A couple of things:

1. I bought an experimental piece I could sacrifice, so there is no harm done at all yet. I won't move on to the real thing until I have this figured out.

2. I used to have a sailboat with lots of wood - mast, boom, gunnel, etc. So stripping and re-varnishing was a yearly experience. Naturally, the Z-Spar advice to the actual refinishing rings true to my heart. The idea is to put something on it that expands and contracts with heat/cold.

3. I also used to have a grand piano with a very glossy finish, made in Vienna, Austria, with "B" being the first letter of its make. I heard that the finish this company innovated (and is now widely used) was a particularly gruel finish to re-work, since it is close to composition of nail polish. The funny thing is that this finish, hard and glossy as it is, also cracks the same way, sporadically in a few spots, with long, almost straight lines, or if curved, very clean. So I am beginning to suspect that this is the same material. Wish I knew what it is.

I'll go to Autozone and try the aircraft stripper. I am not sure if it is the varnish that makes the wood look lighter, or if the wood itself bleached. I will post my findings.

Thanks again!

__________________
Henry Bofinger
1989 560 SEL (black/black)
2001 Audi TT Roadster (silver/grey)