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Michael Baker Eternal Order Near a river in the Midwest 11172 Posts 
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This is not my question, but one asked of me by another magician. I don't know the answer, but was hoping someone here might. Here it is in his words:
"I have a woodworking question for you. I’m refinishing an old Abbott’s “Hole in One”, and I want to strip the top surface which is stained and lacquered birch plywood. Here’s my question: Will the stripper remove the stain along with the lacquer, and if so, will it come off uniformly so that it can be re-stained? Or, will the stain remain in the wood so it just needs to be re-lacquered. My concern is that I will end up with a blotchy looking surface. I have a lot of experience with stripping and re-finishing, but not on a stained surface. Any thoughts or experience you can share would be greatly appreciated!"
~michael baker
The Magic Company |
61magic Special user Sacramento California 776 Posts
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The answer is yes and no. It will depend on the chemical of the stripper and the type of stain used.
I've refinished several magic items with finish similar to what your friend is describing, all have some minor blemish. I've used some of the citrus based strippers that are not only skin friendly they are much less harsh on the wood. The stain may come up depending on what the original stain used was and how long it was left on the surface. The type of wood and the length of time the sits determines how far into the grain the stain penatrates. The stripper may take off some of the remaining surface stain but removing the stripper as soon as possible will reduce the chance of it getting into the wood grain and harming the stain. In every case I had to do some sanding to even the stain coat after stripping the finish. I've also had to re-stain using something very close in color to the original and have had great results. As always you may want to strip a small area in an unnoticable (if possible) before doing the entire project.
Professor J. P. Fawkes
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Michael Baker Eternal Order Near a river in the Midwest 11172 Posts
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Thank you. The chemical base of both the stripper and the stain was the first question that popped into my head, and I told him I would post the question here. Glad to hear you've actually had experience in this area.
~michael baker
The Magic Company |
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Ray Tupper. Special user NG16. 749 Posts
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That just about covers everything Michael.
He'll need to sand it after neutralising,to get a good surface to finish anyway,so the the question is sort of moot. Once stripped,the surface should be treated as if it was being prepared when made as new,sand,stain,polish. Is he worried he may not be able to match the existing colour? Cheers,Ray.
What do we want?
A cure for tourettes! When do we want it? C*nt! |
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Michael Baker Eternal Order Near a river in the Midwest 11172 Posts
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Hi Ray,
I got the question same as you read it above, so I'm assuming his concerns are that when a new stain is applied that any areas showing previous stain will show darker than other areas. I don't know enough about the piece to know if the bottom is finished same as the top. If it is, it would be logical to use the bottom as the test for the top. I'll pass along the info you've provided, and then the ball will be in his court. All info thus far seems true and good. Good enough reason for him to procede, as not. Thanks!
~michael baker
The Magic Company |
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Bill Hegbli Eternal Order Fort Wayne, Indiana 22797 Posts
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My advice would be to use those refinish products that were advertised on TV. They had a product that would take the varnish off but keep the stain of the wood.
When I stripped my birch wood, it will take everything off because I sand until I get a perfectly smooth surface. The problem is that Abbott's do not sand their birch perfectly smooth, they leave some grain, those little cracks and crevices that will hold the stain. I like to use the no wash kind of stripper or one that uses only water, I use the one that used paint thinner and I had a huge mess. After removal, you will have to sand the rest off, because of the previous poor sanding job by Abbott's. Change the sand paper often. |
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Ruldar Regular user 132 Posts
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I agree with the good comments already made. However, I would offer a note of caution. My concern in reading your post was one word: "plywood". That means there is a thin layer of actual birch under that lacquer. Meaning - sand lightly. Otherwise, he will get into the glued cross layer beneath it which will not pick up any stain. This is especially common at the edges, where people tend to sand a bit more heavily.
Otherwise, follow the great advice above. |
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Michael Baker Eternal Order Near a river in the Midwest 11172 Posts
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Quote:
On 2010-09-12 05:04, wmhegbli wrote: Good points specific to the product. Thanks! Quote:
On 2010-09-12 07:56, Ruldar wrote: Excellent point, as well. I will pass along all this info.
~michael baker
The Magic Company |
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Bill Hegbli Eternal Order Fort Wayne, Indiana 22797 Posts
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I was refering to good birch plywood, that is what is so beautiful about birch plywood. It is nothing like other plywoods, with cracks and crevices. I have left the multi-layer exposed and sanded smooth and stained with no filler being used. It is really beautiful after being stained with all the layers taking a diffent amount of stain. I have often considered making a regular table and routeing the edges and staining, I think it would look really great.
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Ray Tupper. Special user NG16. 749 Posts
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Quote:
On 2010-09-12 16:24, wmhegbli wrote: I polished a Full height(40'x15')room divider,at the Open university,which was constructed from ply with the exposed edges as the face.The horizontal lines looked great when it was polished. Routered,turned,and carved ply also looks very catching. A lot of fake veneers are made using the exposed ply look.A fake birdseye maple is made by having small random dimples in the plys,thus when levelled,the surface shows small round concentric circles where the edges of the plys are exposed. A few fake burrs are also available using a similar idea,but more of an undulating wave,rather than dimples,before being levelled and thus exposed. A bit off topic I know,but I thought some may wish to know the effects that can be achieved with such a cheap and readily available substrate. Cheers,Ray.
What do we want?
A cure for tourettes! When do we want it? C*nt! |
Posted: Sep 10, 2010 05:07 pm 