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#1
Posted to rec.woodworking
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Minwax Furniture Refinisher vs. alcahol/mineral spirits/lacquer thinner
I need to strip the finish from some old furniture.
Someone suggested using Minwax Furniture Refinisher which supposedly contains (among other things) alcohol, mineral spirits, and lacquer thinner. However, would I be better off just testing alcohol, mineral spirts, and lacquer separately to see which ones best remove the old finish. The theory being that it is better (and cheaper) to use the full-strength version of the right solvent. Or is there an advantage to using Minwax's magical formulation? |
#2
Posted to rec.woodworking
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Minwax Furniture Refinisher vs. alcahol/mineral spirits/lacquerthinner
On 3/3/2010 11:18 PM blueman spake thus:
I need to strip the finish from some old furniture. Someone suggested using Minwax Furniture Refinisher which supposedly contains (among other things) alcohol, mineral spirits, and lacquer thinner. that doesn't even make sense if you think about it: that's like saying "I have no frigging idea what that finish is, but if I just throw any and all solvents at it, maybe it'll come off". (Assuming that that is really what is in it; I have no idea.) Alcohol will dissolve shellac, but nothing else. Lacquer thinner (acetone + other stuff) will dissolve lacquer, but probably nothing else, though it may damage paint or varnish. Mineral spirits, well, won't dissolve anything really. However, would I be better off just testing alcohol, mineral spirts, and lacquer separately to see which ones best remove the old finish. The theory being that it is better (and cheaper) to use the full-strength version of the right solvent. You could try alcohol and lacquer thinner to see whether the finish is shellac (dissolved by alcohol) or lacquer, but if it's neither, you're not even going to make a dent in it. Sorry, you need to use some kind of real stripper here. Maybe that Minwax stuff is it, but in that case, it has a lot more in it than the ingrediments you mentioned. -- You were wrong, and I'm man enough to admit it. - a Usenet "apology" |
#3
Posted to rec.woodworking
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Minwax Furniture Refinisher vs. alcahol/mineral spirits/lacquer thinner
I used to strip a lot of old stuff and love it back to life. Still have
several pieces of furniture in the house that were rescuees including my (appx) 100 year old walnut dining room table that was painted blue and white and a sideboard that I found to go with it that was pretty rough. http://i292.photobucket.com/albums/m.../buffetb-4.jpg Not the best "after" pic. Had to paint parts of it to hide the repairs from a dog using it as a chew toy. http://i292.photobucket.com/albums/m...uffetafter.jpg After trying several "miracle products" with limited results I went back to good old Jasco paint stripper. Be sure to wear gloves (HF, blue, $9 a box, change often) cause it will burn your skin. Paint it on, gently scrape it off and then give it scrub bath with mineral spirits and a scotch brite. Then a wash with something like cheese cloth or a terry cloth towel soaked in mineral spirits or lacquer thinner. A small soft brass brush works well in nooks and crannies. Just be gentle so you don't scar the wood. K. "David Nebenzahl" wrote in message .com... On 3/3/2010 11:18 PM blueman spake thus: I need to strip the finish from some old furniture. Someone suggested using Minwax Furniture Refinisher which supposedly contains (among other things) alcohol, mineral spirits, and lacquer thinner. that doesn't even make sense if you think about it: that's like saying "I have no frigging idea what that finish is, but if I just throw any and all solvents at it, maybe it'll come off". (Assuming that that is really what is in it; I have no idea.) Alcohol will dissolve shellac, but nothing else. Lacquer thinner (acetone + other stuff) will dissolve lacquer, but probably nothing else, though it may damage paint or varnish. Mineral spirits, well, won't dissolve anything really. However, would I be better off just testing alcohol, mineral spirts, and lacquer separately to see which ones best remove the old finish. The theory being that it is better (and cheaper) to use the full-strength version of the right solvent. You could try alcohol and lacquer thinner to see whether the finish is shellac (dissolved by alcohol) or lacquer, but if it's neither, you're not even going to make a dent in it. Sorry, you need to use some kind of real stripper here. Maybe that Minwax stuff is it, but in that case, it has a lot more in it than the ingrediments you mentioned. -- You were wrong, and I'm man enough to admit it. - a Usenet "apology" |
#4
Posted to rec.woodworking
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Minwax Furniture Refinisher vs. alcahol/mineral spirits/lacquer thinner
On Thu, 4 Mar 2010 07:14:30 -0600, the infamous "Kate"
scrawled the following: I used to strip a lot of old stuff and love it back to life. Still have several pieces of furniture in the house that were rescuees including my (appx) 100 year old walnut dining room table that was painted blue and white and a sideboard that I found to go with it that was pretty rough. http://i292.photobucket.com/albums/m.../buffetb-4.jpg Not the best "after" pic. Had to paint parts of it to hide the repairs from a dog using it as a chew toy. Uh, oh! So, Kate, are you going to show us the footstool you made from the hide? How'd you tan it? (Condolences.) http://i292.photobucket.com/albums/m...uffetafter.jpg No a bad recovery. After trying several "miracle products" with limited results I went back to good old Jasco paint stripper. Be sure to wear gloves (HF, blue, $9 a box, change often) cause it will burn your skin. Even those deteriorate quickly with stripper. I doubled them up the last time. It also removes veneer glue occasionally, so be careful. -- An author spends months writing a book, and maybe puts his heart's blood into it, and then it lies about unread till the reader has nothing else in the world to do. -- W. Somerset Maugham, The Razor's Edge, 1943 |
#5
Posted to rec.woodworking
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Minwax Furniture Refinisher vs. alcahol/mineral spirits/lacquerthinner
On 3/4/2010 2:28 AM, David Nebenzahl wrote:
On 3/3/2010 11:18 PM blueman spake thus: I need to strip the finish from some old furniture. Someone suggested using Minwax Furniture Refinisher which supposedly contains (among other things) alcohol, mineral spirits, and lacquer thinner. that doesn't even make sense if you think about it: that's like saying "I have no frigging idea what that finish is, but if I just throw any and all solvents at it, maybe it'll come off". (Assuming that that is really what is in it; I have no idea.) Alcohol will dissolve shellac, but nothing else. Lacquer thinner (acetone + other stuff) will dissolve lacquer, but probably nothing else, though it may damage paint or varnish. Mineral spirits, well, won't dissolve anything really. However, would I be better off just testing alcohol, mineral spirts, and lacquer separately to see which ones best remove the old finish. The theory being that it is better (and cheaper) to use the full-strength version of the right solvent. You could try alcohol and lacquer thinner to see whether the finish is shellac (dissolved by alcohol) or lacquer, but if it's neither, you're not even going to make a dent in it. Sorry, you need to use some kind of real stripper here. Maybe that Minwax stuff is it, but in that case, it has a lot more in it than the ingrediments you mentioned. Perhaps, but not necessarily true. I've found the best thing to strip shellac is simply denatured alcohol. Because it's natural organic resin, there are at least some stripper products out there that won't work worth a damn on shellac. Not saying such products don't exist, but alcohol works perfectly so I haven't bothered looking any further. -- If it ain't perfect, improve it... But don't break it while you're fixin' it! To reply, eat the taco. http://www.flickr.com/photos/bbqboyee/ |
#6
Posted to rec.woodworking
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Minwax Furniture Refinisher vs. alcahol/mineral spirits/lacquerthinner
On 3/4/2010 5:36 AM Steve Turner spake thus:
On 3/4/2010 2:28 AM, David Nebenzahl wrote: On 3/3/2010 11:18 PM blueman spake thus: I need to strip the finish from some old furniture. Someone suggested using Minwax Furniture Refinisher which supposedly contains (among other things) alcohol, mineral spirits, and lacquer thinner. Sorry, you need to use some kind of real stripper here. Maybe that Minwax stuff is it, but in that case, it has a lot more in it than the ingrediments you mentioned. Perhaps, but not necessarily true. I've found the best thing to strip shellac is simply denatured alcohol. Because it's natural organic resin, there are at least some stripper products out there that won't work worth a damn on shellac. Not saying such products don't exist, but alcohol works perfectly so I haven't bothered looking any further. Well, that was kinda my point. If you *know* the finish you want to take off is all shellac or all lacquer, then you can just the respective solvent (alcohol or acetone) to remove it, instead of a paint stripper. -- You were wrong, and I'm man enough to admit it. - a Usenet "apology" |
#7
Posted to rec.woodworking
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Minwax Furniture Refinisher vs. alcahol/mineral spirits/lacquerthinner
On Mar 4, 2:28*am, David Nebenzahl wrote:
SNIP Sorry, you need to use some kind of real stripper here. Maybe that Minwax stuff is it, but in that case, it has a lot more in it than the ingrediments you mentioned. Good post, David. And all true. I rarely test a surface before stripping because I only do it with my company. That means that someone calls me (well, they used to when they had money!) when they want exterior doors refinished, or some interior work. By the time I am called, it may have multiple coats of who knows what, or when it was applied, or how. I see oil based over water based products, polys over varnishes, lacquer primed doors with poly on them, etc. I use the strippers that have a lot of sodium hydroxide. It is dangerous, but the high concentration stuff will take the hid off a rhino. On supplier I use has a forumla that will burn through several coats of finish at once. And you should see what it does to unprotected skin! When I strip I try to use the least caustic solution possible. With that in mind, I like the BIX brand stuff for routine stripping. I think it is called K5 or something like that - it's the orange can. I found the Minwax a little ineffective when I used it. BIX is available at Big Box stores too, so I am not tasked paying shipping to get a couple of gallons. Robert |
#8
Posted to rec.woodworking
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Minwax Furniture Refinisher vs. alcahol/mineral spirits/lacquerthinner
On Mar 4, 2:18*am, blueman wrote:
I need to strip the finish from some old furniture. Someone suggested using Minwax Furniture Refinisher which supposedly contains (among other things) alcohol, mineral spirits, and lacquer thinner. However, would I be better off just testing alcohol, mineral spirts, and lacquer separately to see which ones best remove the old finish. The theory being that it is better (and cheaper) to use the full-strength version of the right solvent. Or is there an advantage to using Minwax's magical formulation? Methylene chloride-free product, perceived by unknowing buyers as being safer. Unless you can't stand the odor, you'd be better off using a methylene chloride based stripper such as Bix or Zipstrip, since it works a lot faster than a slow ATM formula. For lacquer or shellac, use the appropriate solvent. The mineral spirits in your can of Furniture Refinisher do nothing but bulk the product with a cheap, inert filler, increasing profits for Minwax. |
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