Spindle repair and finishing

[Keith Nordyke]

The attached photos are of a couple of spindles that are from my home. The house was built in 1935 and the spindles and staircase are said to be from an 1850s building. Questions:
1. I think there was a coat of Johnson's paste wax put on many years ago. best way/product to get it off?
2. What finish is this? Is there any way to determine how these were finished? The thin flaking coat seems to be a) very thin and b) yellowing.
3. What is the best way to go about cleaning these up (there are 60 more) and re-finishing? The handrail will also need to be done.
The rail and spindles had to come down so the wood floor could be re-sanded and re-finished. I've got about 2 weeks before I have to get them back up again. Thanks.
Spindle1.jpg

spindle4.jpg

spindle2.jpg

spindle3.jpg

[Henry Ambrose]

I go rambling......

Chemical stripper then sanding the spindles in a lathe. The hand rail gets stripped then sanded by hand with little blocks profiled to match. (my hands ache just from writing that)

Do they/should they match the floor or other trim in the house? Your answer will have a lot to say about how to finish these parts.

Try to determine if the spindles are all one species of wood - if not, going dark/more opaque will help hide that. If you have lots of broken pieces as in your photos you will have repairs to hide. Think about glazes....

If the angled finish nails are how its held together you might want to redesign that feature to something a bit more refined.

When its time for the new finish I'd hang all the spindles by eyehooks and wires and spray them. Handrail the same, then assemble and touch up. Use a finish that you can patch and freshen up in place.

[Keith Nordyke]

I am fairly sure that the spindles and handrail are all the same wood. The two that you see are the worst (which is why I have them on the bench) and I need to repair a few small splits. Any idea as to what the original finish might have been?

[Tony Bilello]

Take them to a local refinishing shop. They can strip them fairly inexpendsively. It will save you a lot of money on stripper and also a lot of time. What would take you days, a commercial refinishing shop can do in minutes.

[Henry Ambrose]

I am fairly sure that the spindles and handrail are all the same wood. The two that you see are the worst (which is why I have them on the bench) and I need to repair a few small splits. Any idea as to what the original finish might have been?

No idea what finish(s) is on there now. I think you're seeing the result of multiple finishes applied over the years. I'm not sure it matters what is there now as long as you can get it off.