# Removing paint from an oak desk



## sailorman (Aug 9, 2010)

I just inherited my Dad's 100 or so year old oak rolltop desk. In the 40s or 50s, the desk was painted by his boss, who was trying to get him to quit (long story). When my Dad retired in the 70s, the desk was placed in our basement. At some point my parents stripped the paint from the upper part of the desk (the tambor was not painted). It appears that it was done without removing the original finish. I have no idea what they used to remove the paint, but it was very effective, the only trace of paint is in scratches that pierced the original finish.

Any suggestions on removing a coat of probably oil based paint without removing the finish? Any guess as to what a turn of the century oak rolltop desk would be finished with? I'd rather not strip that original finish off if possible.

Thanks for any advice.


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

sailorman said:


> I just inherited my Dad's 100 or so year old oak rolltop desk. In the 40s or 50s, the desk was painted by his boss, who was trying to get him to quit (long story). When my Dad retired in the 70s, the desk was placed in our basement. At some point my parents stripped the paint from the upper part of the desk (the tambor was not painted). It appears that it was done without removing the paint. I have no idea what they used to remove the paint, but it was very effective, the only trace of paint is in scratches that pierced the original finish.
> 
> Any suggestions on removing a coat of probably oil based paint without removing the finish? Any guess as to what a turn of the century oak rolltop desk would be finished with? I'd rather not strip that original finish off if possible.
> 
> Thanks for any advice.


You can't remove the paint without removing all of the finish. A painted piece of furniture is much harder to strip for a stain finish. You must chemically remove all the paint before sanding or there will be some left that will show with the stain. It might be necessary to strip it more than one time to achieve this. Working areas about 3' square at a time brush a liberal coat of a semi-paste remover such as Kleen Strip and let soak keeping it wet with the remover for about 30 minutes. Then scrape off as much of the paint as you can with a broad knife and brush another coat of remover on. Then let that sit for about 10 minutes and go over it with a brass stripping brush with the grain trying to get the paint out of the grain and crevasses and scrape that off. Then as soon as possible rinse the furniture off with a power washer that is under 1500 psi or one that can be adjusted. Washing the residue off with rags and lacquer thinner won't do the job. It takes the power washer to get the paint out of the wood. It doesn't hurt the furniture and gets it cleaner than you ever could any other way. If you don't want to use a power washer or don't have one I would suggest having it professionally stripped. You won't like the outcome otherwise unless you want to finish the desk with a pickle finish (white washed). 

Once the finish is stripped and dried overnight the desk can be sanded and finished as new wood.


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## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

With a desk of that vintage I would take more care with stripping. I would use an MC (methylene chloride) based stripper and after most all of the old finish is scraped off, clean with lacquer thinner and rags.

I would not use or recommend a power water washer. There would be caveats with that method. I wouldn't use a power washer, even at low pressure. It has to be used outside. It will displace toxic chemical all over the place...on the grass, concrete, or asphalt. It can kill foliage. It will spritz chemical on yourself, and it can burn through the skin. If it gets into your eyes you could be blinded. 

It can dislodge previous repair work, loosen joints and dislodge veneer if present. It will pressure force water into the pores of the wood, changing the moisture content. That could cause expansion of the wood and joints, and when the wood finally dries out, could crack. It also will raise the grain. What's interesting is that the one suggesting using a power washer doesn't use waterbase finishes because it may raise the grain.


















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## Balfour Refinishing (Jul 20, 2014)

Speaking as a professional refinisher I would refinish the desk like Steve Neul outlined including the power washer. The power washer is the only hope you have of getting the paint completely off. It doesn't hurt the furniture, grass or anything else. It's what the professional paint stripping shop will use if you choose to have it done. 

It's best to strip furniture outside anyway. The methylene chloride which is the main ingredient is a carcinogen so is not good to breathe the fumes.


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## pokerlizard (Sep 26, 2011)

I'm surprised no one on here has mentioned Soy Gel stripper. The stuff is amazing. I've used it numerous times to strip old paint and old finishes off antiques. The real advantage is that's it's completely non-toxic and cleans up with plain old water. I've cleaned it off on my lawn with no ill effects. You don't even have to wear gloves. Google it. I get mine off amazon. It's not cheap, but then again I don't have to suit up, use a ton of rags and thinner, wear a mask, etc. To me, that alone is worth the price. Just my 2 cents.


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## RandyReed (Jul 30, 2014)

Yes, you can power wash the piece as Balfour and Steve suggested. It will not hurt it. 

I don't see anyway around not going through the original finish. I would do as Steve suggested and strip it all the way down and refinish. Even when you think your down to the bare wood, take either MEK or Acetone and wipe it down good making sure you have all the finish off. It will show up if you don't get it all off. 

Soy gel is a "green" product which means it's safe for the environment. I've never used it, but in this case I don't think it much matters how you do it, it will have to be refinished.


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## mikeswoods (May 18, 2009)

You guys are scaring me---red oak turns gray when water reaches it---I have caused damage using water based strippers---

In my world,water never touches oak----I only speak from my own limited experience---Mike---


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

mikeswoods said:


> You guys are scaring me---red oak turns gray when water reaches it---I have caused damage using water based strippers---
> 
> In my world,water never touches oak----I only speak from my own limited experience---Mike---


Yes water darkens red oak a little however the single brief exposure rinsing the stripper off grays the wood so slight the gray comes off with the normal sanding you would do anyway. In the situation of the desk it is critical to get all the paint off and the power washer is the only method of doing that. To rinse it off with lacquer thinner or other solvent would leave paint in the grain as well as leaving the wood stained with the paint pigment.


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## EastEndWS (Aug 6, 2014)

the one priviso I'd say in using a power wash would be if the desk had any veneers that might be loose. otherwise most MC based removers are designed to be water rinsable and have surfactants the inhibit water penetration.
you can, of course, strip the piece and then follow with a lacquer thinner scrub, which should give you the result you want.


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

EastEndWS said:


> the one priviso I'd say in using a power wash would be if the desk had any veneers that might be loose. otherwise most MC based removers are designed to be water rinsable and have surfactants the inhibit water penetration.
> you can, of course, strip the piece and then follow with a lacquer thinner scrub, which should give you the result you want.


If there is any reason to believe there is loose veneer it should be glued down prior to stripping. On veneered pieces I normally tap my finger nails around on the veneer to see if there is any that is loose prior to stripping. Regardless if you wash the residue off with water or lacquer thinner veneer will wrinkle from the remover. Either way it's more difficult to repair the veneer afterwards but doable.


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## sailorman (Aug 9, 2010)

Thanks for all the replies and advice, really appreciated. Must admit, I'd have never dreamed of using my pressure washer on it.! 

I happen to have one of the drawers home (rest is in a storage locker at the moment), so I decided to strip the front to see what I was up against. I had some orange Citrus Stripper on hand, so used it. 95% of the paint and finish came off easily, the next 4% with stiff brushes and a brass bristle brush. Rinsed it off with the hose since my power washer is at the shore house. Once dry, the results were pretty good. However, it became obvious that the desk has some significant wear and tear. It spent close to 100 years in daily use in the local post office where my Dad worked from age 15. The attached pics show what I mean. In the pic of the desk with the top removed, you can see the paint and where it's worn through by a chair. The stripped drawer front shows chips that will need to be stabilized before finishing. So I don't think I'm really shooting for a perfect refinishing job, and small amounts of paint in deep grain really won't be important, since it has other damage already. Will have to see as I tackle the rest, starting this afternoon.

I do recall seeing some rippled veneer along the bottom of one of the drawer units. I searched the site but didn't see anything addressing that. Any advice on how to correct that? Lacking any experience, I'd assume I'd want to wet it, inject some veneer glue into the voids, then clamp it flat and let it dry????

Hopefully have some more pics later today. Thanks again.


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

You never know what you are going to get when you strip painted furniture. I normally give my customers a price for stripping and a ballpark price for the finishing part. Often the furniture was painted because there was something ugly to cover up. 

If the rippled veneer is close to the edge that is an easy fix. Take something thin like an artist spatula and run wood glue under the veneer until you think you have glue on all of it and clamp it. I normally protect the wood by putting package sealing tape on a scrap board and turn the tape side down against the drawer front so the block of wood doesn't stick to the drawer.


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## sailorman (Aug 9, 2010)

Unfortunately, now that I have it home in the shop, I find the veneer damage much more extensive than I thought. I was so intent on figuring out how to take it apart and get it out of my father's basement, that I didn't pay much attention to condition. I believe that 40 years in my Dad's damp basement was more than the veneer could stand. There is extensive chipping, the pic is of the least damaged edge, the other side has damage 3-4 inches up the lower edge, with much missing. The lower back panel is intact, but almost completely delaminated. While I know you said to repair the veneer before stripping, I think I'm going to have to strip it first to see if I can repair what's there, or just re-veneer those panels, and couldn't match grain with the paint on it. Strangely enough, the veneered panels are built up solid wood panels, there is no plywood anywhere (maybe drawer bottoms). I've done a small amount of veneering, but never attempted a repair. I found a label, it's a Standard Furniture Co. Herkimer NY desk, haven't found the date yet.


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

sailorman said:


> Unfortunately, now that I have it home in the shop, I find the veneer damage much more extensive than I thought. I was so intent on figuring out how to take it apart and get it out of my father's basement, that I didn't pay much attention to condition. I believe that 40 years in my Dad's damp basement was more than the veneer could stand. There is extensive chipping, the pic is of the least damaged edge, the other side has damage 3-4 inches up the lower edge, with much missing. The lower back panel is intact, but almost completely delaminated. While I know you said to repair the veneer before stripping, I think I'm going to have to strip it first to see if I can repair what's there, or just re-veneer those panels, and couldn't match grain with the paint on it. Strangely enough, the veneered panels are built up solid wood panels, there is no plywood anywhere (maybe drawer bottoms). I've done a small amount of veneering, but never attempted a repair. I found a label, it's a Standard Furniture Co. Herkimer NY desk, haven't found the date yet.


I can't see where the chipped places are on the desk. Perhaps you could make some thin molding to cover it. Reglue as many of the pieces as you can find. It doesn't completely go away but you can putty a spot like that and in the finish process draw the grain back on with graining pens which make the spots a lot less noticable. 

You can go ahead and strip the piece with the loose veneer but it may make it more difficult to glue down afterwards. Just don't use a power washer then. The veneer will wrinkle up more and you run the risk of getting debris under the veneer which would make a lump. After you get it stripped if you have large areas which the veneer is loose you can take a utility knife and make a cut in the center of a bubble so you can work glue behind it. Then take a hot iron (like you iron clothes with) and iron the bubble down. The heat from the iron will accellerate the drying time on the glue to where you don't have to clamp it. 

If at all possible I would try to strip around the furniture label so you can retain that.


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## sailorman (Aug 9, 2010)

Thanks Steve. Your suggestion of 'a piece of moulding' just might do it. I ran across a 1906 Standard Furniture Co. catalog online. The attached page shows a very similar desk, Model 725, but it has a piece of horizontal trim along the bottom (and top) of the side panels of the drawer units. My desk does not have that, hence the problem with the chipped veneer. I have some quarter sawn oak in the shop so I think I'll resaw and plane it to the correct thickness and add those pieces of trim as in the catalog. The specs also state the top is plywood, where mine is glued up panels; I wonder if mine is an earlier model? In any event, I think that added trim would correct my problem. I'm not really 'restoring' the desk, just refinishing it as a family heirloom, so changing it doesn't really concern me.

Thanks for your advice and pointing me in the right direction.


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

You never know, perhaps the desk originally had the trim. Still it would make an acceptable repair to cover up the missing veneer. Only an historian of the company might frown on it.


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## sailorman (Aug 9, 2010)

I have most of the stripping done and am getting ready to repair veneer and make/apply trim. A couple questions:

From what I've read, furniture from that period is most likely white oak, and probably had a grain filler. I've never used grain filler, as I prefer the grain to show through, however in this case, I think it might be a good idea as it will cover some of the paint that's trapped in wood pores. Any advise on fillers and should I fill things like the drawer pulls, which have rounded ends and much exposed wood pores?

Since I'll be adding veneer and trim with new wood, it's unlikely to match the 100 year old original wood. I was considering using a gel stain to hide some of the color differences. I've used it before on projects using poplar with good results, so I'm familiar with it.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

From what I can see from the pictures the desk is made out of white oak. 

I never use grain fillers on oak but if you wish to use one that is pretty simple. It's like a watered down wood putty you brush or spray on. After a minute or two the stuff thickens to a paste and you use a squeegy like you clean the windshild of you car with to rake it off. It ends up filling the pores of the wood so you don't see the texture of the wood so much. Places you can't get the squeegy into you can wipe the excess off with a rag rubbing it in a circular motion. You have to try to get almost all of it off the surface as it takes a lot of sanding to get the residue off once it has dried. It needs sanding anyway once it's dried but the stuff is harder to sand than wood putty. I normally use this grain filler. http://www.mohawk-finishing.com/catalog_browse.asp?ictNbr=105 If you manage to let the filler dry too long use a solvent to soften it so you can get the excess off. It will ruin the filling process but once the solvent has dried the grain filler can be used again. 

If you can't get white oak you could use red oak sapwood and get a pretty good match once stained. If you are shooting for a clear finish without stain you will probably have to use a little stain on the new wood.


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## sailorman (Aug 9, 2010)

I'm moving along with veneer repair. Next step is to repair some of the worst of the wear on the legs. There are deep gouges where the chair casters and seat hit the legs. Especially deep are the gouges from the casters (see pics). The legs are veneered. My plan is to fill the gouges and reveneer the front and sides of all 4 front legs.

My question is this; I'd assume it's ok to fill small dings with wood filler. But as can be seen in the pictures, the chair gouges are quite deep, about a 1/4 of an inch from the casters. I'd assume that's too deep for wood filler. I planned to use a router with a 45 degree bit to level the gouges, glue scrap in there and plane flat. Then veneer over it.

Any advice on filling these deep gouges???


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## RandyReed (Jul 30, 2014)

sailorman said:


> I'm moving along with veneer repair. Next step is to repair some of the worst of the wear on the legs. There are deep gouges where the chair casters and seat hit the legs. Especially deep are the gouges from the casters (see pics). The legs are veneered. My plan is to fill the gouges and reveneer the front and sides of all 4 front legs.
> 
> My question is this; I'd assume it's ok to fill small dings with wood filler. But as can be seen in the pictures, the chair gouges are quite deep, about a 1/4 of an inch from the casters. I'd assume that's too deep for wood filler. I planned to use a router with a 45 degree bit to level the gouges, glue scrap in there and plane flat. Then veneer over it.
> 
> Any advice on filling these deep gouges???


Epoxy all the way....scuff sand the area, apply the epoxy, sand smooth, veneer right over top. A hardened epoxy fill can be shaped, sculpted or molded like wood to resemble its original outline.


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## sailorman (Aug 9, 2010)

RandyReed said:


> Epoxy all the way....scuff sand the area, apply the epoxy, sand smooth, veneer right over top. A hardened epoxy fill can be shaped, sculpted or molded like wood to resemble its original outline.


Thanks Randy. Can you point me to a specific product? I've never used epoxy filler on wood, though I've used it often on my fiberglass boat. I'd assume it's a different, wood specific product?


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## RandyReed (Jul 30, 2014)

sailorman said:


> Thanks Randy. Can you point me to a specific product? I've never used epoxy filler on wood, though I've used it often on my fiberglass boat. I'd assume it's a different, wood specific product?


 
I personally like "LiquidWood & WoodEpox" made by Abatron. I found a tutorial on how to use this product. Maybe this will answer your question.

http://thecraftsmanblog.com/rotted-wood-repair-with-abatron-epoxy/


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

sailorman said:


> I'm moving along with veneer repair. Next step is to repair some of the worst of the wear on the legs. There are deep gouges where the chair casters and seat hit the legs. Especially deep are the gouges from the casters (see pics). The legs are veneered. My plan is to fill the gouges and reveneer the front and sides of all 4 front legs.
> 
> My question is this; I'd assume it's ok to fill small dings with wood filler. But as can be seen in the pictures, the chair gouges are quite deep, about a 1/4 of an inch from the casters. I'd assume that's too deep for wood filler. I planned to use a router with a 45 degree bit to level the gouges, glue scrap in there and plane flat. Then veneer over it.
> 
> Any advice on filling these deep gouges???


I don't believe you will be happy filling the gouges and then veneer over it. The legs have rounded corners and will show the veneer line all the way to the top even if you chamfered the corners. I believe I would just fill them and finish it. There are any number of fillers that could be used. My favorite would be to use a burn-in. That is a hard stick of shellac you melt in with a soldering iron. Another option if you didn't put it on all in one application you could use any wood putty. Another option would be to color some bondo and putty the gouge with that. Once you start the finish with what ever filler you used you can touch up and fine tune the color of the filler and match the light color of the wood. Then after it is sealed draw the wood grain in with a sharpie or a graining pen for the dark part of the wood color. Since the repair is close to the floor someone would have to get down on the knees to see it.


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## sailorman (Aug 9, 2010)

I have most of the repair work completed, and am ready to start refinishing . As you can see in the attached picture, the new trim is much lighter than the older wood, same with the new veneer used to repair the top and some of the lower panels that were beyond repair.

I tested several gel stains inside the drawer units, and they stain much darker than sample pieces of the new oak. I'm assuming that my best bet is to seal everything prior to applying stain? If so, any recommendations for a sealer?

Btw, I decided NOT to attempt to repair the dings in the legs, I cleaned them up with a file and am leaving them as is.


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

If you are going to use a gel stain you can apply a second coat of stain to the new wood if that helps. Another thing you could do it stain the new wood with a dye first before applying the gel stain.


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## sailorman (Aug 9, 2010)

I don't necessarily have to use a gel stain, I've just used it before on difficult to stain wood, like poplar, with good results hiding the color differences of the grain. I tried both gel and liquid stains on test patches and neither provided a good match. I've never tried a dye stain before, will have to give it a try.

What do you think about applying a sealer first, then a gel stain which, as I understand it, sits on the surface more than other stains.?


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

sailorman said:


> I don't necessarily have to use a gel stain, I've just used it before on difficult to stain wood, like poplar, with good results hiding the color differences of the grain. I tried both gel and liquid stains on test patches and neither provided a good match. I've never tried a dye stain before, will have to give it a try.
> 
> What do you think about applying a sealer first, then a gel stain which, as I understand it, sits on the surface more than other stains.?


In this case you don't have difficult wood to stain. White oak is one of the easiest woods to finish. You don't have to worry about it blotching as long as it is reasonable sanded and prepared correctly. The only issue is the new wood which will take the stain different than the old wood. Old wood is much drier and will accept stain much easier than new wood. I wouldn't use a sealer first. Probably your best bet would be to use a foam brush and stain the new wood with a dye or even a oil stain and then use the gel stain on all of it. 

Anyway to answer you question you can put gel stain over a sealer. A gel stain was developed to stain a fiberglass door that has a texture of wood grain in order for it to have the appearance of real wood. 

Personally I don't care for gel stains. They obscure and cover up the natural beauty of the wood. To me it's like thinning enamel paint and brushing it over good wood. I would rather stain the wood with an oil or dye stain and then put a clear finish over it.


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## RandyReed (Jul 30, 2014)

I would definately even up the 2 woods before applying anything else. If not, more than likely, you will have to even it up anyway, better to do it now.

You can take a dye stain......if its red oak take a cherry stain reduced back 1:10 with acetone and spray the lighter areas lightly until you are close to the red oak. If its not red oak, take a walnut brown stain, again reduced with acetone 1:10, and shade up the lighter areas to the oak. Whatever other color you think might put you close to the oak, try it, just remember to reduce it. Pictures are sometimes tricky to go by.

I dont much care for gel stains either. Nothing better than a dye stain followed by a washcoat, and then a wipestain to bring out the grain.


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## sailorman (Aug 9, 2010)

I finally got back to this project after being laid low with a case of shingles (not a lot of fun!).

Per advice from this forum, I used a wood dye to match the new trim to the old wood, worked out great. I wound up using a water based Early American stain and wipe on gel lacquer finish, both General Finishes. Really pleased with the result. 

The lower part of the desk has been refinished, the upper part I'll tackle in the spring, when I can open the shop windows. I got pretty close on the color, but the outer finish is mildew damaged, and the inside compartments have quite a bit of paint still left to be removed.

My Dad used this desk at the Post Office for decades, I'm sure he'd be pleased to see it back to it's former glory again.


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

Looks real good. :thumbsup:


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## RandyReed (Jul 30, 2014)

Looks great!
Im sure you learned a thing or 2 along the way that will translate into your next project! :thumbsup:


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## jurtoio12u (May 1, 2021)

You can easily remove the paint using some simple DIY techniques or so, They are many methods to go through, I usually surf internet for these kind of stuff and find valuable material that leads to DIY techniques and methods like over here How To Use Paint Stripper [5 Easy Steps] - Paint Catalogue


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## Tony B (Jul 30, 2008)

@jurtoio12u 

This thread is 7 years old. 
The way this forum is laid out, I make the same mistake regularly


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## jurtoio12u (May 1, 2021)

Tony B said:


> @jurtoio12u
> 
> This thread is 7 years old.
> The way this forum is laid out, I make the same mistake regularly


Basically, I am new to the forum, accept my apology then


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## Tony B (Jul 30, 2008)

No apology necessary. It happens to me AND others all of the time. At worst, you answered a question to someone that either has already found a solution or is no longer here. 
This happens when you look at the posts and scroll all the way past it and at the bottom is "RECOMMENDED READING". This is old stuff. Just look at the dates.
AND
Enjoy the forum.


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