Official Luthiers Forum!

Any way other than 80 grit?

I have used klean strip premium stripper (60- 100 % methylene chloride) after scoring the finish in several places with some success. They also make "weaker" strippers that don't seem to touch polyester so you need the premium. Generally the higher the concentration of methylene chloride the more effective the stripper and the nastier it is to use.

Thanks...

Strippers with MEC are going to disappear from the shelves this year..... Stuff is dangerous, actually killed a colleague of mine many years ago (fumes).

A heat gun is the quickest way but has it's own perils...

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Brian

You never know what you are capable of until you actually try.

https://www.howardguitarsdelaware.com/

Ed, my curiosity has been piqued...strip what and why?

Thanks!

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Peter Havriluk

Methylene chloride products should only be used in well ventilated areas and preferably outdoors. Inhaling the vapors can cause it to combine with the blood as carbon monoxide and starve the body of oxygen. Smoking around it (or an open flame) can cause the vapors to turn to phosgene gas (used to kill people in WW1). It is also carcinogenic.
But it does work good!

I read in American Lutherie years ago that someone used a clothes iron. I haven't tried it.

Wow I knew that stuff was bad but not that bad. I only ever did it once and used a product called Aircraft Remover which has Methylene chloride in it I believe. It worked pretty amazingly well and I did it outside.

I would buy it in 5 gallon cans to strip furniture. As with many things, most of us who used it survived (so far).

50 years ago I worked for a furniture finisher. Somehow he got a 55 gallon barrel of the stuff. He had me dip chairs in it to speed up stripping. I don't remember any breathing protection........I don't remember......

Please take cautions about the potential dangers of various substances seriously. I have known far too many people who used to joke about the toxicity of the various chemicals they work with only to find, years later, it wasn't so funny. I'm not saying walk around in a bubble or stay out of the shop, but please take precautions and limit exposures when possible.

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Bryan Bear PMoMC

Take care of your feet, and your feet will take care of you.

Please take Brian's (and other's) advice. MEC is dangerous. That said, it wont work on polyester (at least stuff u can buy in stores). Heat gun. Watch videos on it. I did recently buy up the stock of a Menard's in Kentucky (5 quart cans). To be used only if I need it. Its almost all gone from stores now. Scrounge around if u want some.