On Mar 4, 2:28*am, David Nebenzahl wrote:

SNIP

Sorry, you need to use some kind of real stripper here. Maybe that
Minwax stuff is it, but in that case, it has a lot more in it than the
ingrediments you mentioned.

Good post, David. And all true.

I rarely test a surface before stripping because I only do it with my
company. That means that someone calls me (well, they used to when
they had money!) when they want exterior doors refinished, or some
interior work.

By the time I am called, it may have multiple coats of who knows what,
or when it was applied, or how. I see oil based over water based
products, polys over varnishes, lacquer primed doors with poly on
them, etc.

I use the strippers that have a lot of sodium hydroxide. It is
dangerous, but the high concentration stuff will take the hid off a
rhino. On supplier I use has a forumla that will burn through several
coats of finish at once. And you should see what it does to
unprotected skin!

When I strip I try to use the least caustic solution possible. With
that in mind, I like the BIX brand stuff for routine stripping. I
think it is called K5 or something like that - it's the orange can. I
found the Minwax a little ineffective when I used it. BIX is
available at Big Box stores too, so I am not tasked paying shipping to
get a couple of gallons.

Robert