Thank you Robert! - will get the VM&P ASAP.

If I may ask - how was that authentic Cajun gumbo? All food Cajun is a favorite -
although since shell fish is on my cannot eat list, miss out on most of the really good
dishes.

Doug


" wrote:

On Monday, December 30, 2013 11:04:22 AM UTC-6, Doug wrote:

Appears the hi-flash is the much hotter / stronger of the two solvents. Not sure if it

would be hot enough to lift the finish - which would be a disaster for my application.


The SW product summary sheet for the VM&P product also states it is a weak, fast

evaporating, and very good for solvent cleaning when using alkyd topcoats.


Which of the two would you suggest for removing furniture wax / polish?


I would go with the VM&P for a couple of reasons. First, I know it works, so that makes me happy. Second, if you use a really hot solvent for cleaning(in this case you are trying to dissolve and loosen material) it can be very hard to control.

Say for example, the finish under the layer of accumulated debris and gunk is damaged. When you are working on it, if there is even a hairline crack you can dissolve the material you are trying to clean away and have it penetrate to the wood below the finish by going through a crack or weak spot in the finish. This can happen anyway, but repeated applications of a higher VOC to get the working time you need to clean will certainly increase your chances of doing this.

So... what happens when you penetrate the finish with your hot solvent? It can easily drag polish and cleaning remnants including oils, silicones, grease, etc. into the wood to discolor it. It can also stain the wood to the point it can't be colored to match. And worse, if you are doing this as a refinish or a partial refinish you can foul the cleaned areas so much with dissolved finishing, polishing and cleaning materials that it will foul your finish as well.

The point is that you aren't looking for any kind of penetration at all, but rather trying to avoid it. Use only as much solvent as you need to remove what you need to in order to get it as clean as you need it for your expectations. Personally, to control as much as possible any cleaning agent, (I would strongly suggest this to you) I pour my cleaning agent/solvent into a small bowl or cup and dip the cleaning brush in the cup. Loosen the gunk, wipe your
brush on a rag to remove debris, then dip back into the solution. Wipe your "cleaning in process" area frequently so that you can keep the loosened debris from hardening on your project again, but just as importantly to give the area in process a careful visual examination.


Apparently Energine has been discontinued and there is no similar replacement product.

Gone, but not forgotten.

Thanks again!

Glad to help.

Robert