Of course I'd heard of Dundee, now the home of the local Cabela's, but never of the Dundee Furniture Co.

The furniture was made by the Dundee Furniture Company. In the late 70's I had a bedroom set that came out of an estate sale. Just a suggestion here but you may have an unrealized gem. Then you can buff it out with a Scotchbrite pad and apply the finish of your choice. This will leave a clean layer of the original finish, to act as a sanding sealer, over the wood. If you are happy with the color, and have a lacquer or shellac finish, I would recommend using the appropriate solvent to remove only the top layers of finish. After which you must lightly hand sand, prior to finishing. If you want to lighten the piece (after you see the true color from cleaning and all of the finish is off), you must use wood bleach, which will raise the grain. If you want a total removal of finish they are the way to go, however, they will not remove stains used to darken the wood. I have found the citrus products (Critistrip) to work well for most removals of varnish they also will work for shellac and lacquer. This does not preclude someone varnishing the piece at some point. If the piece is from before 1900, or a Gustave Stickly piece, shellac would be the finish. Most early 20th century factory pieces were finished with lacquer. If the finish does not lift, its varnish, and you must use a stripper to get the finish off. Next try some lacquer thinner, if the finish lifts, its lacquer. Rub alcohol (Denatured, or 100 Proof Vodka) see if the finish lifts its shellac.

Next, in an inconspicuous spot test for the type of finish used. Note: mineral spirits are safer for home use. To clean the piece use either mineral spirits, or VM&P Naphtha. This will give you an idea of what the piece should look like after finish removal & refinish. The first step, even before you attempt to remove the finish, is to completely clean the piece of all wax and imbedded dirt. However, before breaking out the stripper, do some work to see if it will do what you want. I agree with Dennis, don?t under any circumstances power sand this piece. Long time lurker, just had to come in on this one. The nice thing is you can go at it a few hours here and there and not be too concerned about it setting for long lengths of time. Be prepared to spend some time getting the old finishes off, replacing a few pieces, maybe reglueing some parts (or rebuilding), sanding and prepping for new finishes. I'd tell you to go for it since it was your grandfathers, and the resting place is in your son'e room. It's a super means to an end for some antique or emotional pieces. I haven't had to do any major work with it yet, to compare to the BIX, so take that into consideration. I recently picked up a citrus based natural stripper that works just as well, smells nice, and is easy cleanup and safe for the little guys. With that said, I have had tremendous success with BIX stripper, which is chemical. The other thing I would caution you to is doing any chemical stripping with Carter at home. If you have any hope of saving it, and potentially uncovering a gem keep all mechanical tools away.

Bix stripper