Rescuing a stock (maybe)...

[g2608671@verizon.net]

Well in my never ending quest to be more than stupid, I decided to use a Minwax product called Helmsman Spar Urethane over the Permalyn Sealer I have on the stock and now I have a mess on my hands.  The Permalyn was fine but I wanted a more protective coating so I chose the Minwax product. I tried to sand off the Minwax Urethane and I have found that in so doing I am removing the Aqua Fortis base and the process is more than labor intense (have run out of expletives that normally are helpful in similar situations) .  Any Ideas on what I can do to get rid of this Urethane finish without destroying the stock?  If I need to redo the Aqua Fortis undercoat on the whole stock - this is okay. What I am really concerned about is that I just turned a really nice piece of Maple into trash.  If I did ruin the stock I can reorder another and will have learned a lesson at the point of my check book. Sometimes that is what it takes to get my attention.  Yes, it is a character flaw....... Maybe something even worse.


 

[PPatch]

The only thing I know that will remove Urethane besides physically doing so (sander),is a chemical stripper. Bix brand is good but I'll bet any paint stripper will do the job. It will take a lot of work and do use a plastic scraper to remove the resulting gunk - wear protection and do the job outdoors in the shade if possible, that remover stuff is nasty business.

dave

[Gaeckle]

Try lacquer thinner, should eat right thru it.....just do it in an open area and don't light up any smokes. Acetone may also work.

[KentSmith]

Formby's finish remover. Same precautions. Use with lots of xxxx fine steel wool

[FALout]

I don't use Minwax products on my rifles, but other projects it hasn't gone so well either lately.  Their stains don't ever seem to dry out and my shop temps have to be just right for their finishes to harden.  Good luck getting that stuff off, it will be hard but can be done, let sit for a week or two before refinishing.  Even with using Chambers finish, I allow a week between coats because of the lower temps here.

[Dave Marsh]

+1 on the Formby's.  Works great.

Dave

[g2608671@verizon.net]

Thanks folks.  Going to start on it today.  It funny, tragic kind of funny, that when I decided on the Minwax product it was really because I did not want to make the drive to Dixon's in yesterdays rainy conditions and buy one of the finishes Greg has there.  I stand accused....

[B.Habermehl]

In another phase of my gunbuilding addiction, I used to refinish a lot of guns not talked about here with plastic finishes. My favorite tool was and still is is scrapers. More control and no loading of sand paper, and no chemicals. BJH

[oldtravler61]

 Polecat if you do use minerals in the future. Just use it as a stand alone finish. I have had very good luck that way on furniture and a few gun stocks (modern). Oldtravler

[Hungry Horse]

Forget the steel wool if you intend to redo the  aquafortis, the microscopic pieces of steel that get inbeded in the wood will cause freckles. Scotch bright is a better choice. I would go with a paint stripper, rather than lacquer thinner, or acitone, because those products act as a thinner, makeing  the offending finish more likely penentrate the wood rather than react and lift like a stripper.

  Hungry Horse

[g2608671@verizon.net]

Began with Zip Strip gelled paint and varnish remover and it is working great.  But - used 0000 steel wool before switching to Scotchbrite scrubbers - was not aware of the microscopic pieces of steel wool embedding in the wood and resulting freckling - ouch. 
Had to stop because it started to rain -- again. 
Scrapers did not touch this finish and I made sure I had a good sharp rolled over edge on the tools.
Again, thanks folks for all of the support and I really believe I can salvage this stock thanks to your advise. 

[Eric Krewson]

I stripped off the finish on a TC renegade stock with a citrus based furniture stripper called Kleen Strip Premium Finish Remover. I went over the stock twice and all the finish was gone with a little putty knife scraping. I washed the stock off with a hose, let it dry and gave it a good sanding with 220 and it was good to go.

It came out really nice after a few coats of walnut sealer and 5 coats of Chambers oil finish.

[bob in the woods]

Drawing first.. then bring out the tools.     Test first, before applying finish or stain to stock.  Saves on both wood and nerves 
I learned this lesson the same way you just did !  I've had luck using the citrus based strippers.  A stripper is your only option if you have any carving .    I've used wood shavings and burlap to wipe the goo off.  Make sure that the gloves you use are compatable with the stripper.  Not all rubber gloves are good for this.

[Dave Patterson]

Formby's finish remover. Same precautions. Use with lots of xxxx fine steel wool

I've successfully used Formby's to strip urethane finishes off several stocks, both walnut and maple.  It's a mess; like Mr Smith says, 4X steel wool to move it around a bit, and to keep it stripping.  Typically, I end up doing several applications, hosing each varnish-laden coat of stripper off, then hanging the wet stock indoors to air-dry before the next coat (buttplate screw-holes are handy as a tie-off point to hang a built stock). 

Once the Formby's has removed as much stain/varnish combination as possible, a good final wash and shade-dry, and it's pretty quick and easy to lightly sand or scrape whatever little stained wood remains, so you've got a clean/bare stock to begin again.

Highly volatile thinners like acetone or laquer thinner (denatured alcohol) will drive the urethane deeper into the wood.

[g2608671@verizon.net]

Update.
All the Minwax finish came off and there is only a very small spot or two where bare wood is showing because I rubbed too hard. I have the stock drying on a clothes line in the shade now. Not going to touch it until tomorrow.
I don't know if I am going to need a reapplication of the Agua Fortis or not and I guess this will depend on how the Permalyn looks when I apply it.  You know, now that the stock is kind of beat up due to this misadventure I am interested to see if it will be a better match for the furniture.  Had some issues and blivits in the browning process that makes it evident that a green-horn did the work and maybe the imperfections in the stock will better fit the whole she-bang.  Silver lining? Ya' maybe.