Is lacquer thinner safe to use for removing paint from an antique?

Question

Is lacquer thinner safe to use for removing paint from an antique?

Answer 1

no way man you better not even think about doing that. Laquer thinner will take the paint off of a car. If it's wood don't do it you will damage the wood in the process. You need some thing made specialy made for wood but using some sand paper and and a scraper would be the safest way!

Answer 2

Yes, it is safe and will not damage the wood.  It is essentially an ATM stripper (the main ingredients in lacquer thinners).  See the link below.  Depending up what the "paint" is, it may or may not be very effective.  If the "paint" is pigmented lacquer it will work best.

Just use plenty of ventilation and avoid open flames.

Using a scraper or sandpaper is not only inefficient and slow, but risks damaging veneers and patina.

Answer 3

Actually lacquer thinner is great for the older finishes to remove..I don't know where the other guy gets off thinking it will harm the wood..I am a 37 year experienced painter and years ago before all the latex products we stained and sealed and finished all new cabinets with lacquer based stain and lacuer finishes..It will  not harm wood..lol it is made for wood....We always after dusting off ..would wipe down the wood with lacquer thinner first to make sure it was good clean and dust free..then apply our stain..

http://www.flickr.com/photos/pcbeachrat/...