What sort of chemical or technique can dissolve hardened polyester resin?

So I work for some people with furniture in the dining room that is veneered, and finished in…drum roll please…good old polyester resin. This is strange to an old house framer such as myself, when you can get stain and varnish in one can, shake the can and slap it on to the damn turd with a disposeable brush, then go surfing (priorities right?). However the painter back in the day figured out you get one hell of a polished like glass finish on exotic custom pieces with this surfboard stuff.

 

Now the problem. At thanksgiving, the buffet pot boiled over, and caused a fissure to open up. The wood veneer and finish split, and separated, while peeling back.

 

The painter has tried every chemical he can find to strip the polyester, and redo the top of the piece. He even sent out of the country for stuff that is 'Ahem' not listed as ok round these parts, and nothing can even touch that beautifull but ruined poly finish.

 

I tried the search function, but did not see a clear result. Can somebody here tell me if there is something that can strip or disolve this stuff?

If there is a thread on this, please just point me towards it.

Thanks guys

 

 

methylene chloride will do the trick.  It is a component in some paint removers.  Nasty stuff, though.  It can soak thruogh some protective gloves.  Try some paint remover gel that has methylene chloride in it.  Sometimes it takes a while. 

 

You are doomed

 

my friend the painter brought me some cause he couldn’t use it.

I seem to think it was too hot to handle.

you want it come get it in cans in 5gallon plastic bucket with lid.

scared to twist open the top…

…ambrose…

otherwise just sand the table and redo…

and use a trivet next time…

mebe the person who put

the hotty potty on the table

has some spare time to

help you sand the table surface.

offer them the job.

toilet training is a bear,a grizzly.

It took a year. 

They templated it and just hogged it out with a router.

Then a masterpiece vennier was cut to match, and fitted.

Fit after fit they threw. Clamping and pounding, grinding and sanding, cussing and crying, it finally dropped in.

It might as well have been a 9 foot Steinway. The piece was never authorized to leave the estate. Every tool and second of work was done onsite. 

they dropped in a an epoxyed veneer to a polyester surround. And blended it under a 5 thousandnths deck finish without sanding. 

Your fingernail needs to be sharp to sense the transition.

If stripping the finish was possible, you bet your arse they would have done it.

The piece was a gift from a master craftsman. Its value cannot be determined, and its restoration was a gift from the same man.

I would not recommend attempting to strip polyester finish.

 

I will fix whatever it is for $300.

Get either a belt sander or a rotary sander and grind it off…  Probably a lot safer…