Stripping paint with heat?
 

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

"Bob" wrote in message ...
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

they started fires if one wasn't careful. in today's lawsuit-happy age, the
are probably discouraged.

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?


People who kill themselves with heat-sources die right then,
and there's an easy path of causality for the lawyers to follow.

People who kill themselves with chemicals tend to die years
later, which creates plausible deniability.

Goedjn wrote in
:


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?


People who kill themselves with heat-sources die right then,
and there's an easy path of causality for the lawyers to follow.

People who kill themselves with chemicals tend to die years
later, which creates plausible deniability.




Thanks for your insight -- it makes perfect sense -- but the question was
"Is there a GOOD reason?" as in "does it work just as well?" And, can you
still buy a heat gun without a background check?

"Bob" wrote in message
...
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?


I can't comment on industry trends, but I bought a heat gun and stripped
my front door. I laid it over saw horses, so any fires would be
contained. It worked just fine.

I suppose lead paint could be a concern, and paint remover would keep
lead suspended and contained, whereas a heat gun could generate airborne
particles.

Thanks for your insight -- it makes perfect sense -- but the question
was
"Is there a GOOD reason?" as in "does it work just as well?" And, can
you
still buy a heat gun without a background check?

Maybe the chemical manufacturers are just better at marketing than the
heat gun manufacturers. My Home Depot stocks heat guns.

In article , 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?

Sure - it's because heat guns don't work worth a damn for stripping paint. The
chemical strippers take about one-tenth the time and effort.

--
Regards,
Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)

Nobody ever left footprints in the sands of time by sitting on his butt.
And who wants to leave buttprints in the sands of time?

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

Chemical strippers are expensive, messy, but do a great job. Torch can
be used outdoors, but run risk of burning/charring wood. Depends on the
job, how much, etc. I've done both. I wouldn't use a torch on antique
furniture, and I wouldn't use chemical stripper to do all the window
frames on the outside of the house.

I've seen heat guns around, and a purchase doesn't involve the FBI,
last I knew. But I'm with Doug Miller on this - I was underwhelmed with
their performance.

You don't say what or how much wood you're stripping -- if it's a big
job I'd try the chemicals.

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

I cracked a window once using a heat gun.


"Bob" wrote in message ...
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

Bob writes:

Is there a good reason for this?

Heat == slow.

On Tue, 26 Apr 2005 21:02:05 GMT, (Doug Miller)
wrote:

In article , 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?

Sure - it's because heat guns don't work worth a damn for stripping paint. The
chemical strippers take about one-tenth the time and effort.

I found the exact opposite to be true when stripping a paneled door
with several heavy coats.

They work better on old oil paint not latex, latex actualy melts, oil
bubbles and releases. They are still sold but stripping old oil that
contains lead releases it poisoning you. Pick the right tool - product
for the job.

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

Richard J Kinch wrote in
:

Bob writes:

Is there a good reason for this?


Thanks to all for your responses. It's not a big job - bunch of very basic
kitchen cabinet doors painted over 25 years ago. I'm planning on taking
threm down and doing the job outdoors, not sure whether I'll strip or paint
over the cabinet frames.

Bob

"Hopkins" wrote:
You don't say what or how much wood you're stripping -- if it's a big
job I'd try the chemicals.

If it's a big job, I take 'er into town and let the guy with the stripping tank
give 'er swim in the tank. Still some cleanup stripping to do, but it's worth
every cent of the $50 he charges me.