Recently, in filling out a dental form for her son, Pat Kohn confronted a blank with the question ‘ “Mother’s Occupation”. She promptly filled in “STRIPPER” and moved on. Pat and I have since formed a Stripper’s Union, feeling this is a craft in need of a strong organization. Because the Skinker DeBaliviere neighborhood is full of strippers and hopeful strippers, Pat Kohn and I have appointed ourselves the Education Committee of the Union Our salaries, of course, will be paid by the “Voluntary Fund”, to be established with the arrival of our first dues-paying member. “The Paper,” a public service, has agreed to print excerpts from our Union’s first education pamphlet, “Notes of a Happy Stripper,” in monthly installments.
The first, and simplest, stripping job to be mastered by an apprentice stripper is stripping old varnish and varnishstain. The temptation for novice strippers is to proceed too quickly, without caution. This may produce a flashy, fiery show initially, but the end result is disasterous. Instead, our Education Committee recommends using “KwikStrip” which can be purchased from Finishing Products on Macklind Ave. for $17.50 per 5 gallons. Follow the directions to the letter because this product is highly flammable. It is recommended that a fire extinguisher be at hand at all times. Apply with a brush several times in a rubbing motion, and then, after about five minutes remove with medium grade steel wool, again rubbing where necessary. When working around any electrical outlets, turn the electricity off, as contact with steel wool may cause a spark, igniting the whole room. Finally, wipe all residue off with a soft rag and later clean with acetone before applying the finish. In any stripping operation, stain may be removed by constant application of stripper and rubbing with steel wool. Again, a note from a wisened, aging stripper … beware of fire! Both acetone and KwikStrip are flammable and burn explosively.
Next month we will be dealing with paint stripping — a process which, when perfected, qualifies one as a Master Stripper and full, card-carrying membership in the Union.
Originally published in The Paper, April 1975.
Read this article in the original newspaper issue.
Original source: SD_Times1975_04.pdf, printed page(s) 2; PDF page(s) 2.
