I have already stripped one Bannister using a heat gun and the wood
looks really quite nice so I sanded it and it looks really good .

Thought I would strip the other aide too but as it is close to the wall
etc I do not wish to use the heat gun on it. I thought of a chemical
stripper . Is there any that the group recommends or should I just be
very careful and use the gun?

On 22/01/2021 13:35, soup wrote:
I have already stripped one Bannister using a heat gun and the wood
looks really quite nice so I sanded it and it looks really good .

Thought I would strip the other aide too but as it is close to the wall
etc I do not wish to use the heat gun on it. I thought of a chemical
stripper .Â* Is there any that the group recommends or should I just be
very careful and use the gun?

If the banister is away from the wall you could use a plumbers heat
resistant mat

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7NdFMifPsPo

or maybe

https://www.amazon.co.uk/SPTwj-Solde...1324075&sr=8-9

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On 22/01/2021 13:35, soup wrote:
I have already stripped one Bannister using a heat gun and the wood
looks really quite nice so I sanded it and it looks really good .

Thought I would strip the other aide too but as it is close to the wall
etc I do not wish to use the heat gun on it. I thought of a chemical
stripper .Â* Is there any that the group recommends or should I just be
very careful and use the gun?


Banisters on the wall side of stairs are often easy to remove if fixed
with brackets.

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Can you not protect the wall section you are working on by sliding something
behind it which can take the accidental heat? Brian

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"soup" wrote in message
...
I have already stripped one Bannister using a heat gun and the wood
looks really quite nice so I sanded it and it looks really good .

Thought I would strip the other aide too but as it is close to the wall
etc I do not wish to use the heat gun on it. I thought of a chemical
stripper . Is there any that the group recommends or should I just be
very careful and use the gun?

On 22/01/2021 13:35, soup wrote:
I have already stripped one Bannister using a heat gun and the wood
looks really quite nice so I sanded it and it looks really good .

Thought I would strip the other aide too but as it is close to the wall
etc I do not wish to use the heat gun on it. I thought of a chemical
stripper .Â* Is there any that the group recommends or should I just be
very careful and use the gun?

Was it ever painted with lead paint ?. If so, using a heat gun
may not be the best solution.

On 22/01/2021 14:08, alan_m wrote:
On 22/01/2021 13:35, soup wrote:
I have already stripped one Bannister using a heat gun and the wood
looks really quite nice so I sanded it and it looks really good .

Thought I would strip the other aide too but as it is close to the wall
etc I do not wish to use the heat gun on it. I thought of a chemical
stripper .Â* Is there any that the group recommends or should I just be
very careful and use the gun?


Banisters on the wall side of stairs are often easy to remove if fixed
with brackets.


Yeah had sort of come to the conclusion that that was the way forward.
Cue lots of questions on removing(and replacing) screws that have been
in place 50~60 years.

On 22/01/2021 15:10, Andrew wrote:
On 22/01/2021 13:35, soup wrote:
I have already stripped one Bannister using a heat gun and the wood
looks really quite nice so I sanded it and it looks really good .

Thought I would strip the other aide too but as it is close to the wall
etc I do not wish to use the heat gun on it. I thought of a chemical
stripper .Â* Is there any that the group recommends or should I just be
very careful and use the gun?

Was it ever painted with lead paint ?.

Hope not, don't think so .

On 22/01/2021 18:48, soup wrote:



Yeah had sort of come to the conclusion that that was the way forward.
Cue lots of questions on removing(and replacing) screws that have been
in place 50~60 years.


If slotted overpainted screws use a (maybe sacrificial) screwdriver.
Heat the and end of the screwdriver hot enough to cut/melt through the
paint to get firmly into the slot. If slotted consider replacing with
new cross head.

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On 22/01/2021 18:49, soup wrote:
On 22/01/2021 15:10, Andrew wrote:
On 22/01/2021 13:35, soup wrote:
I have already stripped one Bannister using a heat gun and the wood
looks really quite nice so I sanded it and it looks really good .

Thought I would strip the other aide too but as it is close to the wall
etc I do not wish to use the heat gun on it. I thought of a chemical
stripper .Â* Is there any that the group recommends or should I just be
very careful and use the gun?

Was it ever painted with lead paint ?.

Hope not, don't think so .

If Victorian it could well be. But, the lead salts in paint are not
volatile, just be slightly careful with the dust.

On 2021-01-22 6:35 a.m., soup wrote:
I have already stripped one Bannister using a heat gun and the wood
looks really quite nice so I sanded it and it looks really good .

Thought I would strip the other aide too but as it is close to the wall
etc I do not wish to use the heat gun on it. I thought of a chemical
stripper .Â* Is there any that the group recommends or should I just be
very careful and use the gun?

take the railing off the wall

On 22/01/2021 19:20, alan_m wrote:

If slotted overpainted screws use a (maybe sacrificial) screwdriver.
Heat the and end of the screwdriver hot enough to cut/melt through the
paint to get firmly into the slot. If slotted consider replacing with
new cross head.

Good luck getting an overpainted cross head out...

I've always cut the paint out with a Stanley knife on slots. Wouldn't
want to have to do it to a crosshead.

Andy

On 22/01/2021 21:19, Vir Campestris wrote:
On 22/01/2021 19:20, alan_m wrote:

If slotted overpainted screws use a (maybe sacrificial) screwdriver.
Heat the and end of the screwdriver hot enough to cut/melt through the
paint to get firmly into the slot. If slotted consider replacing with
new cross head.

Good luck getting an overpainted cross head out...

I've always cut the paint out with a Stanley knife on slots. Wouldn't
want to have to do it to a crosshead.

Andy


The heated (with blowtorch) screwdriver works with cross head as well.

One other trick that can work if the screw is tight is to put the
screwdriver on the screw head and then give the other end of the screw
driver a whack with a hammer. Often then it starts to undo.


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On Fri, 22 Jan 2021 21:55:15 +0000, alan_m wrote:

One other trick that can work if the screw is tight is to put the
screwdriver on the screw head and then give the other end of the screw
driver a whack with a hammer. Often then it starts to undo.

Old fashioned manual impact screwdriver. I still have mine, it's over 50
years old.



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"alan_m" wrote in message
...
One other trick that can work if the screw is tight is to put the
screwdriver on the screw head and then give the other end of the screw
driver a whack with a hammer. Often then it starts to undo.

I've never found that works for me with seized screws, though I've often
tried it on the grounds that this time might be the exception! The usual
problem is not with screws that are painted over, but ones which have seized
into swollen wood or where the head is so rusted that it disintegrates and
becomes a round hole (if it was previously cross-head) when you apply enough
force on the screwdriver (by hand or by electric motor).

I had to remove some hinges from a gatepost, and one screw out of the four
on one hinge would not budge: no matter what force I put on the screwdriver
to push it into the screw while trying to turn it, the screwdriver just
climbed out of the screw head. Drilling out the screw head was a dead loss:
in the case the screw was so hard that a metal-rated drill just got very hot
but made no impression. I ended up having to hacksaw through the hinge to
cut the moveable blade off the part that was firmly and immovably attached
to the post, and then use a burr tool to smooth off the sharp edge on the
cut end. Leaving the remains of the hinge, as long as it was not dangerously
sharp, was not a problem in this particular case.

On 22/01/2021 22:08, Bob Eager wrote:
On Fri, 22 Jan 2021 21:55:15 +0000, alan_m wrote:

One other trick that can work if the screw is tight is to put the
screwdriver on the screw head and then give the other end of the screw
driver a whack with a hammer. Often then it starts to undo.

Old fashioned manual impact screwdriver. I still have mine, it's over 50
years old.

I purchased one around 45 years ago when the only car that I could
afford was a 10 year old rust heap that required a door to be replaced
and the only way to get it off was a impact screwdriver.

These days for domestic DIY I find a cordless Makita impact driver does
a good job.




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On 22/01/2021 22:12, NY wrote:

I had to remove some hinges from a gatepost, and one screw out of the
four on one hinge would not budge: no matter what force I put on the
screwdriver to push it into the screw while trying to turn it, the
screwdriver just climbed out of the screw head. Drilling out the screw
head was a dead loss: in the case the screw was so hard that a
metal-rated drill just got very hot but made no impression. I ended up
having to hacksaw through the hinge to cut the moveable blade off the
part that was firmly and immovably attached to the post, and then use a
burr tool to smooth off the sharp edge on the cut end. Leaving the
remains of the hinge, as long as it was not dangerously sharp, was not a
problem in this particular case.

Two methods I've used with broken screws (snapped heads) in wood.

If there is enough shank exposed and you can grip it with mole grips
then you can get a lot of leverage to turn it. If you can only grip it
at the very end use a screwdriver in the mole grip handle as the lever.

Get a very small drill and run it down the side of the screw in perhaps
6 places. This removes enough wood to free the screw. Then drill a large
hole suitable for a wood dowel. Glue it in and then, when glue is dry,
trim to be flush with a chisel. It's possible to fit a second dowel next
to the first if you allow the glue in the first to dry before drilling a
second hole.

https://www.screwfix.com/p/easyfix-w...100-pack/1360t




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On 22/01/2021 22:08, Bob Eager wrote:
On Fri, 22 Jan 2021 21:55:15 +0000, alan_m wrote:

One other trick that can work if the screw is tight is to put the
screwdriver on the screw head and then give the other end of the screw
driver a whack with a hammer. Often then it starts to undo.

Old fashioned manual impact screwdriver. I still have mine, it's over 50
years old.



Mine's younger by about 10 years and has been used many times. The most
recent use was getting screws out of Crittall windows with 80 years of
paint over them - nothing else would do. Zapping the paint with a gas
torch and a bit of scraping revealed the outline of the slots; a couple
of taps on the impact driver and out came the screws. I tried using a
modern ID but the bit just came out of the slot.

Recently, when I couldn't find my old impact driver, I was surprised to
find out that SWMBO had a slightly newer one. Women today, thinking they
can use tools designed for men! Tch! ;-)

On 22/01/2021 22:46, alan_m wrote:
.... snipped
Get a very small drill and run it down the side of the screw in perhaps
6 places. This removes enough wood to free the screw. Then drill a large
hole suitable for a wood dowel. Glue it in and then, when glue is dry,
trim to be flush with a chisel. It's possible to fit a second dowel next
to the first if you allow the glue in the first to dry before drilling a
second hole.

That works OK but the grain in the dowels runs in the wrong direction so
may not retain screws very well. If screw retention or appearance are
important (hinge screws, for example) I make plugs using a plug cutter
and then the grain can be in the appropriate direction.

On 22/01/2021 20:57, newshound wrote:
On 22/01/2021 18:49, soup wrote:
On 22/01/2021 15:10, Andrew wrote:
On 22/01/2021 13:35, soup wrote:
I have already stripped one Bannister using a heat gun and the wood
looks really quite nice so I sanded it and it looks really good .

Thought I would strip the other aide too but as it is close to the wall
etc I do not wish to use the heat gun on it. I thought of a chemical
stripper .Â* Is there any that the group recommends or should I just be
very careful and use the gun?

Was it ever painted with lead paint ?.

Hope not, don't think so .

If Victorian it could well be. But, the lead salts in paint are not
volatile, just be slightly careful with the dust.
According to the government leaflet I've linked below, lead paint was
used up to the 1960s. My house was built in the 1930s and has plenty of
lead paint so I use a heat gun set to 400-450C and wear a mask. When
machine sanding I wear a mask and use a vacuum on the sander.
https://assets.publishing.service.go...intleaflet.pdf

On 23/01/2021 11:31, wrote:
On 22/01/2021 22:46, alan_m wrote:
... snipped
Get a very small drill and run it down the side of the screw in
perhaps 6 places. This removes enough wood to free the screw. Then
drill a large hole suitable for a wood dowel. Glue it in and then,
when glue is dry, trim to be flush with a chisel. It's possible to fit
a second dowel next to the first if you allow the glue in the first to
dry before drilling a second hole.

That works OK but the grain in the dowels runs in the wrong direction so
may not retain screws very well. If screw retention or appearance are
important (hinge screws, for example) I make plugs using a plug cutter
and then the grain can be in the appropriate direction.


The dowel I have seem very fine grain and harder than the pine that I've
inserted them into.

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On 2021-01-22, NY wrote:
"alan_m" wrote in message
...
One other trick that can work if the screw is tight is to put the
screwdriver on the screw head and then give the other end of the screw
driver a whack with a hammer. Often then it starts to undo.

I've never found that works for me with seized screws, though I've often
tried it on the grounds that this time might be the exception! The usual
problem is not with screws that are painted over, but ones which have seized
into swollen wood or where the head is so rusted that it disintegrates and
becomes a round hole (if it was previously cross-head) when you apply enough
force on the screwdriver (by hand or by electric motor).

I sorted a stuck screw in an old wooden bed frame[1], by using a gas blow
torch to heat the screw. Had to do a load of protection to stop wood
damage. Let it cool and it came out quite easy. I assume the screw
expanded, then contracted slightly on cooling, just enough so the wood
was less tight. Luckily I only had to do it on one screw out of the
16 I had to remove.

[1] we had got a new mattress - alot deeper than the old one. The bed
frame needed adjusting down.