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Some strippers, especially those called "refinishers," are highly flammable. If the container says the stripper is flammable, keep sparks and flames away from your work area. Be especially aware of gas pilot lights, electronic spark igniters, and even light switches and electrical plugs. If you use a fan to increase ventilation, position it so that you are between the fan and the open window or door. Have the fan push clean air toward you, and the vapors away from both you and the fan. That way you won't be drawing vapor-filled air through a spark-producing fan motor.
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Slow and Safe
Safest Stripper, made by 3M, can be used indoors without special ventilation or gloves (although if your skin is sensitive, you may want to wear them anyway). Safest Stripper is particularly effective on oil-based paint and polyurethane. However, it can take as long as 24 hours to soften a finish. Safest Stripper seems to pull oil-based finish out of the pores better than other strippers, so it’s handy for woods like oak and ash. Because it's water-based, it will raise the wood grain and can loosen veneer.
Safest Stripper, made by 3M, can be used indoors without special ventilation or gloves (although if your skin is sensitive, you may want to wear them anyway). Safest Stripper is particularly effective on oil-based paint and polyurethane. However, it can take as long as 24 hours to soften a finish. Safest Stripper seems to pull oil-based finish out of the pores better than other strippers, so it’s handy for woods like oak and ash. Because it's water-based, it will raise the wood grain and can loosen veneer.
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Fast but Hazardous Strippers
Refinishers work only on plain lacquer or shellac. Read the label. They contain powerful solvents like acetone and toluene. Refinishers dissolve the finish instantly but are highly flammable. They’re used differently than other strippers: Wearing gloves, goggles and respirator, soak steel wool or an abrasive pad with refinisher, scrub the surface and wipe off the finish as it liquefies. The finish will start melting almost immediately. Repeat until you are down to bare wood.
Refinishers work only on plain lacquer or shellac. Read the label. They contain powerful solvents like acetone and toluene. Refinishers dissolve the finish instantly but are highly flammable. They’re used differently than other strippers: Wearing gloves, goggles and respirator, soak steel wool or an abrasive pad with refinisher, scrub the surface and wipe off the finish as it liquefies. The finish will start melting almost immediately. Repeat until you are down to bare wood.
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Medium-Fast, Moderately Hazardous Strippers
Solvent mixtures may contain small amounts of methylene chloride mixed with other solvents, or new nonflammable stripping agents such as n-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) and gamma butyrolactone. You still must wear gloves and goggles, and most require ventilation. These strippers work from the top down. For many folks they represent a happy medium, since they are relatively safe yet relatively fast.
Solvent mixtures may contain small amounts of methylene chloride mixed with other solvents, or new nonflammable stripping agents such as n-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) and gamma butyrolactone. You still must wear gloves and goggles, and most require ventilation. These strippers work from the top down. For many folks they represent a happy medium, since they are relatively safe yet relatively fast.
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1. Strippers made of solvent mixtures work from the top down (left side), melting the finish into a soft goo. Methylene chloride strippers work by penetrating the finish (right side) to break the bond between it and the wood.
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2. Apply the stripper in a layer 1/8 to 1/4 in. thick. On vertical surfaces, semipaste removers work best because they cling. Once the stripper is on, leave it alone and let it do the work.
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3. Seal your work in a bag. If the piece is too big for a bag, cover it with a tent made of polyethylene sheeting. I like to put several layers of newspapers under the work to catch the drips.
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4. Scoop off the finish using a putty knife with a dull edge and rounded corners.
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5. Wood shavings help scrub sludge from turnings and carvings. Other useful tools include string for getting into cracks and turnings, plastic scrub brushes and pointed dowels for tight corners. The bag and newspaper act as a dropcloth and cleanup aid.
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6. The wood is washed clean with the recommended solvent to remove any bits of paint and any remaining stripper. I suggest a final wash of one cup of ammonia in a quart of water, then an overnight drying.
I noticed when using paint strippers,they tend to dry quickly. I'm having a hard time either sanding or using a good solvet to loosen the dried stripper product. What should on edo to loosen the dried stripping solution.