3134 Caustic Soda For Removing Paint

I've been removing the many layers of paint applied to internal pine & chestnut shutters & windows, using caustic soda. I've mixed it with cold water instead of hot, in part, because it's less hazardous. Once completed, I apply neat vinegar . Recently, I've found that when the wood is dry, a bloom of crystals appears. Does anyone know why & how best to remove it?

There is very little information about the use of caustic soda for this purpose, any information would be useful & gratefully received. I do, of course, know about the protective gear, including plastic eye shields & carry out the work out of doors.

I would also love to know about the construction of doors. They used what looks like staples to hold the pieces of wood together. Did they just nail these in & why were they used instead of nails?

When I recover from this ungodly task, I hope I will have time to appreciate my achievement.

Lavender Field

Category
Building/Renovation

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 04/03/2006 - 15:35

If I were you.. which I'm not.. I would sue whoever painted the doors in the first place..

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 04/03/2006 - 16:56

hi

use a presure washer or hose spay to remove all traces of soda and place in a shady airy place to dry this must be done slowely to avoid damage up to 3 weeks depend on the type of timber after you can yous vinger if you want or feed the wood with 60% turps and 40% raw lineseed oil olio di lino ,in italia

it must be raw ie crudo folowed by 2 more one with a dash of turps and the last coat neat oil leting each coat dry well before aplying the next . after the first coat witch should be oflooding coat the rest you should apply with a rag then try and remove that which you have put on this wiil work it into the wood YOU MUST NOT LEAVE THESE RAGS LAYING ABOUT AS THEY CAN SPONTANEOS COMBUST AND CAUSE A FIRE put them in a bucket of water .

a good resepi for using c soda on vertical surfaces or when you havent got tank , is to mix a pail of wallpaper paste in a metal pail not plastic and then stir in the soda this allows it to stay in contact with the wood . this method was used to remove black out from the windows after the war as they did not have any redy made striper

i hope this is of some help

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 04/04/2006 - 06:25

Do NOT, EVER mix caustic soda with hot water, the reaction between the caustic soda itself and cold water can raise the temperature to boiling point.

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 04/04/2006 - 07:50

Oil di Lino & George S

Thank you so much for the info. It's a most unpleasant task & the last thing I want is to damage the very wood I'm trying to display in the 1st place. I will take the advice.

George, it may surprise you, but the Italians do use hot water, with caustic soda, which makes me shudder.

Many thanks

Lavender Field

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 04/04/2006 - 09:11

The packs do carry the following warning :"Il prodotto sciolto in acqua sviluppa calore", or "the product when dissolved in water produces heat", I suppose it could be more accurate, but... hey, horses for courses, I would never want to risk it. :eek: