Stripper Outlawed in California...Is It Nationwide?

Perhaps you recall My Date With A Stripper.

I recently learned that methylene chloride, aka dichloromethane, CH₂Cl₂, is being phased out. In California at least. I learned this at my local Home Depot and Lowe's, looking for some of the good paint stripper. I found a single gallon of the good stuff -- the kind with methylene chloride -- but the clerk wouldn't sell it to me. His register came up with a "DO NOT SELL" when he scanned the SKU.

I went home and googled up the news that the EPA just banned it in March. Stores are in the midst of ridding it from their shelves.  Next I thought "what could possibly replace it?"  A review of strippers in Chemical & Engineering News confirmed my suspicion. Replacement products do not work as well.

I won't argue with the reasons for the ban -- a great many useful chemicals have been banned for good and bad reasons. But there just isn't a replacement at hand. The EPA recommends upping the grit on your abrasion.

Luckily, I found a pint left at my local ACE hardware and it was marked down!

ACE Is The Place!

Le Vie En Roses

I transplanted several small roses today:

The previous owner loved roses and grew them here, there, and everywhere. I wanted them out of the area where I intend to grow herbs and vegetables. I dug holes, threw in some compost and transfered as much root ball as I could.

I gave away two to a woman up the street who makes bonsai. She really liked the look of the gnarly wood.

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KLEM FM

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Seems like ages since I've posted anything here. We're in the midst of moving -- leaving Oceanside for Irvine.

I heard this song today and it reminded me of so many regrets. I've always admired that band, and what they overcame and how they kept plugging.

@Sixty: Here are the stairs. I lovingly restored the rails, but I haven't put them back up. We love the open look too much.

Added: Lyrics for "Regret" after the jump

Waterlox Sunset

Continued-in-part from here.

The second home project is progressing, albeit slowly. Here is how the stair bottom rails looked today:

Here is a more vertiginous view of both flights and landings:

As for the handrails, they are in a separate room getting their first taste of finish:

I'm using Waterlox tung oil on the naked Douglas fir.  You can see how it changes the wood, giving it a darker, richer look. Sixty Grit told me that Waterlox finish is prone to air sensitivity and will spoil in the can after exposure to air. I'm giving this trick a shot:

Before sealing the can, I give it spritz of nitrogen gas from a product intended to preserve wine after opening. It seems to work. My Waterlox has been opened and resealed for a month now w/o apparent deterioration.

How Can I Hide Boogers?

[continued-in-part from here]

That is the exposed woodwork I wrote about in the earlier linked post linked. I'm not yet ready to apply a finish. Look closely, and you'll see some residual white paint in the nail holes -- boogers. Of course I'd like to make these less visible, but how? An amateur thinks: carefully remove the paint without enlarging the hole; apply "wood putty" to match the wood. Thing is, I've never been impressed with wood putty. It always shows lighter or darker in the finish.

The first question a professional might ask is: What kind of finish are you going to apply? Answer: A transparent one -- not even a stain. I want a finish that shows the DF grain. It will be a finish though, probably oil or acrylic, to match the rail which will be handled and will be highly trafficked. The final, desired finish will be a "wet" look with a satin finish. My question for a professional is what kind of transparent finish can best hide blemishes?

Here's another thought: Is it possible to make a paste or putty from the sawdust itself -- mixed with a binder?  That should get the color right but perhaps not the texture.

My Date With A Stripper

[continued-in-part from here]

Work on the stairs:

After removing both the rails and the metal balusters, I started to sand away the paint coating the lower rail. This proved slow going -- even with 60 grit paper on a new random orbit sander. So I went all chemical on it:

Stripper contains methylene chloride which dissolves practically anything (except wood). You just slather it on as a paste and wait for the paint to blister and then scrape it off- right onto the concrete floor in my case. I had to do a couple cycles of strip and sand because the paint was so durable. It's still unfinished because the sides are particularly hard to treat. But here is some real progress:

Bonus photos:

Recall the end grain detail from the rail:

Here is the end grain from the base:

And here is the end grain from a small decorative piece which is off to the right in the first photo:

That is a flat top rail adjacent to the steps. You can see a closet door knob for scale. The wood appears to be doug fir but its growth ring pattern suggests it's intermediate between the rail and the foot rail. Also note that it's made of two joined pieces.

I await Sixty's expert opinion.

A Gritty Topic

Overheard at Lem's:

Sixty Grit said...I would sand the wood, and that in itself is a dusty project, using a random orbit sander connected to a vacuum of some sort. The one I use is all connected so that when I turn on the sander the vacuum cleaner starts automatically. Nice, but not something you will find in most home shops.
March 11, 2017 at 7:12 AM

What kind would you use? My old B&D orbital sander is a POS.

If Amazon sells it, I could enrich Lem.

BTW, I am eventually replacing a vanity in the powder room.

Thank You, Sixty Grit!

[this post continues in part from here]

From an email exchange with Sixty Grit yesterday:

Sixty: You may email me pictures of the railing wood and I might be able to see them better.
A close up of the end grain would be good, as will pictures of the long grain.

Me: [sends two photos]

Sixty: The piece that has been sanded looks like Douglas fir - straight grain, close growth rings - don't let a tree hugger see that - that is beautiful wood.

If you could sand whatever coating is on the end grain I would better be able to see what is going on there - just as there are standards for baluster spacing there are requirements for the type and quality of wood used in handrails - that looks like very high quality wood right there.

Me:

I think you're right about the bottom being Doug fir-I've worked with it before. The rail is more fine grained. Both woods are soft and can be scratched with a finger nail

Sixty: That looks like old growth vertical grain Doug fir. That is beautiful stuff, unavailable these days. The true tell is the aroma - since I can't see color too well - are you familiar with the distinctive smell of Douglas fir? I would say fill and envelope with sawdust and mail it to me, but we would both end up in jail if you did that. Perhaps a trip to the local big box wood store might be in order - they might have some Douglas fir in stock and you could compare and contrast.

As I say, that is high quality stuff right there - well worth refurbishing and keeping.

Me: The growth rings are much tighter in the railing wood.

Sixty: Indeed they are - I guestimate at least 30 rings per inch. Check the smell of both of them - if they smell the same then the railing was made out of old growth stock.

Me: They do smell the same.

Sixty: Well there you go - high grade vertical grain stock used for the railing itself, as required by code, lower grade used for the non-crucial application. I like it - sounds as if the mystery is solved. Well done!

A Science Question For Bagoh20

Background: We're renovating a 1980's townhouse and I'd like to improve on or restore the original staircase banister:

The wooden rail comes off; I plan to sand and refinish it. The white vertical bars are metal and are in turn attached to a long wooden board beneath. I think that wood originally may have been stained as well. Anyways, it will be when I'm finished -- to match the top rail. My question for bags is about refinishing the metal uprights. I'd like to simulate wrought iron. How to do this? My thoughts are removing the framework and taking it someplace to be sandblasted and then electrolytically finished. Alternatively, I could laboriously sand off the paint and then prime and repaint in flat black. Or, there is my old friend methylene chloride.

There are two rails, actually so double the work/cost.

What would bags do?  Mechanical? chemical? electrochemical?

Others are welcome to comment. Sixty?
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added: Follow-up post here

Man Made Marbles

Romanian carpenter builds wooden car called Julia that can reach 55mph.

Marble Mountain, a themed marble machine

Lake Superior Fortress of Solitude

LAKE SUPERIOR’S FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE pic.twitter.com/5rc8CGTy6b
— Life on Earth (@planetepics) February 24, 2015

Dad makes kid's room spaceship