Removing Lacquer - FineWoodworking

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Biscardi | Posted in Finishing on May 3, 2004 05:26am

I am building a little dresser. Before I assembled the plinth I sprayed lacquer on the component pieces. The rest of the piece is ready to finish. I thinknow maybe the piece would look better with orange shellac. I’d like to remove the lacquer.

Can I get the laquer off with some lacuer thinner and steel wool or do I need to use one of the nasty strippers? Is it going to be a big job?

Thanks,

Frank

Replies

Tao | May 03, 2004 05:49am | #1
If you get to it quickly, before the lacquer cures, it should wash right off. Within a couple of hours is very easy. Within 24 hours shouldn't be bad.

Michael R.
jackplane | May 03, 2004 03:43pm | #2
Lacquer thinner will make a gooey mess. MEK will work,but eco-friendly strippers also work but take more time.Since your piece is already sealed, you might think about just coating it as is, with shellac. This should bring out the orange tone.

Tao | May 03, 2004 04:21pm | #3
In the furniture factories where I worked, the normal practice on rework was to simply wash down with lacquer thinner the parts that had finish defects that couldn't be touched up economically, and run them back through the line. No gooey mess involved, but it was a lot easier if you got to the parts within a few hours, a day at the outside. Ketones have their uses, but due to their toxicity when absorbed through the skin, I'd stay away from them unless there's a specific need.

Michael R.

jackplane | May 03, 2004 04:32pm | #4
It's true lacquer thinner will successfully dissolve lacquer and blend in to hide defects, but he's talking about removing the finish. This is why I suggest a stripper, because thinner will make a mess and dries too fast to effectively remove the finish.Any product with MEK has to be used with care. I don't know what his shop setup is regarding ventilation.

Tao | May 03, 2004 07:50pm | #5
I am talking about removing the finish completely.

This is standard practice in mnay furniture factories, including the ones I ran, because it is the quickest, cheapest way to do the job. Fresh lacquer just washes right off for the first day or two. You don't even need steel wool; rags will often do.

Cured lacquer that has been down for a week or more is a different matter, depending on what kind of additional resins it has in it.

Old, fully cured and aged lacquer is most easily stripped with a stripper. I almost always use Methylene Chloride strippers in a flowowver system. I use MC for hand stripping, too. I've tried "citrus" strippers and a lot of others, and found them wanting so far, although a couple of brands are coming close. The main problems are gooey mess, rinseability, and drying time.

Michael R

Kevin | May 03, 2004 11:05pm | #6
My experience is basically the same. And also comes from furniture factory experience... at least in the beginning.

I find that lacquer thinner does make somewhat of a gooy mess. But, no more so than dumping unreduced lacquer over a piece of furniture. All the thinner does is re-liquify the lacquer.

What we did was to flood a surface and then leave it for 5 - 10 minutes. Then we'd use a scrapper and a rag and scrap off the lacquer, wiping it off on the rag so that we were actually removing it and not just moving it around. Once we'd removed the majority of it that way, we'd come back and reflood the surface and rub it down with red scotchbrite pads, wiping it all off with a fresh clean rag while it was all wet. A little light sanding by the prep-sand crew, fix whatever needed to be fixed and it was ready to be refinished.

I've used the MC strippers too. But, I only use those for materials like conversion varnish or Poly which lacquer thinner won't redisolve. Anything that I can simply redisolve with a solvent, that's my preferred way of stripping. With a little experience it really doesn't have to be messy at all.

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Paul_Snyder | May 03, 2004 11:53pm | #7
Frank,

An alternative to stri[pping is to add a little warm brown dye to some lacquer and spray that over the existing lacquer; 1/2 - 1 ounce dye concentrate per quart. It will give you a look similar to orange shellac. Very dilute warm brown dye has more of an orange/yellow tone than brown.

Follow the same steps on the remainder of the dresser to get the same look - clear coat followed by colored coat(s).

Paul

Biscardi | May 04, 2004 12:14am | #8
Lots of good replies- thanks.

The lacquer is about 3 months old. I put it on with aerosol cans.

Will shellac stick to lacquer? Could I just mix some stain into some shellac and tint the entire piece? It is cherry so I need to worry about blotching.

Thanks,

Frank

Tao | May 04, 2004 12:23am | #9
It's just the base, right?

Yes, shellac will stick to lacquer, and Trans-tint or an alcohol souble dye will work in shellac. You might not need it, though. An extra coat of shellac might just do the job.

Michael R
Kevin | May 04, 2004 12:26am | #10
Blotching would only be an issue of you stripped the piece. Going over a finish coat with a toner (what Paul suggested) wouldn't involve blotching since the color wouldn't physically touch the wood.

The Independent Voter.com

"Rather fail with honor than succeed by fraud" - Sophocles.

nikkiwood | May 04, 2004 10:39am | #11
Lacquer and shellac are compatible, so you could just recoat your piece with shellac.

However, if you want to strip it, taking off the lacquer won't be any problem, even if it has cured.

I would first try plain lacquer thinner; flood it on, wipe off the slurry with a rag or paper towels (be careful how you dispose of them). Repeat this process again if necessary, then do a final scrub with lacquer thinner and 4/0 steel wool.

You could also remove lacquer with any one of the "furniture refinishers." These products contain a "hotter" combination of chemicals than plain lacquer thinner, but are not so toxic as paint strippers. Basically, they will remove most of the finish, and reconstitute what remains so your piece can be "refinished" with shellac, or whatever other finish you choose.

A final choice would be a liquid (as opposed to a semi-paste) stripper. This stuff will cut the finish instantly, and allow you to wipe it off.

I like to use a spray bottle for these various products -- just be sure to get one that is rated for garden chemicals, and then run some water through the spray mechanism when you are done for the day.