Once we removed the veneer, it was time to start stripping the paint. Because I was going to be operating indoors, I opted for a natural paint stripper made from citrus oils. It's also non-toxic, non-flammable, biodegradable, and it works like a charm! I also used this particular stripper as a precaution because I didn't want whatever I used to damage the glue in the event that the body of the chest was not in fact cedar, but a veneer over cheap wood. A trick for this particular thinner that the shop foreman recommended I'd like to pass on for posterity is to do the following: Slather on your paint thinner/stripper, then cover the area you've applied with a painter's tarp or similar plastic covering. This keeps the "goop" from drying out, and if you press it in, when you peel the plastic back the paint will come with it.
Another tip I can give you is to
be patient. Give the thinner the time to do its job before you get excited and go to work on it. I gave the stuff its allotted half hour to work, but instead of reapplying thinner and waiting a bit longer when it started to dry out, I got impatient and started scraping. The thinner worked wonders for me, but there were several stubborn trouble spots left that could probably have been avoided by trying the trick I mentioned above. I'll have to come back and work them out. The plan is to reapply to trouble areas and scrub some more.
Applying Paint Thinner
Work Time:1 hour
Total Time: 5 hours
Stripping Paint
Work Time: 3 Hours
Total Time: 8 Hours
No comments:
Post a Comment