[45philcodon]

I'm starting restoration of a Philco Model 610. Unfortunately, at some point during its life, the top sides and front trim were painted; paint type unknown. The paint has a flat finish.

What type stripper would you recommend to minimize damage to the underlying wood?

Thanks for your help.

Don

[rfeenstra]

This guy does a lot of radio cabinets and has a lot of videos on YouTube.  Don't know if the stripper he uses will take paint off but it may be worth a look.  I may see what he would charge to do the Acousticraft cabinet for my Scott 16.  I hate refinishing, but will probably attempt my Philco 96 tall boy using the stuff he uses.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_04PiC4j-k

[45philcodon]

Thanks for the youtube tip.It looks like Clean Strip is what I want to use.

Don

[Arran]

Citrus strip is kind of so-so as a remover, it will take old lacquer finishes off with no problem but there were multiple types of paint in use years ago just as there is now, casein paint, oil paint, water paint, etc., and some are more stubborn then others. One problem that you may also run into is that it may have multiple layers, including the original lacquer under it all. I use the old fashioned paint stripper with methylene chloride, because it will pretty much take off anything short of one of those catalyzed finishes that they used on the German radios, the longer you leave it on the more it will take off. Citrus stripper usually works, but its slower, and tends to dry out if you don't cover it with plastic, and you will have to add more if there are multiple layers, it's also more expensive, and you can forget about removing polyurethane with it. It's true that it is not as toxic, but when the old paint may or may not contain lead, it may not matter much unless you are stripping inside.
Regards
Arran

[tbone]

I have used Clean Strip on my cabinet. It works ok on polyurethane, but does dry out quick. I put it down, let it sit, and used a plastic scraper. A plastic brush works to loosen the old finish. A brass brush helps on corners where it’s deep or rounded. I think you have to keep experimenting to see what works best. It’s not a fun or fast job.

As I do more, I will update my thread on my 38-690.

[Phlogiston]

The idea that any stripper is environmentally friendly is a farce. It might be "green" before you use it, but after it contains the old finish it is not.

I have found that these green strippers work poorly, requiring the use of other solvents and much more of the stripper. That coupled with my previous statement make them not only un-green, but a poor substitute for a real stripper.

[Paul Philco322]

I wonder what Fred would suggest?

Paul

[tbone]

My thoughts are that for the average nonprofessional refinisher, only certain chemicals are readily available for us. Yes, people find ways to get other chemicals not found at your home store, but not all of us do that. There is a reason commercial products are held back from the public, as people abuse them and don’t follow the directions. This could lead to personal injury and other bad things. Manufacturers don’t want the liability.

I’m not sayin that folks here are the issue by any means, I’m just making a general statement.

When it comes to stripping, the instructor who taught a refinishing class I was in strongly recommended to use a professional service. This is because they have better products and facilities to do it safely.
That said, I contacted a furniture restoration business and they wanted nothing to do with it. There was no way to make it worth their time, and they were afraid of damaging the cabinet and lifting veneers.

So I’m now in the process of stripping my polyurethaned 38-960 cabinet. If it takes a little longer, so be it. I’ll probably appreciate it more.

[doug-5er]

Use a 50/50 mix of Acetone and Lacquer thinner will wash just about any finish clean off.If you don't want to take a week to remove all the finish. Use 00 or 000 steel wool pad and slosh it on the area you want to remove it will melt it away in seconds. use a cotton cloth to wipe the excess off. Wear good thick rubber gloves and use your head * Don't SMOKE * lay down some plastic drop cloths to protect the surface where your working on and if you have a plastic tub bigger than the radio you can collect the excess to reuse it. Here some pics of a Sparton cabinet i used the mix on.
 
                   

[oscartg]

With any stripper the first thing is to read the instructions and determine how its neutralized. In the video, he does mention that the klean strip he uses is a water neutralized product. Some methylene chloride strippers are water neutralized, others are solvent neutralized, he's using lacquer thinner to finish stripping because he's not stripping all the finish with the stripper, frankly, I think that cat been inhaling too many fumes.
My favorite stripper that I've used is an Old Masters product called TM-4, it's water neutralized. The worst I've had to use of this type stripper is the most commonly available product called Zip-Strip. Their anti-evaporators are waxy and can remain behind in the wood and it will be a problem during finishing and shows up as fisheyes.
With that being typed, here's a key thing to stripping, washing after the stripper. I've always used a TSP substitute in a warm water dilution followed by a cold water rinse. The can be problematic for radio cabinets if you're trying this at home without much stripping experience as too much water will wreck the thin ply construction of most cabinets.
The TSP is what will remove the stains in the woods if it was stained, it is even somewhat effective on old berry based stains. Of course that isn't a problem with Philco's because they're finished in toned lacquers which is essentially just a paint job.
Plenty of (cotton) rags for each step, nylon bristle scrub brushes for the TSP wash and final rinse, and some towels to help dry the piece after rinsing. Work fast and efficiently to avoid damage to the ply. It is not easy, but when done right it's a beautiful thing, the piece will look like brand new wood before you even begin filling and sanding.


I have yet to find a useful purpose for the citrus based strippers.

[Phlogiston]

I  understand strippers can be expensive .

Just to add for the uninitiated, it would seem like a good idea to re-glue loose veneer prior to stripping (so as to not damage it further). What I have found is that strippers will loosen the NEW glue, It take a few months for the new "white" glue to be able to stand up to the stripper.

[John Bartley]

This product :

http://www.dtep-archive.com/multi-strip.htm

is what I liked the best for stripping old radio cabinets. I costs twice as much as others, but it cleans up with water and has never damaged a cabinet yet.

As always .... your mileage etc ....

[tbone]

I see mention about fish-eyes and worry of contamination because of residue left behind. I agree that this can happen as it’s sometimes hard to get every bit clean.

I use a product called “Seal Coat” by Zinnser, after I strip, sand, and stain with golden oak dye stain. This is shellac made for this purpose and it saves you from having to mix it. Wash coats of shellac have been recommended for years.

I’ve grain filled over the Seal Coat and used pigment stains with no issues at all.

https://www.rustoleum.com/product-catalo...ing-sealer

[45philcodon]

Thanks for the tips and info; this is a great help.

Don

[Greggshere]

I like the looks of the doug-5er lacquer thinner/ acetone mix method. I might just give that a try. What a beautiful cabinet afterwards.