Just bought a 18' OT guide. Inside had dark cating that was cracked, shrunken and peeling. Underneath was a yellow-gold finish, not cracked. Dan L. suggested I try alcihol, if it was shellac. I did, worked great. The patch in the photos took about 45 minutes. I laid down paper towel, soaked it with alcohol, waited 15 minutes, and removed the towels. A long handled brush rremoved the softened brown shellac. Might take a while, but the cost savings will be great, if it works. The yellow varnish underneath wan't bothered by the alcohol, which I wiped dry. The black balls are the removed shellac, which kinda rolled into balls. I'm going to wait for them to dry, and see if the brush knocks them off.
And yes, for you sharp eyed folks, the outwales ARE pink..... for the moment.
And yes, for you sharp eyed folks, the outwales ARE pink..... for the moment.