So find out what it is first. Get a small dab of paint remover, put it on some inconspicuous spot (if there is one) and let it sit for a few minutes. If it softens or bubbles up, you're in luck and you can coat it with remover and scrape off most of it with a flexible scraper. Be aware that these strippers are highly toxic and will burn skin upon contact and can blind you permanently if splashed in your eyes, so wear remover resistant gloves, make sure there is ventilation and wear safety glasses.
There might be a remover resistant clear sealer beneath the finish. This will have to be sanded off by hand.
I don't like to sand that much so I use a heat guy and scraper to bubble up and scrape off most of the poly finish. There's still plenty of hand sanding to do after.
Use good sandpaper-aluminium oxide, not that cheap garnet stuff. Start with the coarsest grit you can find. Usually 80, and when down to bare wood, sand back up through the grits to at least 220 for a surface that's perfect to stain and refinish.
That's the gist of it. As I've said before, read a good book or two on the subject and don't rely on misguided help from strangers on the internet. A very good book is "Hand Applied Finishes" by Jeff Jewitt available from Taunton Press and well worth the cost. Bob Flexnor also has some excellent books about finishing in print. Both these guys are pros and know what they're talking about.
