OT: Wood Refinishing

[Guest seuadr]

hey guys, i know this isn't really a VR.org topic, but i thought theres so many of you who are knowledgeable about things that possibly someone would have some advice for me:

 

I bought a new house this may, and all the trim turned out to be clear cut red pine. it's awesome! the problem is, the previous owners have painted it several times, and removing that paint is taking FOREVER.

 

methods i have used:

 

Heat gun: effective vs multiple layers of paint, not so effective in the stain, very time consuming.

 

Chemical stripper: effective on the stain, but leaves a weird residue afterwords, won't wash off with mineral spirits or stain prep liquids, i suspect i have some "milk paint" and that is the problem.

 

Sandblaster: works GREAT... when the walnut isn't clogging the blaster. to aleviate the problem, i went to all 1/2 + sized fittings for the media, but it still clogs. anything bigger won't fit under the tank, so i think i'll be leaving that for resurfacing metals.

 

Sanding: about as effective as the heat gun, but even more time consuming. Also doesn't want to remove the stain (it's really really sticky)

 

any advice? i've heard great things about those infared paint removers, but i can't afford to buy one, and you basically have to buy one to rent one.

 

thanks in advance, guys!

 

- Jared