It depends a lot on the condition of the tote. It the finish is in pretty rough shape, I'll sand it off and then refinish with some BLO. If it just needs a touchup, I have some of those finish touching markers that they sell at Costco that I use. I have some General Finishes rosewood stain that I used to stain a tote that I sanded that was beech or the like.
IF the old finish has just got to go, there is a stripper in a spray can ( Klean Stripper) that will take it down to bare wood. BE CAREFUL with this stuff, it WILL burn you if any spray hits bare skin. Then after it is cleaned off, and the wood is dry, BLO, and let it soak. Come back with a mix of wax/turpentine, apply with oooo steel wool. Buff to a nice shine. Done.
Yeah…pics. If it is Rosewood, I find those pretty easy to sand and remove all existing finish then apply coat of wax. If it is the stained Beech or painted, well…that is a different story. Hard to get the finish off, and a general pain in the neck.
I just stripped the finish off the handle and knob on a plane I just bought (will post something when ready), under all that plastic-y feeling and looking finish there was just beech wood. Sanding it off was a real pain. Started by hand but then went to the spindle sander and the 1 inch belt, and couldn't all the dark parts off. It won't be great but it will look and feel better than before, but to be honest it might have been less pain and better result to just make new ones from nicer wood. Maybe except drilling the hole though the handle…Probably a future project.
Sanding the beech totes is the worst. Seems like the finish soaks in about 1/8". I think making new ones would be easier, but I have never tried…so what do I know?
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