New TV guy here

[bandersen]

Welcome to VK
I've restored a few late 40s Admirals and have a bunch more to do including a 30A14. Here's the thread about it: http://www.videokarma.org/showthread.php?t=251336

Good luck,
Bob

[Komet]

Welcome!!

[earlyfilm]

Originally Posted by bandersen

Welcome to VK
I've restored a few late 40s Admirals and have a bunch more to do including a 30A14.

Bob,

Since I could not remember what this model Admiral looked like inside, I hopped over to your photo pages to see your three unrestored sets and spotted:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/7003980...57624191905176

Now, I have a huge and formerly-beautiful 1949 RCA cabinet that a simple cleaning and gentle rebrushing with a very, very thinned lacquer and after drying, a few minutes dulling with rotten stone and finally a little Johnson's paste floor wax would have turned this cabinet back into a thing of beauty!

However, instead, the previous owner had slapped on a very uneven coat of polyurethane that had the thickness of molasses and it looks like he used a snaggle-toothed paint brush.

I was resigned to having to sand the beast and start from scratch.

What are your thoughts on how effective this Citristrip would be in removing the thickest coat of polyurethane that I've ever seen?
Any precautions, other than gloves?
Does it have to be neutralized?
How badly does it raise the grain in the wood?

I've never heard of the stuff and googled it and found that no local store carries it, but it is available within driving distance.

James.

[bandersen]

Originally Posted by earlyfilm

...What are your thoughts on how effective this Citristrip would be in removing the thickest coat of polyurethane that I've ever seen?
Any precautions, other than gloves?
Does it have to be neutralized?
How badly does it raise the grain in the wood?

I've never heard of the stuff and googled it and found that no local store carries it, but it is available within driving distance.

James.

Funny you should bring this up now. I did that test months ago but just last week finally got the last of the poly off. I won't sugar coat the process - it was a major PITA!

I tried that orange Citristrip, some green Zinsser citrus stripper and Klean-Strip KS-3 Premium. They all worked to some extent, but I still had to do three passes and even use a brass wire brush to get the poly out of all the grain The Citristrip gave the best results with the least toxicity. I'd go with the KS-3 as my next choice. Just make sure you follow the precautions like wearing gloves.

I wouldn't say any of them raised the grain. This cabinet was really open-grained walnut to begin with.

I used stripped Klean-strip After Wash followed my some mineral spirits to remove any residue.

I'll document the process including photos when I'm further along.