1876 furniture stripper

To darken the light boards without overdarkening the adjoining wood, Maxwell made two blends of stain—one taken at full strength straight from the can and a second that he thinned with a splash of mineral spirits. I scrape with a razor blade. Melroy's Furniture Refinishing 1. I put 3 coats on and it still had varnish on the wood. When dry, object is ready for finishing. Still, all the normal precautions with a stripper are advisable, use it outdoors if at all possible, use heavy rubber gloves and eye protection, long sleeves and pants, have a place nearby to wash in case something does splash on you. Maxwell uses metal scrapers and steel wool, but if you're using a water-based chemical, use plastic knives and abrasive pads; otherwise, metal particles will leave rust stains on the wood.

Hi,I use Circa to remove varnish from the wood work in my home. Never used a water base stain. With the solvent-based types, avoid re-brushing it, it will break the skin that prevents the evaporation of the chemicals. Commercial strippers have tanks and booths, exhaust fans, and use the strongest chemicals purchased by the barrel. If you find yourself prying or scraping off the finish though, put on more stripper or you'll damage the wood. That still means a lot of work.

But that Citrusurup will do the trick! I had two little side tables with mixed results and not the proper tools to deal with the legs. I refinished furniture during the summer-. Let the stripper do the work. Half way through, when your hands are numb from scrapping, you just want to give up.