oxalic acid/bartenders friend for the blobs?
Rectilinear III "Highboy" find - The Snowmen
- Thread starter tyella
- Start date
alteclipsch
Super Member
Still could be water damage. You could try Barkeeper's Friend, it works really well on some stains. Mix with water into a paste, lay it on the stain, cover with plastic wrap, and see if it will do it.
I never found Citristrip to be very effective with my projects, but you are getting great results so far. Often I like to use bronze wool for cabinet refinishing (non-magnetic), but since you have all of the drivers removed, I'd suggest 0000 steel wool with more stripper to reach into that wood grain. The black blob?.....I dunno.... if another try with paint stripper is unsuccessful, you may be right that it is dye or stain and might require a different treatment.
toxcrusadr
Omelette au Fromage
Oxalic acid is the wood bleach product I have laying around. Got a box of it free once. You're welcome to try it.
I also have an abundance of rags and would love to find a home for a bagful if you need em.
I also have an abundance of rags and would love to find a home for a bagful if you need em.
tyella
Super Member
I neglected all manner of 'sponsitilities today and worked on these a bit more.
Barkeeper's Friend has done wonders, but there's still a long way to go. I'm worried about the veneer bubbling up from the moisture, so I'm letting it rest for a while. I may have to go with the nuclear option of Stripeaze to get the paint out of the grain, but the Citristrip does a good job with the latex paint otherwise.
Overall, these cabinets are in fantastic shape! There are a couple of gouges I'll need to think about filling or staining, but all of the corners are nice and tight.
The top of the stained cabinet is now quite a bit lighter from the Barkeeper's Friend. I used a more dilute mixture to blend in the bleaching around the stain.
Still wet with mineral spirits. I scrubbed with Scotchbrite pads after stripping. You can see the paint still stuck inside the grain.
Barkeeper's Friend has done wonders, but there's still a long way to go. I'm worried about the veneer bubbling up from the moisture, so I'm letting it rest for a while. I may have to go with the nuclear option of Stripeaze to get the paint out of the grain, but the Citristrip does a good job with the latex paint otherwise.
Overall, these cabinets are in fantastic shape! There are a couple of gouges I'll need to think about filling or staining, but all of the corners are nice and tight.
The top of the stained cabinet is now quite a bit lighter from the Barkeeper's Friend. I used a more dilute mixture to blend in the bleaching around the stain.
Still wet with mineral spirits. I scrubbed with Scotchbrite pads after stripping. You can see the paint still stuck inside the grain.
tyella
Super Member
I'd happily take a bag of rags, Tox! No rush, I've thinned out the tshirt drawer a little. The wife has been on me to do that for a while anyway.
tyella
Super Member
Prior to tackling the stain, I did some veneer cost calculations in my head. It will be expensive!! We'll see how this goes.
You're doing a great job there and there is no need to even consider new veneer. I love the BKF approach for dark water stains, but I'm surprised that it was so effective with your nasty black blobs. You're at the point where a light pass with a palm-sander might just even out the shadow from the blob. Scotchbrite pads are great, but regarding the paint deeply settled in the wood grain, I still think you'll need the fibers of steel wool to reach deep enough to grab the paint.
smoke-libr8r
Active Member
tyelle: Regarding the paint in the pores... A wood finishing technique is to (intentionally) fill the wood pores with a contrasting color filler. This is usually done on woods with large open pores like oak and ash. This might work for you if you can't remove all of the old paint from the wood. The idea would be to either cover up the paint with a "better" color or "embrace the look" that you already have by filling with a similar color as the paint.
tyella
Super Member
I actually have done a couple of passes with 220 on a palm sander and some scrubbing with 0000 steel wool as well as a nylon brush with Citristrip. I should have disclosed that, but forgot!
I'm thinking I'll try 000 steel wool and another pass with 220 after to smooth out any scratches the coarser steel wool might create.
toxcrusadr
Omelette au Fromage
Lookin' good! I'm impressed with the BKF. Agree that steel wool and Strypeeze might get that stuff out of the pores.
smoke-libr8r
Active Member
You might want to do a test to ensure that the Citristrip doesn't dissolve the nylon brush. A fine brass brush, with the grain, with the stripper might be a better option.
toxcrusadr
Omelette au Fromage
I've never used a brass brush on veneer - sounds scary. There are coarser grades of steel wool (0000 is the very finest) that I'd try before that. That and a more aggressive stripper than Citri.
tyella
Super Member
I probably should have done that test....
...Instead, I just plowed ahead. Apparently, the nylon brush is fine! Either it's a tough brush or the Citristrip is wimpy.I think that might be my next big step. I'll get the smallest can of brain-killin' stuff I can find. Should I get a gel or a liquid?
toxcrusadr
Omelette au Fromage
I happen to like the gel because it doesn't evaporate away quite so fast.
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