[MasterSplinter]

I bought this from a used furniture place. I paid $275. Its Mahogany. Do you think i over paid? The guy said its Georgian style. Is this true? How can i remove the hardwear with out damaging them? There is a little staining on the front. How can i remove it?

Thank you and sorry for so many questions.

 

[mike1950]

Looks like a well made piece. I assume handles just unscrew from back and middle is attached by nails??? I think you are going to have to slide something thin behind to pry or try to get a grip on pin and remove. Latter will probably ruin pin. Or drill hole from behind and push pin out. It will be nice to see when completed!!! :thumbsup:

 

[Steve Neul]

For the money I think you did really good. From the hardware I would have called it a Chippendale style rather than Georgian. The pulls will be put on with screws from the back. The keyhole covers are put on with nails. If you run a heavy putty knife behind it you can normally just pry them up. Just be gentle with it and do it some place that is clean in case one of the nails goes traveling across the shop.

The stains on the front are mostly from when someone stripped the finish. It is pretty superficial and should come off when you sand it. To be on the safe side not knowing how it was stripped, I would chemically strip it again. If they left chemicals in the wood, the chemicals could interfere with the new finish you put on even if you sand it. I use Kleen Strip paint and varnish remover. It's available and the box stores and even walmart. You work areas like one drawer front at a time and when you get to the cabinet do like one side at a time. The stuff evaporates and if you do too much at once the finish will dry back on and you will be unhappy. With that type finish you brush the stripper and let it sit for about 15 minutes keeping it wet with the remover. Then take a brass brush and scrub it lightly with the grain and apply another coat of remover and let sit for a couple of minutes and then take a smooth broad knife and scrape as much of the old finish and residue off as you can. Then as soon as you can rinse the residue off with lacquer thinner. Another method of getting the residue off is I use a small 1500 psi power washer and rinse if off with water. It will clean the residue off better than anything else you could use. The wood isn't wet long enough to loosen any joints and raising the grain with the water is a good thing at that point. It makes sanding more effective. I've stripped hundereds of pieces of furniture in that mannor. Then the next day you can sand the furniture as if it was new wood. I would sand it to 220 grit paper. I can't tell from the pictures but it appears to be walnut. If so I would fill the grain with a pastewood grain filler first before you stain it. Sherwin Williams sells a good grain filler however it only comes in a natural color but they can tint with some raw umber and red oxide tint to make walnut grain filler out of it. Then after letting dry overnight you can lightly sand it and stain it if you wish and apply the clear coating of your choice.

 

[cabinetman]

The hardware may be brass, so you should use care with what tooling you use on it to remove it. The decorative cover behind the handles are sometimes in the trade called "backplates". The trim around the keyhole is known as an "escutcheon". They can be made with an included in the plate casting, mounting pins/nails. Or, they could be screwed onto the face from the inside.

The piece may not have been stripped, but maybe just sanded. Before using a stripper, you might try wiping down with lacquer thinner. Or, if stripping is needed, start with the least toxic of strippers. As a starter use a waterbased stripper like CitriStrip gel. It can be used indoors and not as toxic as an MC (methylene chloride) stripper. If after one or two applications of the gel, a stronger stripper is needed, "Aircraft Stripper" in the blue can is one of the strongest strippers I've used that is sold over the counter.

I would follow directions on the can for application and clean up. I would not use a water power washer under any circumstance. It can damage/loosen joints, and raise the grain. It could blow out what was invisible fixes in the woodwork. It makes a mess, and the caustic materials blown about can affect asphalt and discolor concrete, not to mention it will kill grass and plants. It's not eco friendly.

It may just need sanding. If that's it, sand in the direction of the grain.

.

 

[MasterSplinter]

Great info Steve and Cabinetman.