Removing finish from inlays?

[Osprey]

First of two things I need some assistance with.  When doing the final work on a gun, how do you guys get the finish (Truoil, Chambers Oil, etc) off inlays?  I try to keep it off them in the first place, but that never happens.  Doing it very carefully with fine steel wool now, even taping around the edges to protect the wood when needed, but it seems there has to be a better way. 

[Dr. Tim-Boone]

And you want to take the finish off of the inlays because..............?

[Jim Kibler]

Finish on inlays will look pretty bad.  I just use a Q-tip with some of the fuzz pulled off dipped in a solvent such as acetone if I need to get any off. 

[Randall Steffy]

I have had good success removing Chamber's oil finish from inlays as follows. I use finger pressure, a piece of old felt hat, mineral oil and medium pumice to rub smooth the oil finish on the entire stock and concentrate on the inlays in the process, removing the oil finish from them as well. It goes without saying that this approach will not do if you have an aged finish on your inlays that you need to protect. I have liked the results.

[rich pierce]

+1, when I rub out the stock finish with pumice or rottenstone, any film on inlays gets rubbed off.

[Dr. Tim-Boone]

I guess this is my point.... never have had to deal with it specifically, it just gets removed in the process... . especially if yoou are using hand applied thin coats.

[Lucky R A]

     I use a small artist brush lightly dipped in lacquer thinner.  I keep a I keep a paper towell ready to wipe immediately as soon as the finish lifts off the inlay.  I keep another wet w/ water ready to wipe if i screw up and get any thinner on the wood.  The thinner will work much more quickly on the inlay than the wood, so you have a few seconds to react if you goof up.    To clean up edges etc. I use a small scraper made from a micro dog leg chisel.

Ron

[A.Merrill]

    Just thinking, why can't you mask off the inlay with some masking tape before finish is applied?    AL

[David Rase]

Rubbing the finish down with 0000 steel wool makes the finish comes right off the inlays.  When finished, apply a coat of wax, buff with a terry cloth towel and I am done.
Dave

[Osprey]

Thanks, I knew there had to be several other ways of doing the same thing.

On the masking tape idea, what about some sort of liquid mask that would come off, like mould release or something similar, anyone tried that?