How to clean up after stripping...

[Howie]

Back when I was using methylene chloride I had good luck cleaning the residual goop with TSP & hot water followed by a good hosing. But I find the new environmentally friendly strippers harder to clean up. Last one I used was a TotalBoat product but I've used others. The manufacturer's recommendation says they clean up with warm water, but I find that still leaves a milky film. TSP doesn't seem to do any better either. It does come off but it takes repeated washings and a lot of elbow grease. Anybody have a different cleanup recommendation? Or a stripper that cleans up easier?

 

[chris pearson]

Teak cleaner will get rid of everything!

 

[Gil Cramer]

Pro strippers can still use MC based stripper. The one that I have used for years is still in business in Napoleon, Ohio. The results were superb. If you can find a pro stripper, $20/ ft for a varnished canoe should make them a good profit. They might be reluctant to try the first one, but after one, they will be hooked.

 

[David Satter]

Your right Howie, I like the total boat stripper, but it leaves white junk all over that's hard to clean off. Teak cleaner does help a little, also adds more time and money to the job.

 

[Worth Gretter]

I had good results with CitraStrip followed by Savogran TSP substitute, although I had to repeat the regimen several times.

 

[floydvoid]

I use multistrip and it always leaves a residue in the cracks. I thought about using a dental water pick tiny pressure washer or a cheap low power electric pressure washer for next time.
The last boat I did, I hear gun scraped and then did the multistrip and scrubbed the residue off. Going to try teak cleaner for the first time after I fix some planks and put in some extra tacks. A little nervous I’ll dissolve the cedar.

 

[Michael Grace]

I'm not sure why the worry that teak cleaners will "dissolve" cedar. They are formulated for use on wood and they've been used on countless boats over many years (in addition to decks and many other wooden things). A quality two-part system works wonders and is well worth the cost because of the amazing job they do. What is a quality system? The ones sold at home centers are weak and ineffective, but Te-Ka and Snappy Teak-Nu are two products that work extremely well. Just follow the manufacturer's instructions, though at least one of these says "not for use on mahogany." But they work perfectly well on mahogany as well, though they do remove mahogany filler stains; maybe the manufacturer is warning the runabout crowd.

I haven't used these products to clean up the residue from Total Boat stripper, but every time I've usedTe-Ka or Snappy (many, many times), they've done an outstanding job. Below are before (while stripping) and after (clean and getting first varnish) photos of a 1916 Old Town Otca with mahogany trim:

Here's another photo of mahogany before and after cleanup using Snappy Tag-Nu (this one is a 1938 AA-grade OT Yankee):

and first varnish applied to the same canoe:

 

[Howie]

Micheal: Wow. Nice.

 

[Howie]

Just did a Google on cleanup. One fells says the white residue is a waxy substance that the manufacturer uses to help stop the stripper from evaporating too quickly. He suggests using water & vinegar for cleanup. Don't know if the film is 'wax' as he says, but if so his cleanup solution sounds right. I'll give it a try.

Others suggest using mineral spirits for cleanup. Seems to me this is a bad idea as I believe mineral spirits will easily soak into the wood and carry dirt & goop along with it. I want to get the wax off the surface, not carry it into the wood! But maybe naphtha or denatured alcohol might work - they evaporate quickly so maybe they won't carry the goop into the wood.

Haven't even started stripping yet. I find I do have some Snappy Teak left over. I'll let you know what I find out...

 

[Michael Grace]

Don't worry, Howie. None of these solvents will "carry goop into the wood." If mineral spirits would, then so would denatured alcohol. A solvent is something that dissolves something, and anything dissolved in solution can get into pores. The cedar and trim woods of the canoes just don't take up all this stuff. If they did, it would have been carried into the wood during the stripping process (also a process of solvation - the process of solubilizing the finish). I don't think any of these things is going to hurt your canoe. Just try some treatments and see what works.

Waxes are insoluble in water, so if it's wax that you're seeing, your water wash won't remove it unless it is already solubilized in something that water can wash away. Organic solvents like those in mineral spirits should solubilize any wax. Waxes are somewhat soluble in alcohols, but should certainly be soluble in denatured alcohol because it is not pure alcohol - it contains some organic solvents like hexane or toluene. But still, try the Snappy too. The first part of Snappy is sodium hydroxide (NaOH), a strong base, and waxes are soluble in NaOH through a process called saponification, essentially the formation of a soap that can be washed away with water.

 

[Howie]

Micheal: Again wow. I bow to your chemistry wisdom. Now here's another question: I've noticed that after my 1st varnish coat dries (I use TotalBoat Gleam) I usually have some 'stuff' on top the varnish. I've always assumed that the varnish is penetrating the wood and forcing this 'stuff' out. Sanding carries it away (as well as beating down the raised grain). It only happens with the 1st coat. And the 1st coat always takes longer to dry - maybe because of this 'stuff'. Am I right?

 

[Michael Grace]

If there is "stuff" then it certainly could interfere with the varnish curing. But what is this stuff? Perhaps the wood just isn't clean enough and the varnish is solubilizing some of the junk left behind on the surface. That seems likely. Better is to start with the cleanest, smoothest surface possible (without polishing the wood - I've seen people recommending going to 600 grit or grater which is way overkill and leaves a surface so smooth that mechanical adhesion of varnish is surely compromised). A thoughough cleaning with something like Snappy should get the wood very clean. Then sand thoroughly to something like 220 grit, using sanding blocks wherever possible, in order to get a very smooth surface. Cedar, mahogany, oak, and cherry respond well to this treatment. Spruce, however, can get a bit fuzzy after all that cleaning, and sanding just doesn't seem to tame the fuzz. So for spruce gunwales, clean just like everything else, sand as best as possible, apply a sealer coat or two of varnish, then sand off the fuzz to a nice smoothness. In any case, clean, clean, clean, and sand, sand, sand. Surface preparation is the most important consideration in a quality varnish job.

 

[Dave Osborn]

If you haven’t already done it, you might try to look for a commercial furniture stripper. It doesn’t hurt to call around to inquire.
I use one three hours away. It is expensive, ($20/ft) but so is your time and material for doing it at home. The quality of the work is beyond what you can do out of the can.
Most often I take 2-3 at a time.
All done in one day. Ready for sanding after drying.

 

[Gil Cramer]

Years ago, when Methylene Chloride was still available, I looked for a pro stripper because I did not want the residue leeching into the ground water. I am not an enviro freak, but our water supply is a well. I used water soluble MC in the limestone driveway. It took a while to find a pro stripper who was in business long enough for the long term.

 

[Dave Osborn]

True, Gil.
My guy told me that cost of chemicals has driven a lot of furniture strippers out of business.
Every time I bring more work to him the price goes up. Even so, to me it is very much worth the drive and cost to have someone else do it.

 

[David Satter]

We had a great furniture guy near me years ago. He did a great job of stripping. Wish he was still around. He was found hunched over a barrel of stripper in his shop. He is no longer with us. He was an old school guy and wasn't much on safety. Yes, this is a true story.

 

[ALCEDO ATTHIS]

when I work in lifts , we can't use acetone , to dangerous in the "cave" under for the same thing

 

[Howie]

So what I'm using is Jasco Premium Paint & Epoxy Remover I got at my local Ace Hardware plus I use open cell foam scouring pads like that shown below.

Did some more stripping today with them. The pad quickly gets clogged with goop, and I confirmed that TSP in hot water does not readily clean neither the goop off the pad nor the cood. I then tried cleaning the pad in hot water mixed with about 1/4 cup of liquid hand soap. This actually worked better but the pad didn't get completely clean. Then I found that spraying the pad with cold water from a hose got the pad quite clean. Plus there was no goopy stuff on the wood. So I'm finding soapy hot water and water from a hose it it the way to handle this new Eco-friendly varnish remover. At least it does with this Jasco stuff.