Paul MR wrote:

Bob wrote:

I'm planning to restore some painted wood to a more natural state. A
few years back, using heat to strip old finishes was commonplace and
electric heat guns were flying off the shelves. I only see chemical
methods mentioned now. Is there a good reason for this?

TIA

My experience stripping molding and baseboards last year: the heat gun
was quicker and a lot easier in removing about five layers of paint from
flat surfaces. But not every speck of paint came off, and the heat gun
had to be followed by chemical. Also, the chemical was better for
grooves and carved sections.

Paul in San Francisco
This has been my experience with our old house: heat gun for paint
layers over old varnish (both come off), followed by chemical. But in
some places I have had paint that the heat gun did not touch, and even
chemical was slow and difficult. We are staining the wood, so a chem
strip is necessary after the heat, followed by sanding to get the clean
smooth surface.
I am using a chemical stripper purchased from a place in Cleveland,
5-gallon or 1-gallon cans, good price and somewhat better than the Z...
strip that can be bought in stores for $20 or more last time I checked.
--Phil

--
Phil Munro Dept of Electrical & Computer Engin
Youngstown State University
Youngstown, Ohio 44555