# Rocking chair refinish advice needed...



## rpludwig (Nov 22, 2011)

Have a couple of wood slat outdoor rocking chairs (cracker barrel type) to refinish (stain & spar varnish), so plenty of sanding to do. 

Have an orbital sander for the flat components, looking for advice on sanding the spindles and ornate round legs & vertical parts other than the tedious "shoe shine with sandpaper" method.

any thoughts?


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

I don't know what you have for equipment Ron as you haven't listed anything in your profile but if you have any old planer blades they make very aggressive scrapers. Just wrap the ends of the blade with tape for handholds. Actually any kind of sharp blade will make a scraper and they are one of the fastest ways to remove old varnish. Varnish gums up sandpaper very quickly so sanding isn't a very good option until all the varnish is removed.


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

A heat gun (used carefully is an amazingly effective tool for softening old varnish, plus the scraping thing as well.
What's wrong with chemical strippers? There's lots of fairly safe ones out there now.


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## rpludwig (Nov 22, 2011)

Chuck/Dan...coupla good ideas there...keep 'em coming guys...


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

Ron; i was thinking about the stripping spindles thing and I don't think anyone mentioned wearing neoprene gloves and using course steelwool to lift the stripper-softened varnish/paint. My preferred technique is to partially wrap it around the spindle and rotate it rather than going with the length of the spidle...I think it's just personal choice.
You need a bucket to constantly rinse the steel wool off in; it gets clogged up with the residue really fast.
Greensolv Paint Remover - Lee Valley Tools


Let it dry and then sand with woven sanding pads...sandpaper tends to diminish fine detail in the turned moldings.
Non-Woven Hand Pads (Synthetic Pads) - Mohawk Finishing

Lee Valley also has them but they're 3X the price!
3M Rubbing Pads - Lee Valley Tools


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## David Dickson (Oct 30, 2015)

Once you have stripped the paint, you might want to try a bow sander. Take a look at youtube, Woodworking Masterclass, "Bow-Sander, for sanding Cabriole Legs, Curves and Round Things!"
(Sorry, I am not allowed to paste the link.)


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

Hey, David; this the one?


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## rpludwig (Nov 22, 2011)

David Dickson said:


> Once you have stripped the paint, you might want to try a bow sander. Take a look at youtube, Woodworking Masterclass, "Bow-Sander, for sanding Cabriole Legs, Curves and Round Things!"
> (Sorry, I am not allowed to paste the link.)



David, not only is this a great tool to have around the shop, this guy is extremely entertaining!

Gonna make one tomorrow...perfect solution, along with other suggestions, thx for the link!!

Ron


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