Question about Wood Stock Refinishing

[Caleb]

I have to strip paint off a wood stock to re-paint it. This stock was custom built for me and I know that filler and different kind of wood was added and shaped on it. My question is....Will the stripping of the paint hurt or damage any of the "filler" used to shape/smooth the stock?

[milkmanjoe]

You have to ask the person who did the work. What did they use? Realistically, if you are doing a simple strip job the fillers are hardened already and shouldn't lose any strength/hardness......but, if you plan to stain/clearcoat,wax the stock you probably will have trouble matching colors from wood to fillers.

Can't you just rough sand it, wet sand it, and paint it instead of stripping it?

[Caleb]

He used wood filler and some bondo or something similar.

All I want to do is change the color scheme. Technically I can just sand down the stock and respray but, then it would be too many layers and look "built up"...if you catch my drift. So, I'm looking at stripping the paint down and respraying, starting with primer. I have not worked with wood filler or bondo so, I don't know if the stripper will hurt it. I will be using citra-strip product from home depot.

[milkmanjoe]

Originally Posted by IamCaleb

He used wood filler and some bondo or something similar.

All I want to do is change the color scheme. Technically I can just sand down the stock and respray but, then it would be too many layers and look "built up"...if you catch my drift. So, I'm looking at stripping the paint down and respraying, starting with primer. I have not worked with wood filler or bondo so, I don't know if the stripper will hurt it. I will be using citra-strip product from home depot.

Try Goof-Off from Home Depot. I know, I know...but it works. Stinks like hell, but it melts enamel and latex paints. I have used it on furniture, didn't harm the wood at all. Since you are re-painting, whatever you plan to strip with, still sand it first. Some paints strip easier when sanded before chemical stripping. I never used a citra-strip product, try it on a test spot and run with it. I think the worse that will happen is you may need to let it dry a few days in the A/C and then double prime to avoid discoloration.

[RandallZ]

In my experience, whether or not the stripper effects filler or glued in bits of wood depends on the stripper. "Aircraft" stripper (the strong stuff with MEK, etc.) will soften filler. Lesser strippers, like the Citri-strip you plan to use, are much more gentle, and can be carefully used without turning the filler into a gooey mess. YMMV, and all that.

I don't understand why you hesitate to sand the existing finish off. If you sand it to the wood surface, you'll be starting at the same place you will be if you strip down to the wood surface...?

Randall

[Caleb]

Originally Posted by RandallZ

In my experience, whether or not the stripper effects filler or glued in bits of wood depends on the stripper. "Aircraft" stripper (the strong stuff with MEK, etc.) will soften filler. Lesser strippers, like the Citri-strip you plan to use, are much more gentle, and can be carefully used without turning the filler into a gooey mess. YMMV, and all that.

I don't understand why you hesitate to sand the existing finish off. If you sand it to the wood surface, you'll be starting at the same place you will be if you strip down to the wood surface...?

Randall

I have a lot of coats on there now. Three coats of primer, three coats of base color, three or four coats of accent color, and five or six coats of clear semi-gloss. The paint build-up is thick....looks great and smooth (deep looking) but, thick. It will take a lot of sanding to remove all that paint. Plus, I'm affraid I will ruin the lines of the stock (amateur wood worker here). Figured it would be easier/safer to strip it. I will try a small spot first and see what happens, thanks for all the feed back. I will try to document the work as well just in case someone else runs across this in the future.

PS: Still open for suggestions.

[DaFadda]

from my many years of woodworking..... here ya go..... try the least offensive first. Goof off. If it doesn't work, then paint remover/thinner.... if that doesn't work.... a full blown paint stripper.... and bless your heart..... acetone as a last resort.(ALL outside and no smoking of course). Bondo is an incredibly useful product that has been a woodworker/carpenter secret for years and years. Its incredibly strong and sands nicely. IF it loosens up and needs to be replaced... it's easy to work with. Probably well within your skills.

I say the above because you seem to want to repaint, rather than stain/varnish. The above wouldn't apply to restaining. The bondo won't take a color, so you would have to use some type of opaque stain, then varnish/poly on top.

But paint? Go for it! Just post a picture when your done. I don't need to tell you to remove all metal before you start the stripping process?.....Now... what kind of paint? Seriously... I would think about a two part epoxy from Sherwin Williams. It's used for heavy duty use on cabinetry.... so it should be fine for gun furniture that is going to see at least some heavy range use. my preferred application would be with a thinned down product coming out of a HVLP (High volume, low pressure) spray gun to avoid overspray and "look ma...no brush marks".... very light coats.... repeating until you build up the thickness you want.


Hope this helps...
Da

[Riverpigusmc]

Only thing I remember about woodstock is don't eat the brown acid....