Refinishing Woes

[deadhead]

I am stripping down my oak Gon bops conga to refinish it, and I'm having a hell of a tough time removing the gel coat. I'm using a small electric palm sander with a 80 grit paper and it is going so slow. I've been outside for 2 hours sanding and I have barely made a 1" wide strip down the length of the drum. Does anyone have any suggestions for removing the gel coat easier? Should I try a stripper? Should I score the hell out of it before I sand? Should I try scraping it off with a razor blade? Do I need a heavier paper (i'm afraid to gouge the wood)?

[Tonio]

Go to a furniture store. I don't remember the name of the tool, but basically its a piece of metal to scrap off finishes. Its alot of work though.
Or possibly going to a furniture restoration house (if there is one near you) to dip it in their large tub.

T

[Tonio]

http://www.magicyellow.com/categor....TX.html

[taikonoatama]

I've been outside for 2 hours sanding and I have barely made a 1" wide strip down the length of the drum. Does anyone have any suggestions for removing the gel coat easier? Should I try a stripper?

Clearly sanding is not the answer here - that gel coat sounds like one tough finish.

I think everyone goes through the what you're going through at some point, though, thinking they can avoid the strippper.

Face your demons, man - you have to strip, as nasty as it is.

I'm not clear on exactly what a gel coat is, but for every other type of hard clear finish, stripping before sanding is almost always the best way to go. It's a pain to do, but saves you a whole lot of time in the end. Seriously, slop on a good coat of stripper in 5 minutes, wait about 25 minutes or whatever the directions say, and scrape off with an appropriate stripper scraper tool - doesn't gouge the wood or anything. Wear old clothing, don't have any leg or arm skin out where it might get splattered with the stuff, wear proper heavy-duty stripping gloves and maybe some safety glasses, have some extra rags and newspapers around, maybe do a second round, and wipe the thing down with mineral spirits/paint thinner afterwards - that's the usual drill, but, of course, follow the directions.

Be the stripper.
(Assuming this works on a gel coat.)

~Taiko

[deadhead]

Thanks for the help guys, I'm moving this weekend, so I'm probably going to have to wait till I get settled in to give it another go. I just can't wait to get this thing refinished, the shell is in perfect shape just a terrible looking finish. This is going to be a great looking drum when its done.

[Tonio]

When you get to the point of sanding, be very careful if you have to use a vibrating/pulsing sander. This point is the most dangerous for the staves to split. If you have to use a machine sander, be slow and easy, set up a jig to hold the whole shell in a suspended matter as not to create a vibration between the sander and the working surface (i.e. table) -use a bunch of blankets. If possible sand by hand with the grain.

T

[jorge]

If you use Zip Strip or one of the other strippers containing Methylene Chloride, be very careful about proper ventilation. I would recommend doing it outside on a nice day in fact, unless you have a very well ventilated workshop. Methylene Chloride is a very effective stripper, works great, but is potentially toxic. If you inhale the vapors, they turn to carbon monoxide inside your body and can cause all the toxicity problems that carbon monoxide causes. There have been medical reports of people getting heart attacks after using methylene chloride paint stripper in a poorly ventilated space. It is very safe if you use it with proper ventilation, goggles in case of splashes, and protective gloves, but make sure you use these protective precautions. Much easier than sanding and scraping, and it gets the varnish out of the pores of the wood, allowing better refinishing. You will need to sand afterwards anyway, but nowhere near as much as if you just scraped the drum dry.

[taikonoatama]

If you use Zip Strip or one of the other strippers containing Methylene Chloride, be very careful about proper ventilation. ... Methylene Chloride is a very effective stripper, works great, but is potentially toxic.

I use "CitrusStrip" - works pretty well and doesn't have methylene chloride, so it's safer than most:

http://www.constantines.com/index.a....dID=198

[jorge]

Taiko you are right that the Citristrip does not contain methylene chloride, but it does have other ingredients that are toxic. It should also be used outdoors or in a workshop with very effective ventilation. The material safety data sheet (MSDS) can be found on the manufacturer's website or here:
http://www.rockler.com/tech/RTD20000134AA.pdf

[bdrbongo]

Gel coat is a plastic polymer used to provide a protective layer. It is basically liquid plastic that is catalyzed to harden, dries clear, and "protects" the finish of whatever it is applied to. Stripping might be the only way, (aside from some major elbow grease) to get it off the shell.

I refinished som old Gon Bops a while back( mine had no gel coat) and it took about a week of sanding just to get the shells right. I used both paper and a small sander to do it, working from 120 grit all the way to 1500. Take your time, it will pay off in the end.

Attachment: http://mycongaplace.com/forum/eng/uploa ... ground.jpg

[Whopbamboom]

Would a DA sander be a little less vibrational than a vibratory palm sander?