Checking the local paint retailers, Sherwin Williams, Benjamin Moore, and Pratt&Lambert, Sherwin Williams is the only one that carries naphtha - currently offering two types - VM&P and hi-flash (100 flash, Solvesso 100).
Per the SW literature, the hi-flash is slow evaporating - 40 minutes to evaporate 90% vs 4 minutes for the VM&P, with a solvent strength of 5 out of 10 vs. 2 for the VM&P.
Appears the hi-flash is the much hotter / stronger of the two solvents. Not sure if it would be hot enough to lift the finish - which would be a disaster for my application.
The SW product summary sheet for the VM&P product also states it is a weak, fast evaporating, and very good for solvent cleaning when using alkyd topcoats.
Which of the two would you suggest for removing furniture wax / polish? Apparently Energine has been discontinued and there is no similar replacement product.
I would go with the VM&P for a couple of reasons. First, I know it works, so that makes me happy. Second, if you use a really hot solvent for cleani ng(in this case you are trying to dissolve and loosen material) it can be v ery hard to control.
Say for example, the finish under the layer of accumulated debris and gunk is damaged. When you are working on it, if there is even a hairline crack y ou can dissolve the material you are trying to clean away and have it penet rate to the wood below the finish by going through a crack or weak spot in the finish. This can happen anyway, but repeated applications of a higher VOC to get the working time you need to clean will certainly increase your chances of doing this.
So... what happens when you penetrate the finish with your hot solvent? It can easily drag polish and cleaning remnants including oils, silicones, gre ase, etc. into the wood to discolor it. It can also stain the wood to the point it can't be colored to match. And worse, if you are doing this as a refinish or a partial refinish you can foul the cleaned areas so much with dissolved finishing, polishing and cleaning materials that it will foul you r finish as well.
The point is that you aren't looking for any kind of penetration at all, bu t rather trying to avoid it. Use only as much solvent as you need to remov e what you need to in order to get it as clean as you need it for your expe ctations. Personally, to control as much as possible any cleaning agent, ( I would strongly suggest this to you) I pour my cleaning agent/solvent into a small bowl or cup and dip the cleaning brush in the cup. Loosen the gun k, wipe your brush on a rag to remove debris, then dip back into the solution. Wipe you r "cleaning in process" area frequently so that you can keep the loosened d ebris from hardening on your project again, but just as importantly to give the area in process a careful visual examination.
If I may ask - how was that authentic Cajun gumbo? All food Cajun is a favorite - although since shell fish is on my cannot eat list, miss out on most of the really good dishes.
It was a toss up, Doug. Excellent gumbo and excellent company. Hard to tell which was better. A great time had by all fueled by great food. Doesn't get any better than that.
I'm jumping on this late but, hopefully, with a positive contribution.
I am a member of a woodworking club on Long Island and we are very fortunat e to have a finishing expert among our members. Mac Simmons has graciously shared a wealth of knowledge among our members and has a website where oth ers can access his expertise. I encourage you to go to:
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and check it out.
I am to be grouped with those that don't give enough pre-thought and planni ng for the finishing process and find I'm rushing the finishing so I can be , well, finished. I need to allow more time. It is, I hope, a skill to be developed further in 2014. I also need to read posts more carefully to se e who is posting experience and who is repeating what they read elsewhere. Both are valuable but, of course, the former more so.
Essence of what I have benefited from others on rec.woodworking regarding finishing is that there are a myriad of ways to botch a finish - from not selecting the proper materials for the wood, to application techniques.
Being remanded to the belt sander for lack of proper planning is to be avoided at all cost.
ate to have a finishing expert among our members. Mac Simmons has gracious ly shared a wealth of knowledge among our members and has a website where o thers can access his expertise. I encourage you to go to:
Bill, there are some nuggets there worth mining, but you should let folks k now that the site heavily promotes his book/CD (absolutely nothing wrong wi th that) and that some of the links to processes redirect you to different sites than his (not good) without warning.
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