Hi Walter!
I have rescued many old pieces and loved them back to life.
Here's what I would do.

Get some paint stripper
a gallon or two of paint thinner
and a can of lacquer thinner.
Several disposable paint brushes with natural bristles
an old glass bowl to put stripper in
Nitrile gloves
Several good nylon brushes of varying sizes - from a paint or box store,
solvent resistant. From a 1" to a 3"
You'll likely need about 4 of the 1" size
A package of scotch brite cut into 3" squares
some 0000 steel wool
Two rolls of paper towels
JASC makes a great paint thinner but be sure to get some GOOD nitrile gloves
or it will burn your hands.
Safety glasses
The cheap ones they sell at places like Harbor Freight burn right through.
A good drop cloth or layers of newspaper.

Work from top to bottom and brush the stripper on a small area using the
natural bristle brush and let it loosen the paint. Use it generously for the
best result
Lift the goo off as much as you can with a paper towel and dispose of it. Re
apply the stripper again and then dip your nylon brush into paint thinner
and start scrubbing. Not so hard that it damages the wood.
You will likely have to repeat the process several times.
You can dip a scotch brite into the paint thinner to scrub too. The thinner
causes the paint stripper to ball up making it easier to brush off.
Use the nylon brushes to get into the noks and crannies.

Once you get it all scrubbed up, wash it with the lacquer thinner and a bit
of the 0000 steel wool. The steel wool will help to smooth the surface and
the lacquer thinner will help dissolve any remaining residue.

This is of course a VERY slimmed down outline but it's a good start. It's a
beautiful old chair. I would have rescued it too! Please be sure to post
pictures of it as you go along and when you get it all done.

If the joints are loose, disassembling it before stripping it would be
great. It makes it so much easier.

Once you get it all stripped you'll know if you'll be able to stain it or if
you'll have to repaint it. Sometimes the wood is dyed from the paint and you
have no other choice but to repaint it.

Personally, I like the way it looks now. I would fix the seat, smooth the
rough paint and put a good clear coat over it. I'd toss a nice blanket on it
and put it in a corner next to a book shelf and admire it's "aged to
rejection" look. ;¬D

Kate.


"Walter Johnson" wrote in message
...
This chair was rescued from a potential bonfire. It is likely 100+ years
old and I want to remove the old paint and start over with bare wood.
Any suggestions on how to remove the old paint? Any suggestions for a
finish? It is my belief that chairs of this vintage were painted rather
than finished with natural wood finish. It appears to have been red then
green. I am thinking green or blue as a finish color.

Walter.