Hello Galoots;

Been a long time since posting but here goes. In 1990 I made a red oak
coffee table and two matching end tables. It was early on in my woodworking
so I was convinced by my local lumber yard to use oak plywood for the top
banded by 3/4 inch red oak...so I did. I finished the project with a
lighter oak color, say Golden Oak or something to this effect. The finish
was Watco Danish oil. Decades later, i.e., now, I decided to change the
tops and made those of red oak boards as I am no longer a plywood furniture
kinda guy. SWMBO likes darker colors like cherry and walnut so I decided to
buy some Transtint and use Jeff Jewitt's process laid out here for the
Mission Oak finish:

https://homesteadfinishingproducts.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/missi
on_oak_9-2020.pdf">https://homesteadfinishingproducts.com/wp-
content/uploads/2020/09/mission_oak_9-2020.pdf

The test samples on the underside of the new red oak worked the way
anticipated, I didn't however realize the trouble I would have with the
existing legs and aprons. I can't seem to do crap with these parts. I tried
scuff sanding with 180 grit, saw that didn't work. I went down to 60 grit
and am chewing the surface up but still don't seem to be getting bare wood
capable of taking on the dye to any degree. I tried calling Rustoleum
(current owner of Watco) but after 30 minutes on hold I was through with
that. Realistically had someone answered they likely would have been
younger than the table and would give me a canned politically correct
response that would be another dead end such as use Watco's Furniture
Refinisher.

I have some "drinkable" stripper that I tried, 3M Safest Stripper - that
was as useless as you know what on a bull. I read that you can't get
Methylene Chloride any longer but there are enough arguments to the
contrary that I can't really tell. Nonetheless all the info about it scares
the living XXX out of me, even using outside.

Is there anyway to get 30 year old polymerized danish oil out of red oak?
If I can't truly get to a point where I can get a consistent darker mission
oak-like finish on the legs and aprons I may go with a polyshades black or
a few coats of black milk paint with BLO or the General Finishes ArmRSeal
Satin Finish over the top of it all. Not what I wanted since the drawers
are continuous grain with the apron, but that's life I guess. And I'm not
even sure the polyshades will cover...haven't tried that yet

HELP needed in Duluth GA
Scott