"Bob Mannix" wrote in message
...

"Mary Hinge" wrote in message
oups.com...
I was talking to an old artexer I used years ago, he swore blind this
stuff was actually ancient primer. He mentioned 'in the old days' you
used to have priming sheds on a site, where they used to treat both
sides of the wood before fitting, and that this was one of his first
jobs.

I had this stuff on my soffit boards, under about 6 layers of paint, on my
1939 semi.
The advice given is good, use a straight scraper, I used a 2" wide one, heat
up the work and get scraping. The trick is to have something available you
can clean the scraper with after each pass, as it builds up on the scraper
and sets rapidly. I fancied it was some sort of undercoat, it doesn't look
as if it was ever transparent, but just a sort of dark brown glop; who
knows. Sand it afterwards to get a smooth finish.

Andy.

Moved into an 1870´s house. Removing the paint (masses of coats) from
a window frame and have encountered a blu tac like product which is
sticky when heated with a hot air paint gun but is brownish black and
hard otherwise.

A real problem to remove.

What is it?

How do I get rid of it easily?

Adrian the exasperated!

On 10 Dec 2004 02:41:44 -0800, (Adrian) wrote:

Moved into an 1870´s house. Removing the paint (masses of coats) from
a window frame and have encountered a blu tac like product which is
sticky when heated with a hot air paint gun but is brownish black and
hard otherwise.

A real problem to remove.

What is it?

Sounds like some sort of bitumen based substance?

How do I get rid of it easily?

Dunno.

Does it dissolve in Whire spirit? Maybe chemical paint stripper would
shift it.

"s--p--o--n--i--x" wrote in message
...
On 10 Dec 2004 02:41:44 -0800, (Adrian) wrote:

Moved into an 1870´s house. Removing the paint (masses of coats) from
a window frame and have encountered a blu tac like product which is
sticky when heated with a hot air paint gun but is brownish black and
hard otherwise.

A real problem to remove.

What is it?

Still there in the 1920's house. It's a real PITA. I just kept going with
slow forceful scraping and a hot air gun. Bit of a b*gg*r if you don't want
to paint over as it's a hell of a job to get back to a neat surface (I was
overpainting).


--
Bob Mannix
(anti-spam is as easy as 1-2-3 - not)

"Bob Mannix" wrote in message



"s--p--o--n--i--x" wrote in message
...
On 10 Dec 2004 02:41:44 -0800, (Adrian) wrote:

sticky when heated with a hot air paint gun but is brownish black and
hard otherwise.

What is it?

Still there in the 1920's house. It's a real PITA. I just kept going with
slow forceful scraping and a hot air gun.

Idiots.

It is varnish and you aught to be using Nitromorse or one of the less
ferior brands.

You could have the lot done in a couple of days.




--
Posted via Mailgate.ORG Server - http://www.Mailgate.ORG

"Michael Mcneil" wrote in message
news:7c3fad6582ac2018812104236c5e641f.45219@mygate .mailgate.org...
"Bob Mannix" wrote in message



"s--p--o--n--i--x" wrote in message
...
On 10 Dec 2004 02:41:44 -0800, (Adrian) wrote:

sticky when heated with a hot air paint gun but is brownish black and
hard otherwise.

What is it?

Still there in the 1920's house. It's a real PITA. I just kept going
with
slow forceful scraping and a hot air gun.

Idiots.

Why thank you. Takes one...


It is varnish

That's true (most likely)

and you aught to be using Nitromorse

At the time I didn't want to be spending money sloshing gallons of Nitromors
around the house - nor did I think I ought to be. Having discovered it was
there, applictaion of the right stripping technique brought it off with the
paint in one go (mostly).

or one of the less
ferior brands.

You could have the lot done in a couple of days.

As you don't know how much I was doing or over what period, I fail to see
how you would know )


--
Bob Mannix
(anti-spam is as easy as 1-2-3 - not)

Michael Mcneil wrote:

Idiots.

What do you gain from being abusive?

Steve

In article , "Adrian"
says...
Moved into an 1870´s house. Removing the paint (masses of coats) from
a window frame and have encountered a blu tac like product which is
sticky when heated with a hot air paint gun but is brownish black and
hard otherwise.

A real problem to remove.

What is it?

Varnish

How do I get rid of it easily?

Plenty of heat (mind the glass) and slow firm scraping with a flat
scraper (not a shave hook) should remove most of it and leave a usable
surface for repainting.

On Fri, 10 Dec 2004 11:15:19 +0000 (UTC), "Michael Mcneil"
wrote:


What is it?

Idiots.

It is varnish

Eh? The OP said it was like Blu Tak. Since when has varnish had the
consistency of Blu Tak?

"s--p--o--n--i--x" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 10 Dec 2004 11:15:19 +0000 (UTC), "Michael Mcneil"
wrote:


What is it?

Idiots.

It is varnish

Eh? The OP said it was like Blu Tak. Since when has varnish had the
consistency of Blu Tak?

Ah, I believe - when it's very old, has been buried under lots of paint for
years and then heated with a hot-air paint stripper! It's possible it's
something else but more likely Michael is correct (it is possible to be rude
and right ) ) .


--
Bob Mannix
(anti-spam is as easy as 1-2-3 - not)

In article , Adrian
writes
Moved into an 1870´s house. Removing the paint (masses of coats) from
a window frame and have encountered a blu tac like product which is
sticky when heated with a hot air paint gun but is brownish black and
hard otherwise.

A real problem to remove.

What is it?

How do I get rid of it easily?

Adrian the exasperated!

If it's anything like the stuff in my own place (1904) then it is varnish as
others have said. It was common in the time to use softwood and then use
a dark varnish to make it look like something more expensive. I used a 2
stage process of taking off the top layers with a heatgun then using
nitromors master craftsmans (yellow tin) to remove the residue. It comes
off a treat. Apply with a paintbrush, leave 5mins, rewet, then scrape off if a
flat surface or use medium wire wool on mouldings.

Good luck
--
fred

I was talking to an old artexer I used years ago, he swore blind this
stuff was actually ancient primer. He mentioned 'in the old days' you
used to have priming sheds on a site, where they used to treat both
sides of the wood before fitting, and that this was one of his first
jobs.

Could be a load of bollox of course but such an outrageous lie would
have been out of character for such a nice chap...

On Fri, 10 Dec 2004 14:49:05 GMT, (s--p--o--n--i--x)
wrote:

Since when has varnish had the
consistency of Blu Tak?

When you try to hot-air strip it.

From 1900 and before some paints and almost all varnishes had a large
component of plant-based resins in them. Even today these will soften
with hot air and turn into a sticky, smearly mess that's not only
unremovable, but actually makes things worse.

If you use a gas torch (same heat, more temperature, less airflow)
then you _might_ get it off badly. An electric blower though is
basically impossible. Tanking it will do it (with usual caveats) and
Nitromors will usually do it _so_long_as_ you haven't already tried
and failed with heat.

--
Smert' spamionam

"Mary Hinge" wrote in message
oups.com...
I was talking to an old artexer I used years ago, he swore blind this
stuff was actually ancient primer. He mentioned 'in the old days' you
used to have priming sheds on a site, where they used to treat both
sides of the wood before fitting, and that this was one of his first
jobs.

Could be a load of bollox of course but such an outrageous lie would
have been out of character for such a nice chap...


Well mine was only on the face side. That's not to say it definitely wasn't
a sort of primer but I did also have wood with red (lead?) primer where it
wouldn't have been varnished. I still fancy it was a varnish or varnish
substitute though.


--
Bob Mannix
(anti-spam is as easy as 1-2-3 - not)

"Andy Dingley" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 10 Dec 2004 14:49:05 GMT, (s--p--o--n--i--x)
wrote:

Since when has varnish had the
consistency of Blu Tak?

When you try to hot-air strip it.

From 1900 and before some paints and almost all varnishes had a large
component of plant-based resins in them. Even today these will soften
with hot air and turn into a sticky, smearly mess that's not only
unremovable, but actually makes things worse.

If you use a gas torch (same heat, more temperature, less airflow)
then you _might_ get it off badly. An electric blower though is
basically impossible.

I got mine off with a hot air blower, but only good enough to sand and
paint. It would have taken significantly more work to get it to
varnish/waxing standard.


--
Bob Mannix
(anti-spam is as easy as 1-2-3 - not)

"Andy Dingley" wrote in message
...

From 1900 and before some paints and almost all varnishes had a large
component of plant-based resins in them. Even today these will soften
with hot air and turn into a sticky, smearly mess that's not only
unremovable, but actually makes things worse.

If you use a gas torch (same heat, more temperature, less airflow)
then you _might_ get it off badly. An electric blower though is
basically impossible

I had to strip a window frame with this s**t on it a while back and although
it is a pig, I did actually manage it with a hot air gun (I agree that a gas
torch would be better). It *can* come off flat surfaces almost as easily as
normal paint. But there is a real knack to it. Firstly, you need to
**really** heat the stuff up. Secondly, if you start to scrape at it when it
is not ho enough, or if you get the hot gunge back on the clean wood after
removing it, it is a devil to take off again. Judging when to start scraping
takes some getting used to, because unlike paint, you only get one shot.
As been noted, you need a flat scraper, and you need to keep the scraper
totally clean of all the gunge it picks up, particularly the surface that
can come into contact with the stripped wood.

However, if it is on mouldings etc., or if you don't want all the fumes (!)
then it is a chemical paint stripper job.

Adrian wrote:

Moved into an 1870´s house. Removing the paint (masses of coats) from
a window frame and have encountered a blu tac like product which is
sticky when heated with a hot air paint gun but is brownish black and
hard otherwise.

A real problem to remove.

What is it?

Shellac knotting?


How do I get rid of it easily?


Don't!

Adrian the exasperated!

Leave it and sand it down.

"Adrian" wrote in message
m...
Moved into an 1870´s house. Removing the paint (masses of coats) from
a window frame and have encountered a blu tac like product which is
sticky when heated with a hot air paint gun but is brownish black and
hard otherwise.

A real problem to remove.

What is it?

How do I get rid of it easily?

Adrian the exasperated!

We had it in our old house, a victorian terraced cottage. I don't really
think there is an easy removal way. IIRC I resorted to heating it with a
blowlamp to the point that it ignited and the charred gunge/wood surface
could be power sanded off. Horrid Horrid Horrid! The Nitromors type
strippers didn't seem to touch it. Though, again IIRC, caustic soda was
effective. Again Horrid Horrid Horrid! I do recall that I said we would
never have stripped pine in any future house we own!

I don't recall any serious health effects from the job, but I do remember a
friends mum got lead poisoning from sanding varnish in a victorian station
house. So probably worth being careful.

Sam

Steve Jones wrote in news:41b993c0$0$19161
:

Michael Mcneil wrote:

Idiots.

What do you gain from being abusive?

Steve

ISTR it's his house style - a google would prolly confirm but ICBA ;-)

mike

On Fri, 10 Dec 2004 17:38:15 GMT, "Coherers"
wrote:

"Andy Dingley" wrote in message
.. .

From 1900 and before some paints and almost all varnishes had a large
component of plant-based resins in them. Even today these will soften
with hot air and turn into a sticky, smearly mess that's not only
unremovable, but actually makes things worse.

If you use a gas torch (same heat, more temperature, less airflow)
then you _might_ get it off badly. An electric blower though is
basically impossible

I had to strip a window frame with this s**t on it a while back and although
it is a pig, I did actually manage it with a hot air gun (I agree that a gas
torch would be better). It *can* come off flat surfaces almost as easily as
normal paint. But there is a real knack to it. Firstly, you need to
**really** heat the stuff up. Secondly, if you start to scrape at it when it
is not ho enough, or if you get the hot gunge back on the clean wood after
removing it, it is a devil to take off again. Judging when to start scraping
takes some getting used to, because unlike paint, you only get one shot.
As been noted, you need a flat scraper, and you need to keep the scraper
totally clean of all the gunge it picks up, particularly the surface that
can come into contact with the stripped wood.

However, if it is on mouldings etc., or if you don't want all the fumes (!)
then it is a chemical paint stripper job.


Hi,

Could be pine tar, which would have been used as a preservative and
primer. If so don't curse it, it would have helped prevent the frames
from rotting over the years.

Probably used as it could be slapped in the joints too as the frame
was assembled and would soak into the wood over time.

If restoring an old frame a good soaking with a modern wood preserver
will help it last another 100 years.

cheers,
Pete.

On Fri, 10 Dec 2004 02:41:44 -0800, Adrian wrote:

Moved into an 1870´s house. Removing the paint (masses of coats) from a
window frame and have encountered a blu tac like product which is sticky
when heated with a hot air paint gun but is brownish black and hard
otherwise.

A real problem to remove.

What is it?

How do I get rid of it easily?

Adrian the exasperated!

Had this in a mid 1900's house. Or something that sounds very much like it.

Along with what others have recommended, I found that Ronstrip (or similar
caustic soda type paste stripper[1] ) removed mine reasonably well, with
the proviso that such stripper may raise the wood's grain.

[1] Made my own Ronstrip for the job from caustic soda (careful when
adding that to water - it *can* blow up in your face as the act of
dissolving caustic soda is *highly* exothermic. Go slow and check the
temperature and wear goggles) and builder's lime. Not as good, but very
cheap.

Timbo

--
Tim Southerwood
Website: http://www.dionic.net/
email: (remove DIESPAMDIE. to get address)

"Bob Mannix" wrote in message
...

You could have the lot done in a couple of days.

As you don't know how much I was doing or over what period, I fail to see
how you would know )

Didn't you know that he knows everything?

Or thinks he does ...

Mary