Stripping Is Fun!

 I used Zinsser Magic Strip Citrus-Action Gel, which apparently can actually be used indoors, according to my instructor.  Here’s before, during, and after on the inside of the lid of the piano bench:

I haven’t been writing much about my furniture re-finishing class mostly because I haven’t been snapping photos, but here’s what I’ve learned so far in the two classes I’ve taken:

1. Wear your grubby clothes to class.  (Duh….)  Plus you don’t need a pen and a notebook for taking notes!

2. Working with my hands is fun.

3. The right tools matter way more than I thought.  Even screwdrivers.  If the groove at the top of the screw is too big for the screwdriver you have in hand, getting a bigger screwdriver is much easier than boogering up the screw head with one that is too small.  (Tom, a fellow student, solemnly explained that “boogering up” is the correct technical term. No joke.)

4. Stripping varnish is messy and sticky, and it gets everywhere.

5. Starting with a free piece that isn’t an heirloom was a really good idea.

6. Like sewing, not being careful or picky in the beginning follows you all the way through the project.