re-finishing a bowl

[crokett™]

I have a bowl I turned a few years ago, cherry if that makes a difference.  I finished it with lacquer, and admittedly didn't do all that good a job.  It's a bit blotchy and uneven.  It sat packed up for two+ years.  I sorted out my turning stuff a few weeks ago and uncovered it.  Since it's a finished turning it would be tough to remount on the lathe.  I'd have to do something like a glued block to the bottom in my chuck, then the cole jaws to turn the  glue block off.  I'm wondering if buffing it would help even out the finish. 

My other option would be power sand with a drill mounted chuck i as-is and use a food-safe oil.

[MichaelMouse]

I have a bowl I turned a few years ago, cherry if that makes a difference.  I finished it with lacquer, and admittedly didn't do all that good a job.  It's a bit blotchy and uneven.  It sat packed up for two+ years.  I sorted out my turning stuff a few weeks ago and uncovered it.  Since it's a finished turning it would be tough to remount on the lathe.  I'd have to do something like a glued block to the bottom in my chuck, then the cole jaws to turn the  glue block off.  I'm wondering if buffing it would help even out the finish. 

My other option would be power sand with a drill mounted chuck i as-is and use a food-safe oil.

Do you have enough thickness to re-turn?  If so, and you have cole jaws that fit, entirely possible to glue up between centers, using tail as a clamp, then turn both bowl (it will have ovalled) and tenon, reversing to do interior ditto. 

You have tried some lacquer thinner to rub off the bulk of the old finish?  Might be all you need.  MEK is the big gun, if you care.  Then go with soft-back power sanding, followed by the normal along the grain by hand.

[crokett™]

there's not enough thickness for me to turn it again. if it's ovaled at all there's not enough to make it round. If it has gone oval, it's not noticeable to me. so I'm thinking now of a block glued to the bottom to power sand off what's there, then the cole jaws to turn the block off. I have not tried laquer thinner. Not sure why that didn't occur to me.

[badwhiskey]

I would never be able to remount a bowl well enough to turn it. Try lacquer thinner.

[MichaelMouse]

I would never be able to remount a bowl well enough to turn it. Try lacquer thinner.

Aaaah one advantage of the mortise hold.  I've done a few, and they do end up thin(ner), but no problems centering!

[crokett™]

if I remounted it on the lathe it would mean gluing on a block to form a tenon on the bottom. I may have to do that to sand he old finish off. I'm not looking to reshape it, just remove the old finish.

[Dusty Workshop]

Did you try the lacquer thinner?

[crokett™]

Not yet. Like many things I thought I had, I can't find it. I'll have to get more, and of course when I do the can I can't find will turn up.

[Dusty Workshop]

Some years ago I refinished an antique mahogany dresser that my grandmother had {gasp} painted white.
We had the dresser dipped by a furniture company. The process removed just about all of the paint from the open grained mahogany.
Maybe you could get the bowl dipped for a nominal fee.
Just a thought....

[crokett™]

I'll figure it out. It's not a project I need to complete any time soon. It sat like this for 2+ years, a few more weeks or months won't matter much.