Expert: Eileen Cronk - 9/28/2009

Question
I would like to strip the blackened varnish from an upright piano which about 150 years old.  The wood on the inside of the top of piano is still a very pretty mahogany color.  The legs have a lot of open carved areas.  I have had success on using chemical strippers on a old table, however do not know where to begin-such as work from top to bottom or bottom to top?  Suggestions on products and techniques are greatly appreciated.

Answer
Hi Cheri
Nice to hear from you.
First I will give you my full stripping instructions which apply to your piano.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR STRIPPING FURNITURE
The first thing you must do is assemble the material to do the job.
The stripper is the most important item.  
I am hoping you can get "CIRCA 1850" brand paint and varnish remover in your area.
Here is a link
http://www.jamestowndistributors.com/userportal/show_product.do?pid=1694&familyN...

MATERIAL LIST For the stripping stage.
1 gallon stripper
3 boxes of Bull Dog steel wool in medium grade.
One 3 inch oil based paint brush.
Rubber gloves (like you do dishes with), and a pair of cotton gloves inside the rubber ones.
People react differently to stripper. A lot of people feel heat through the rubber gloves, but I feel cold. Have no idea why.
An empty large coffee can. (for the stripper)
A couple of old tooth brushes.
Lots of old rags (I like t-shirts or cotton but for this first stage whatever you have)
Lots of newspaper to protect the garage floor
LOTS OF VENTILATION..A MUST
That's all you need to get started.
HERES WHAT YOU DO...
Work in sections.
Brush on the stripper with the brush. Stripper will quit working if it dries, so keep it wet till the finish softens.
Then take a rag and wipe this mess off.
Then another coat of stripper, rag off again, then while the wood is still wet, take the steel wool and rub with the grain till the wood is nice and clean.
Depending on the material you are removing, another coat of stripper is often needed but you will know this as you progress into the job.
Use the toothbrush in crevices.
Thats all there is to it ...move to another section and continue.
No other prep is necessary...and DO NOT SAND
When the stripping is complete, stain with Minwax stain applied with a rag, then 3 or 4 coats of low lustre tung oil also applied with a rag.
Please let me know if anything is not 100% clear.

Now we will talk about stripping a piano. I have done a few over the years.
Its actually no different than stripping other furniture just a bigger job.
You are going to be surprised when I tell you that many of the parts of a piano are removable and this makes the job so much easier.
So start by really looking your piano over.
You will see the lid that covers the keys can be removed (this is often done by turning little wooden pieces on the left and right of the lid).
The top often can be removed.
The top front (this is the piece thats directly in front of your eyes when you sit on the piano bench)comes off.
Look under the keyboard (where you knees would be when sitting), this whole front lower section comes off.
Once all the parts are off, start stripping at the top and work down.
You must cover the keys well to avoid messing them during stripping.
Keep me posted
Kind regards
Eileen