[earlyfilm]

re: Removing petrified masking tape.

First thing is to determine what finish your wood cabinet has.

By the 1940's all production lines were using lacquer, however a few small-run cabinet makers were still using shellac, so you gotta test the finish in a spot that won't show, which in your case looks like the cabinet bottom.

Shellac can be re-amalgamated (remelted) with alcohol, so flip the empty cabinet on its top and test a finish spot on the base with rubbing alcohol which is 70% alcohol and 30% water. Put an old can lid over the test spot to keep it from drying out during the 5 minute soak test. If the finish on the test spot does not turn soft after a 5 minute soak or turn white after it drys, then assume that your finish is lacquer.

If there is no change to the finish, to remove the tape, use either pure alcohol with a little Windex, or rubbing alcohol and add a trace of dishwashing soap and soak it until the tape can be rubbed off with a paper towel. Use plain Windex to remove the mess left behind. (Windex D or Windex with ammonia is the best product to use, but organic vapor rules are making this product almost impossible to find in some areas. If you have trouble, look for it at industrial suppliers.)

If the test spot was softened or whitened by the rubbing alcohol test, you have the more rare shellac finish. Get some dry cleaning fluid (it is a known carcinogen) and test that on another spot on the base. If it does not harm the finish, then use the dry cleaning fluid in the same way as before, but wear protective gloves this time, and do it outside and avoid breathing the vapor.

On a shellac finish, once the tape is removed, you can use pure alcohol to re-amalgamate the finish, and then top it off with a fresh coat of shellac. If there are bare areas of the cabinet, to even out the wood color, I'd suggest using alcohol as a shellac stripper, unless there are decals under the finish that you wish to preserve.

James