Help! How do I remove 200 year old lacquer on carved furniture?

Question

I have tried two brands of paint remover gel, denatured alcohol, naptha, mineral spirits, acetone, laquer remover, paint remover and even my paint gun, and this stuff does not come off!!

I have restored antique wood furniture for 45 years, and have never encountered this problem till now.

Any ideas are appreciated.

Answer 1

Have you tried a poultice?

I have always had success with Nitromors paint stripper, although there are those who swear by Rock-Miracle heavy duty strpper. At that age it should be a natrual product so you would expect it might work with virtually any organic solvent, but it may have been refinished at some point with a synthetic product. Caustic soda may be a bit extreme but may soften the oxidised top layer enough to allow more conventional strippers to work.

Answer 2

why not just leave it alone, its a 200 year old piece of furniture, so stripping it will lessen the value.

Answer 3

I wouldn't.  You ruin the value of the item when you refinish it.