Found a weird trick for getting old shellac out of tiny cracks in a 1920s dresser I worked on last month

3 comments

3 Comments

I always thought you HAD to use chemical stripper for that. Then I saw a video where someone used a dental pick and a tiny bit of denatured alcohol on a rag. Tried it on a picture frame and it came out perfect without hurting the wood.

oscar_ellis1mo ago

Yeah, the dental pick trick is a game changer for small stuff. I cleaned up an old wooden box hinge that way last month. The key is to keep the alcohol on the rag, not the wood, so it just softens the gunk you're picking at. For bigger flat surfaces, a plastic scraper and some patience works better than harsh chemicals. It takes longer but you don't get that chemical smell everywhere.

joseph_adams6627d ago

Wait, is this really such a big deal for most people? I've stripped old paint off plenty of furniture with just a heat gun and a putty knife, never had an issue with wood damage. Seems like the internet goes overboard with special tools for every little thing.