Continuing adventures with varnish remover

Stripping the front presented new challenges, as I had to avoid dripping caustic goo through the f-holes. I was more confident with said goo overall though, and it went faster than the back. I got gloves, too, which sped things up as I could be a little more cavalier. The goo is truly vicious. It burns to the touch (probably useful, as you’re disinclined to leave it on your skin long enough to cause much damage) and I’m pretty sure the fumes from today killed the equivalent in brain cells of a solid two-week bender.

The sides were a trickier job still, the varnish didn’t peel as readily and I ended up having to sand some large patches of it off. I’m not sure if it was applied thicker in the first place, or just not subject to the wear that the top & bottom had been. I haven’t finished the sanding yet, I’ll post photos when the whole fiddle is nude…