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I know I have seen the answer to this here or somewhere else in the last year but I can’t find it. I am going to refinish an old walnut veneered
dresser,that appears to have a shellac finish. What is the best way to strip the shellac without hurting the patina? I want to think someone suggested Alcohol mixed with something else,but open to suggestions.
And before some of you ask, the piece does not have any great value,it was
low-med.grade originally,and will need much repair.
JCR
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The patina is in the finish. If you remove it, you remove the patina.
*I think I could infer that a part of the "patina" is also not sanding the surface down to the splinters which is a method I see quite a bit of unfortunately. Howard is, of course, correct however. To more directly answer your question use 0000 steel wool dipped in denatured alcohol. Wipe with the grain to soften the shellac and wipe off with paper towels. Repeat until no more color/shellac sludge comes off. Renew your steel wool pads often (open them out to get the most surface use out of a pad) and renew your alcohol so you aren't just spreading the old stuff around. It's the easiest to remove.
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