2-7-2013 I am watching my favorite show on TV, "Rehab Addict" Nicole Curtis is great but I would not encourage the stripping of furniture or in her case a mantel in the basement as the flammable fumes from strippers can be ignited by the furnace pilot light or hot water heater pilot light. Most instructions on stripper cans will tell you this as it is most dangerous. Also, wearing a dust mask does little to protect you from the stripping chemical vapors. A respirator with an Organic vapor cartridge is more appropriate. When in doubt check the instructions on the respirator packaging to see if it is appropriate for a chemical exposure. Again, a plain dust mask provides no protection from chemical vapors.

not all strippers are flammable; in fact few are. in the past I have recognized Savogram and 3M product packaging on the show. mostly Savogram stuff is methylene chloride, which needs to be used outside in good ventilation. 3M's "Safest Stripper" product is basically orange oil type stuff, low danger.

there are also effective soy based strippers.

one place you have to be really really careful to avoid multiple disasters is anything of the Formby's type solvent category. if it's in the "use 0000 steel wool" and "retains old patina" category, it's a witches' brew of solvent strippers. used inside, it's a tossup... will it explode first, or will you pass out from the liver-killing fumes first?

even eats through nitrile gloves, that stuff. worth noting that Homer Formby died of liver cancer in the late 50s. you MUST take precautions with that stuff. works well for its purpose, but it has a low threshold for harm.

This is pretty good stuff!

http://www.dumondchemicals.com/pro-peel-away-7.html

I threw out all the orange C r a P, it is so safe as to be ineffective, unless you have a year to remove any paint, and you may as well sand it off.

Conrad, I checked out the Peel Away product link; info on the website states it doesn't have methylene chloride, caustic or highly flammable solvents and that the formula is nontoxic.

I wasn't able to figure out what the paint removal mechanism/ingredients are. Do you know? I'm curious as I've been thinking about stripping some furniture but have been reluctant because I don't want to use toxic chemicals, either indoors or outdoors.

The website also states that Peel Away can remove most lead-based paints. That raises a question in my mind as to whether it's even advisable to remove lead paints this way, or are they best left untouched?

Peel a way, actually dissolves and sort of encapsulates the lead paint (in a rubbery like membrane), so one peels/strips it off in pieces after it has time to work. It stays pliable and sticky so there are no airborne lead dust particles, and one can easily dispose of these safely. The number 7 is great for rough surfaces including masonry as it grips into the grooves and pulls it out. They have different formulas for different applications.

If you check their website, there is more information and you can call or email specific questions. I think it is a great company.

Conrad, thanks for the info. I will check into this further but it's comforting to know that the lead isn't exposed when the paint is stripped.

Seems like this would also be a good choice for walls, just to strip off the ragged edges of lead based paint instead of scraping it off.

Yes, The lead is not such an issue if it is not in a dust form (sanded), and just encapsulated as a damp solid.