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Refinishing 1:24 scale furniture


LeFemmeFatale

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So, I've found a source for a bunch of 1:24 scale furniture for a decent price, but the problem is, I don't love the finishes. Originally I was thinking I would just paint them all so it wouldn't matter, but because they are hand-carved wood, I'm now thinking it would be nicer to stain them all. Is there any way to do this without destroying them? I mean, half scale is so tiny, is it even possible to sand the current paint/stain off of them in the first place? 

I don't want to buy them unless I know I can refinish them, because it's an investment of over $400 (oof this is a pricey hobby!) 

Thanks all! <3 

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I would consider using a stripping compound. You’ll want to be careful about fumes, so work in a well ventilated area. The stripping compounds will likely dissolve the glue, so you will need to plan to reglue the pieces afterwards. If you are going to stain them, do that after stripping but before gluing, otherwise the areas where you get glue on the wood won’t take the stain properly.

I suggest doing a test on a piece (you don’t mind tossing) first just in case it turns out to be more trouble than it’s worth.

You can very gently sand half scale pieces, but it’s really hard to remove finishes from pieces this way. If the pieces have carving as you say, sanding will likely destroy any detail. That’s why I’d go the stripping compound route.

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Yeah....it’s definitely an expensive hobby. The price of the actual dollhouse is the least of the expense.  Like we say tho...cheaper than therapy sessions :) 

I don’t have experience with half scale furniture but on 1/12 I’ve used the spray foam type furniture strippers. Good luck. 

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11 minutes ago, WyckedWood said:

Yeah....it’s definitely an expensive hobby. The price of the actual dollhouse is the least of the expense.  Like we say tho...cheaper than therapy sessions :) 

I don’t have experience with half scale furniture but on 1/12 I’ve used the spray foam type furniture strippers. Good luck.

Hahaha I feel like I'm going to need therapy BECAUSE of this hobby with how much it's stressing me out lol. 

I do have some CitraStrip gel. I wonder if that would work. 

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5 minutes ago, WyckedWood said:

I know...it gets so obsessive. 

I bet the gel would work fine. 

Right? I spend every spare minute of my time now researching, or browsing, or watching videos, or asking questions, or planning, or freaking out about what to do haha.

Have you had any issues with it dissolving the glue in your experience?

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I used it to strip that godarful RED finish on the $Tree furniture and I wish it had dissolved the glue!  I haven't used it on the ready-made items because the ones I got from HBS were MUCH smaller than 1:24, so I found them a new home and made all the furniture in my Fairfields, most of it from scratch.  In addition to using the gel outdoors do invest in a box of disposable nitrile gloves.

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2 hours ago, LeFemmeFatale said:

Right? I spend every spare minute of my time now researching, or browsing, or watching videos, or asking questions, or planning, or freaking out about what to do haha.

LOL, the obsession is the cure! :D 

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I don't know how it would work on your 1:24 furniture, but the glue on the Michael's hutches let go when i dipped them into very hot water.  If I'd had one I think a blow-dryer might also work, if it's the same kind of glue.  An old, soft toothbrush with that stripper gel would help with the intricate carving.

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