Paint Stripping Alters Big Ben’s Bongs

How a paint stripping job at Elizabeth Tower will alter the Westminster landmark’s iconic chimes

Paint Stripping Big Ben image by Ioan Panaite (via Shutterstock).
Bing Bong or Bing Bung? After a paint stripping job, the chimes of Elizabeth Tower could sound slightly different to those at present. Image by Ioan Panaite (via Shutterstock).

The familiar Westminster chimes could sound slightly different after a paint stripping operation. After their refurbishment, the University of Leicester thinks renovation work will alter the length of its sound waves and their tone.

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A Look at Laser Paint Stripping

Fireplace paint stripping

A look at how laser paint stripping could change the way we strip our fireplaces

Laser Paint Stripping Fireplace image by Boyan Dimitrov (via Shutterstock).
Grate Expectations: thanks to laser paint stripping, rust and extraneous paintwork can be eliminated without mess. Image by Boyan Dimitrov (via Shutterstock).

Lasers are sensational. If Goran feels the need to put on his favourite music CD, stereo sound is played back with clarity. Give or take the odd skip, perhaps. They are used for engraving and barcode scanning. They are good for decorative uses a la Jean Michel-Jarre at London Docklands some thirty years ago. Of late, we have learned about laser paint stripping. Instead of chemicals, a laser beam could be used to strip the Cover Plus Cornflower Blue off a charming fireplace.

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A Trio of Wood Finishing Films

wood paint stripping

A look at how wood finishing techniques are honed in furniture restoration

wood paint stripping

With the nights getting lighter, the spring cleaning season isn’t too far away. For many, spring cleaning involves heavy sessions with the vacuum cleaner and dusting display cabinets. It is also a good time to give your wooden furniture a spring clean. Perhaps a touch of wood finishing and stripping may suffice. This has inspired our trio of wood finishing and stripping films.

Wood finishing enables us to restore our wooden furniture to an ‘as new’ condition. It adds shine to our pianos and sheen to our sideboards. Its character is restored, even more so if daubed with gloss paint in previous years. That is what we like about wood stripping and finishing: it brings our furniture back to life. Exactly as the designer and carpenter intended.

1. How to Strip Stain From Wood : Furniture Repair Tips

In our first clip from the eHow At Home YouTube channel, we see our craftsperson stain stripping half a table. This clip is clearly aimed at beginners and described in plain English.

2. Finishing Mahogany: 3 Tips for Beautiful Color in Your Woodworking Projects

Our second clip is a eulogy to the joys of mahogany. It also stresses how flexible it is for staining and easy to work with. The narrator gives us an insight into three staining techniques.

3. Classic Boat Finish On Mahogany

If you have an oyster yawl in Whitstable or a sailing vessel on The Solent, this third clip might be useful to you. In 21 minutes, we see how wood finishing techniques, tips, and materials were used by boat builders.

Premium Doors and Furniture, 01 February 2017.

A £3.5m Lancaster Bomber Restoration Job

Restored AVRO Lancaster Bomber expected to be operational by 2020

AVRO Lancaster Bomber by Alexandar Lotzov (via Shutterstock).
Iconic: the AVRO Lancaster Bomber, Roy Chadwick’s legendary heavy bomber. Image by Alexandar Lotzov (via Shutterstock).

During the Second World War, A.V. Roe’s iconic Lancaster Bomber played an important role in stopping the onward march of Nazi Germany and Adolf Hitler. In aviation history, it is best known for its part in the Dambusters attack on the Ruhr dams. For three brothers in Lincolnshire, it has an emotional connection. It was the last resting place of brother Christopher Panton, who was shot down in a bombing raid in Nuremberg, in March 1944.

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A Cast Iron Guarantee of Satisfaction

Why restoring your cast iron fireplace could see the hearth at the heart of your house

Cast Iron Guarantee image by Aleksandrs Muiznieks (via Shutterstock).
Cast Iron Guarantee: we at Premium Doors and Stripping can bring your cast iron fireplace to life. Image by Aleksandrs Muiznieks (via Shutterstock).

If you’re a traditionalist, you would probably say the 1950s and 1960s have a lot to answer for in terms of design woes. The thought of Fablon or Formica or – perish the thought – covering your traditional fireplace is enough to give you nightmares. Today, traditional fireplaces are given more love these days. The cast iron fireplace can be brought to life as a decorative feature, or as a fully functioning fire.

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Keeping It Real With Paint Stripping

Why paint stripping shows off the beauty of natural wood

Paint Stripping Image
Paint Stripping: adds character to your wooden furniture, fixtures and fittings.

Sixty years ago, most with-it households eschewed the beauty of traditional looking wood furniture. Wooden panels were something you hid from public view with a flat sheet of board. Though this made for a modern look, any character your door might have had was sapped to a nth of its life. Then, twenty or so years later, we rediscovered our love of all things traditional. With paint stripping, this meant substituting gaudy colours for exposed wood and varnishing.

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A US EPA Ban for TCE?

Could TCE ban on dry cleaning and aerosol degreasing solutions set precedent for paint strippers?

TCE poison bottle by AF Studio.
Deadly: subject to Trump’s presidency which kicks in by the end of this month, TCE (Trichloroethylene), could be banned from some substances in the US. Image by AP Studio (via Shutterstock).

In a previous post, we looked at why US households use paint stripper with a chemical that is banned in EU Member States. The chemical is DCM: Dichloromethane to give its full name. At the start of December 2016, the EPA has proposed a ban on TCE, otherwise known as Trichloroethylene for some applications.

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Chemical Wood Stripping Explained

A basic primer on chemical wood stripping treatments

Chemical wood stripping image
This bit of wood should be easy to strip with any form of chemical wood stripping treatment. Image by AdiDsgn (via Shutterstock).

There are two main types of chemical wood stripping treatments that are commonly used by door and furniture stripping companies like ours. These are solvent paint remover and caustic paint removers.

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The Twelve Days of Door Stripping

Our door stripping themed Christmas song based on The Twelve Days of Christmas

Twelve Days of Door Stripping Christmas image.
Premium Door Stripping wishes all customers old and new a Merry Christmas. Image by Ba777 (via Shutterstock).

With Christmas looming, the last thing our fellows would like to think of for a week or two is door stripping. On the other hand, it is fair to say that our industry could do with some Christmas cheer. So on behalf of Santa Goran and his team, we would like to share this adaptation of The Twelve Days of Christmas. Complete with lyrics that best suit our industry.

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