I Wish I Had A Blow Torch!
By Janey1966
@Janey1966 (24170)
Carlisle, England
February 26, 2013 10:47am CST
Blow torches were a common sight in homes across the country way back in the 1970s. They were - generally - used to burn off layers of paint and varnish from wood. My Dad used one on his interior doors. Made a mess but they did the job although you had to know what you were doing.
Fast forward 40 years or so and I'm having to rely on elbow grease and sandpaper to get rid of paint/varnish on the smaller dressing-table.
What you see in the photograph is the result of an HOUR of scrubbing!
A blow torch would've done the job in oh, I dunno, about 5 minutes!
Why paint over varnished wood anyway? It's the ultimate in laziness if you ask me. It's now going to take me more 'man' hours to get rid of it all thanks to their incompetence..so thanks for that!
Fast forward 40 years or so and I'm having to rely on elbow grease and sandpaper to get rid of paint/varnish on the smaller dressing-table.
What you see in the photograph is the result of an HOUR of scrubbing!
A blow torch would've done the job in oh, I dunno, about 5 minutes!
Why paint over varnished wood anyway? It's the ultimate in laziness if you ask me. It's now going to take me more 'man' hours to get rid of it all thanks to their incompetence..so thanks for that!4 people like this
10 responses
@KrauseHome (36445)
• United States
26 Feb 13
Well, if you notice their are times this is becoming the big thing now. People actually paint over stuff here and then sell it as shabby chic, etc. It does make you wonder because if you ever want to restore it to what it used to look like. You have checked around, and no one can offer you an easier better solution?
1 person likes this
@Janey1966 (24170)
• Carlisle, England
27 Feb 13
Well, me being me I won't give up and I shall persevere with the sanding. If that doesn't work to my satisfaction we may have to turn to the FIL as he has a sanding machine. I don't really want either me or him to use it though as they're really noisy and messy. With sandpaper I have an element of control with it..and I don't want my FIL knowing my business either, especially since he and his Mrs visited Mum's home Town last week but didn't bother to call round.
@Janey1966 (24170)
• Carlisle, England
27 Feb 13
Blow torches were a common sight down our street. In fact, you could smell people decorating in those days!
1 person likes this
@wolfie34 (26770)
• United Kingdom
26 Feb 13
Oh I remember those blow torches, you had to wear a mask didn't you when using it. Can you not get them now or are they deemed as not being under the health and safety guidelines any more? So many things we have used efficiently in the past and now you can't buy them because they've brought in all these rules, the nanny state as we like to call it. And of course the sue culture, sorry I digress... Happy scrubbing ;o)
@Janey1966 (24170)
• Carlisle, England
27 Feb 13
I don't remember Dad wearing a mask but then again it WAS the 70s lol. No-one did, probably not even at Sellafield!
An electrician friend of ours has been doing that job for years and has had to go on 're-training' which is down to new EU regulations that have been brought in, similar to the gas people.
The most ridiculous thing the EU have come up with is to construct a scaffolding platform in order to change a light bulb..if it's high up, like in our house.
I mean, how ridiculous is that? Fortunately, Sludge is on the verge of retiring but I do feel sorry for those that have about 10 years to go.
@BarBaraPrz (50617)
• St. Catharines, Ontario
26 Feb 13
There are electric paint strippers these days. Basically, they're high-heat hair blowers.
I've used a torch to strip paint, and if you're not careful, you can set whatever you're stripping on fire. But, yeah, it's a lot faster than using chemical stripper.
@BarBaraPrz (50617)
• St. Catharines, Ontario
26 Feb 13
If you really want a torch, though, just go to your local ironmongers and get one!
@BarBaraPrz (50617)
• St. Catharines, Ontario
27 Feb 13
I'm not familiar with B&Q, but they should have it. All it is is a nozzle that attaches to a small propane tank.
@Janey1966 (24170)
• Carlisle, England
27 Feb 13
We don't have an ironmongers. They went long ago when B&Q came along, putting all the family-run shops out of business.
Nice, eh?
1 person likes this
@Janey1966 (24170)
• Carlisle, England
27 Feb 13
It's amazing what went on in the 1970s. Accidents were rife..falling off dodgy wooden ladders, not wearing goggles to protect the eyes..and that was just in the home. Just imagine what it was like in the building trade. Nowadays it's gone more the other way..like electricians having to construct a scaffolding platform to change a light bulb if it's high up.
That's the EU for you!
That's the EU for you!
@bounce58 (17380)
• Canada
28 Feb 13
Would you even have 'man' hours in you?! As opposed to woman-hours?
It must have been a safety-thing that made the blow torch uncommon. But if it wasn't deemed un-safe, I could certainly think of a lot of uses for a blow torch. A lot of it may juvenile, but it could also be classified as 'fun'.
It must have been a safety-thing that made the blow torch uncommon. But if it wasn't deemed un-safe, I could certainly think of a lot of uses for a blow torch. A lot of it may juvenile, but it could also be classified as 'fun'.@Janey1966 (24170)
• Carlisle, England
28 Feb 13
Haha! Certain people could do with some 'blow torching' lol.
@scarlet_woman (23463)
• United States
27 Feb 13
get a good stripper chemical.should clear everything off.
you want lazy-i've discovered the doorways in my house are mahogany..i could kill my great grandpa for painting over them.who on earth paints mahogany!?
@Janey1966 (24170)
• Carlisle, England
27 Feb 13
Oh my, mahogany..one of the best woods there is..but you don't need me to tell you that.
@Archie0 (5659)
•
26 Feb 13
Blowtorches? trust me i never heard of them in use this way. But yes we use blow torch in our kitchen to glaze the pudding or chicken sometimes, to give the last minute touch up to foods, but these blowtorches are specially meant for glazing caramel puddings etc. For me the work you wanna get completed i would prefer sand paper
@Janey1966 (24170)
• Carlisle, England
27 Feb 13
I think the blowtorch my Dad was using was more..er..industrial than one used in cooking.
@changjiangzhibin89 (17059)
• China
27 Feb 13
I haven't known of blow torch.Sounds like it was a handy gadget for moving paint or varnish,why has It gone out of use ?
@Janey1966 (24170)
• Carlisle, England
27 Feb 13
Because of Health & Safety, I should think..plus the fact they're very dangerous if not used properly.
@Mavic123456 (21891)
• Thailand
27 Feb 13
LOL. the blow torch I thought is the one used to caramelized the sugar in ham or cake or whatever for slight burning on the surface of the food.
yes, varnish is better in wood. Personally I like to see the texture of the wood like the rings or crease marks.
@Janey1966 (24170)
• Carlisle, England
27 Feb 13
I do too! I clear varnished the pine hand rail up the stairs 3 times in total, following the instructions to the letter and it doesn't look any different..just a slight sheen on it, nothing more. In actual fact, I quite like it as it's more natural that way.
