Replies

1. 
   Elcoholic | Jan 01, 2003 12:31am | #1

   Can't really be done, it's a penetrating finish.  Why do you want to remove it?

   John O'Connell - JKO Handcrafted Woodworking

   Life is tough.  It's tougher if you're stupid - John Wayne

1. 
   boone | Jan 01, 2003 12:48am | #2

   The finish is uneven. I'd like to start over with something else. Thanks Claude

1. 
   PlaneWood | Jan 01, 2003 02:54am | #3

   Why not just buff it out with 0000 steel wool then apply several coats of  poly applied with a soft cloth?  I thin poly about 50/50 and get the cloth pretty wet.

   PlaneWood by Mike_in_KatyPlaneWood

2. 
   Splintie | Jan 01, 2003 06:18am | #4

   Lacquer thinnner on a rag, scrubbed w/Scotch-Brite pad is your best bet. It'll get the stuff off the surface, for sure.

1. 
   ian | Jan 01, 2003 05:15pm | #5

   The thoughts that spring to my mind are

   If Claude's real problem is an uneven finish after using tung oil, will trying to remove the finish improve matters?  Wont the replacement finish also go on unevenly?  Would it be better to try and even out what he already has? 

1. 
   Gretchen | Jan 01, 2003 05:42pm | #6

   Another question is   is it 100% tung oil finish he is trying to remove or is it a "tung oil finish"=varnish  he is trying to remove/even out.Gretchen

2. 
   All10Attache | Jan 02, 2003 09:26pm | #11

   By virtue of your response it sounds as if you have Tung Oil experience.  I have none and would like to find out more about it.  If you don't mind, perhaps you could answer a few questions:  1.  What is Tung Oil and how does if differ from other oil based stains/finishes.  2.  What type of WW projects do you use it on vs. other finishes.  3.  Do you normally add a second finish on top of it (such as poly....) or do you leave it alone.  Thanks.

   JB

3. 
   famosrichit | Jan 03, 2003 04:36pm | #12

   http://www.popularwoodworking.com/features/finish2.html

4. 
   Splintie | Jan 04, 2003 12:04am | #13

   One of the things i don't get is talking about an oil/varnish blend as he does. Varnish as already a blend of oil and resin, so speaking of an oil/varnish blend makes no sense.

5. 
   HowardAcheson | Jan 04, 2003 12:12am | #14

   Varnish is manufactured by heating oil and resins to a certain temperature at which the two combine into a totally new compound called varnish. It's no longer either an oil or a resin.

   An oil/varnish product (Danish Oil) is varnish that is then mixed with additional oil and a thinner. It's not the same product as pure varnish. The extra oil and thinner causes the mixture to penetrate into the wood pores where the varnish and the oil cure forming an "in the wood" finish as opposed the a pure varnish film or "on the wood" finish.

6. 
   Splintie | Jan 04, 2003 01:02am | #15

   I know how to use them, i just think it's a muddy article and i was reading it as a novice would. (No offense to the person who posted it trying to help out.)

   If you read it carefully, it says oil/varnish blends were easy to apply, but not very durable, so "something better" was needed. The replacements were...duh..oil/varnish blends and tung oil.

   "Thinnned varnish" is in the sub-category of "Tung oil" as though that's the only type that can be thinned.

   He says you can't build oil finishes to a thicker, more-protective coat right after he describes how to do this with tung oil.

   Linseed oil is always sold full strength except when it isn't...and to cap off, wiping varnish and oil/varnish blends have a varnish-like smell.

   Howie, i would nominate you to write this a lot more clearly.

7. 
   All10Attache | Jan 06, 2003 04:49pm | #16

   Thanks for the link.  Very interesting article.

   JB

8. 
   Splintie | Jan 01, 2003 06:29pm | #7

   I was imagining a gloppy tung oil finish with hairs 'n' stuff in it. If it were me, i would take it down as close to the wood as possible and start over with whatever else i might try, even if it were tung oil again. Using lacquer thinnner instead of just sanding will melt whatever it is and tend to spread whatever is there more evenly. I'm not saying it's the only way to do it, but given he doesn't want to get dust around...and i don't think the steel wool with cut it back enough, though it would be suitable if the existing finish were only worn or thin. If there is some *varnish*, it should also be lacquer-thinner soluble.

   Edited 1/1/2003 10:35:45 AM ET by SPLINTIE

9. 
   ian | Jan 02, 2003 01:31am | #8

   Rather than a gloppy finish, I was thinking that the cherry possibly contained some sap wood (ref latest FWW) and that was the cause of the unevenness.  Alternatively the surface may not have been uniformly clean to begin with or the unevenness may be due to differing exposure to light.  I'm not sure how each of these should be treated.

   Claude, can you provide a bit more explanation of what the unevenness in the finish is. 

   Edited 1/1/2003 5:49:06 PM ET by ian

10. 
    Splintie | Jan 02, 2003 07:40am | #9

    Yes, unevenness can cover a lot of possibilities. Hopefully, Claude hasn't bailed on us...

11. 
    boone | Jan 02, 2003 05:38pm | #10

    Thanks for all the feedback. I've been sick so sorry for the delayed response. The finish is 100% tung oil and was put on by someone else so I'm not sure if it was wiped down enough and dried too thick or if it is in fact a preperation problem. I think the lacquer thinner sounds like a reasonable thing to try though I wonder if mineral spirits or an orange remover might work(not as smelly or toxic) It is only uneven unevenly. In other words all of the piece is not uneven. I will check out the article on sap wood in cherry. Claude