Today I bought an old cabinet style stereo cabinet to use as a base for a china hutch.  The owner’s father had attempted to stain or paint the cabinet a darker color for some reason, and it looks like he just quit the job after he mopped it on with a corn broom.  The stain (or whatever it is) is quite thick in places, and has dripped over the ends of the cabinet where he didn’t bother to try to stain.  It also varies in depth across the top of the piece.  In some places you can see the original teak, but in most it’s got this brownish semi-translucent finish all over.  Overall the piece is a mess & I want to refinish it.  Fortunately the interior of the piece is in decent shape, and the teak veneers haven’t been mucked with, so I have an idea of what I can bring it back to.  The piece was bought in Taiwan in about 1960 if that’s of any help.  Here are my questions:

Is there a good procedure for determining what the stain, gel, brown paint or whatever it is, is? 

Assuming I can determine what the stuff is, what’s the best way to go about removing it?  Can I use some sort of stripper, or will I need to do some sanding?

Can I safely use an orbital sander on it if I have to sand?  If so, since it’s veneered, what grits of paper do I work with?

There’s a deep gouge in the top (which was nicely hidden by the china hutch, so I didn’t know it was there), since it’ll be hidden by the hutch again, all I really want to do is fill it so it looks ok, any advice there?

Thanks for any and all advice.

David