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My mentor swore by steel wool for stripping old varnish until I tried it on a walnut secretary desk
He said 0000 steel wool wouldn't scratch the veneer, but after I spent 4 hours on one drawer front, I had micro-scratches that showed up under the first coat of Danish oil, and now I'm wondering if I should just switch to a chemical stripper for the rest of it - any of you guys had better luck with a different abrasive?
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matthew7035mo ago
Wait, did you do any testing on a hidden spot before going all in with the steel wool? I've used 0000 on plenty of old finishes and never had micro-scratching, but maybe it's different with walnut veneer because it's softer than oak or mahogany. The real issue might be that you were bearing down too hard or the varnish was gummy and grabbed the wool weird. I'd honestly stick with the steel wool but switch to a lubricant like mineral spirits so it glides better and doesn't dig in. Have you thought about trying a card scraper instead, since those leave a glass-smooth surface without any scratches?
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tessa_rivera5mo ago
Wait, who tests hidden spots when a project looks like it'll take five minutes, lol?
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