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Vent: The old shop I apprenticed at in the 90s would strip a dresser in a day, now it takes three.
Back then, we used methylene chloride stripper straight from the can, no respirator, just open windows. You'd slap it on, the finish would bubble up in minutes, and you'd scrape it off. Now, with the safer citrus-based stuff I have to use, it needs multiple coats and hours to work. I get why the change happened (safety first, obviously), but man, it really slows down a refinishing job. Has anyone found a decent middle-ground product that works faster but isn't so harsh?
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smith.parker16d ago
You mentioned the citrus based stuff needing multiple coats. I've had some luck with a soy gel stripper that works a bit faster. You still have to let it sit, but it usually lifts most finishes in one go if you cover it with plastic wrap to keep it wet.
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sean85415d ago
Which soy gel brand actually works that fast for you?
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logan52515d ago
Cover it with plastic wrap, genius. I tried that once and ended up with a sticky mess that looked like I was trying to mummify my coffee table. Worked great on the finish, though.
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