A neighbor showed me a small intarsia mahogany tabletop this morning having what appears to be a clear acrylic surface finish of about 1/32" depth. The tabletop was stored in an attic for some years and the acrylic has cracked badly. Is there some method to rescue this piece by removing the acrylic without ruining the underlying veneer?
Thanks,
J.
I don't think you will be very successful at removing the old acrylic finish without destroying the table.
You might try to clean it thoroughly and then apply another layer of that same thick acrylic finish. It flows and fills voids pretty well and seems to bond to old finishes too, so it should fill the cracks and make a new smooth surface for you. Of course, if the old surface has yellowed or has large loose areas this method may not work so well. Since the table is ruined anyway anything that improves the looks enough to make it useable again will be a step in the right direction.
Try a hand held power planer. Take it outside, set it to do a medum shaving, and take it off a little at a time with each stroke. You wil have plastic shavings everywhere.
You can't sand it, as it will load your paper in seconds. You can't remove it with chemicals as the acrylics are just about impervious. I don't know of any other mechanical means to remove it successfully.
Robert
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