The Golden State: Where & How to Live, Secure, Visit, Enjoy and Thrive in California
Furniture Finishing
But the saving of material does not amount to much, if anything, as the tank becomes loaded with waste material, and when it ceases to be active it must be replaced with new solvent. Paint and enamel require more time than a thin varnish coating. A piece should not be left in longer than is necessary to soften the varnish or paint and should then be wiped off very quickly with waste, rags or any other absorbent material.
If much removing is to be done it is advantageous to have at least two tanks containing solvent, and the last one minus any wax, so that when a piece is cleaned off the second time, it will not be necessary to apply a wash coat. The second tank must be covered tightly to prevent evaporation.
Most varnish removing is done by the brush method. All surfaces must be horizontal, if possible, when applying the solvents, to prevent the running of the material and breaking through the wax coating that forms over the top of the solvents to prevent evaporation. In cabinet pieces all drawers, doors, mirror frames (glass must be removed previous to this operation, also hardware), and in the case of pianos, all boards must be removed and laid in a horizontal position before applying the solvent. Most all cabinets can be turned into a horizontal position for all surfaces. "When a piece is ready to cover with solvent, select a rubber-set brush, two to four inches wide, and having long bristles, dip into the solvent and lay on the piece, starting at the farthest point away and covering thoroughly until the whole surface has been covered, without skips. If the solvent does not remain soft at least three minutes, it is either a poor product or else you have failed to agitate it as directed to insure proper distribution of wax. Be careful not to brush the solvent out any more than is necessary to cover the surface, as the more it is brushed, the quicker it evaporates through the film and gives one little time to remove it.
The removing should be done when the coating is soft and not sooner. The only exception might be where the paint coating is so thick as to prevent a clean job with one application and must be repeated. From three to five minutes will suffice to soften the average coat.
In removing paint use a flat-edge steel scraper or broad putty knife to scrape up most of the material and a wood straight edge to wipe off all flat surfaces. Caution must be used with a sharp scraper on open-grained woods, as oak, walnut or mahogany, not to go against the grain, as a splinter might be taken out, whereas if the scraper is always moved with the grain, this cannot happen.
