Stripper Wanted !

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westley

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 31, 2013
Messages
4,843
Location
West Lancs.
Can anyone who has recently removed a varnish finish from a wooden stock, advise me as to which brand of varnish stripper they used. I only have a small amount of the 'old' Nitro-Mors and I am led to believe that the new stuff is not up to the task. Thanks in anticipation, W.

 
Can anyone who has recently removed a varnish finish from a wooden stock, advise me as to which brand of varnish stripper they used. I only have a small amount of the 'old' Nitro-Mors and I am led to believe that the new stuff is not up to the task. Thanks in anticipation, W.
Funnily enough i was in a car bodyshop that i do some work for the other day and they had a couple of different ones lying around,i asked what the difference was with the same idea in mind he said one would kill you if you drank it the other would do you no harm.

I said "sorry i meant the difference in effectiveness" his reply "nothing their both sh*t!" apparently they haven't been able to get anything worthwhile for years.

I seem to remember brake fluid doing a pretty good job on car paintwork  :angel:

Just spoke to my mate who is a chippy but makes alssorts of musical instruments and he said some of the paint thinners will take it of as well just wipe away with a rag.

 
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I’ve recently removed varnish finish on my Remington SP10,used the new nitromors,needed two coats and getting the timing of when the old varnish starts to soften just right,if you leave it on too long varnish goes hard again.it worked well enough to do the job,very fiddly and time consuming tho,choose the shape of the tool you use to scrape old finish off carefully,very easy to mark the stock with the amount of pressure required to remove the old varnish.?

 
I believe IPS does that on certain occasions but he charges £125 a session !   

 
I’ve recently removed varnish finish on my Remington SP10,used the new nitromors,needed two coats and getting the timing of when the old varnish starts to soften just right,if you leave it on too long varnish goes hard again.it worked well enough to do the job,very fiddly and time consuming tho,choose the shape of the tool you use to scrape old finish off carefully,very easy to mark the stock with the amount of pressure required to remove the old varnish.?
Thanks for that Matt, believe me THIS stock is very well and truly marked, I do not think an old hacksaw blade will do it any harm. I just can NOT believe how some people will treat or rather, mistreat a gun.  

 
Thanks for that Matt, believe me THIS stock is very well and truly marked, I do not think an old hacksaw blade will do it any harm. I just can NOT believe how some people will treat or rather, mistreat a gun.  
No problem.i think the previous owner of my 10bore frequently hit geese with the stock.?

 
The problem with Nitromors is it evaporates fairly quickly. I've done a couple of stocks including a Miroku (which has the world's most obstinate varnish) by slathering the stuff all over the stock then wrapping it in foil to slow the evaporation. After a couple of hours the varnish has turned to a revolting brownish slime which can be wiped off before washing down with white spirit. A toothbrush is handy for the chequering.

Even the Miroku only needed 2 goes to shift every trace of the varnish.

 
if you google Wonko's Brew you will eventually find this and evidence to the contrary I'm not yet dead

THE METHOD This is a word.doc now so I will never have to write it again but can post it every week. Oh boy! Anyway, here it is. Get a disposable aluminum roaster pan at the supermarket that is large enough for the stock. Stop by your Home Depot or whatever and get a gallon of acetone and a gallon of alcohol. If the stock has a plastic finish you might want a can of some paste stripper too. Use that first if the outside finish requires it. If the stock has a varnish or oil finish the acetone will lift that with no problem. Then toss the stock in the roaster and pour in the acetone (it will also neutralize the paste stripper). Cover the wood until it floats. Then pull off a good length of aluminum foil and make a cover for the "tank", sealing it as well as possible. Be aware that acetone is highly volatile and smoking the cigar over the top of it is not recommended. I let the things soak for several days, turning the wood over a couple times a day. When you feel like you're tired of that, and the acetone looks like it has quit changing color, pour the acetone back in the can, rinse the roaster out with alcohol, and then soak the stock in the alcohol just like you did in the acetone. When you yank the baby out of the alcohol bath it will be CLEAN! And you can seal it and refinish it anyway you want after you let it dry a couple days. 

works for me 

 
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Brilliant, thank you for that. If I get the aluminium roaster from a well known catalogue store, I can return it under 14 days too  !  WIN.....WIN   !

 
The Al pans I can get here are the one-time disposable kind for a couple $.  Makes life simple. Goes in the Al can recycle bin..

 
Rustins Strypit, job done!! Use like Nitromors but about 100 per cent more effective. Most decent decoration stores will stock it.

MM??

 
I've used the Diall paint and varnish stripper from B&Q on several types of stock varnish, and it works very well. The stuff from Wilkinsons is OK too. Nitromors used to be good, but not any more.

 
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