Old internal doors paint stripping

Hi I have just picked up your question on the site, don't know if you have found an answer yet but thought I would share what I know anyway and possibly debunk some myths about stripping doors. There are still firms who will collect your doors and remove the paint but this depends on where you live and they are getting harder to find since stripped pine furniture has become less fashionable. Searching the internet for paint removal is a good start or try some local antique restorers. The process involves dipping the doors in a tank of caustic soda (a strong alkaline solution not! acid as is often thought) then using high pressure water spray to remove the paint residue. The best method is to use a heated tank of caustic and hot water sprays, several short dips in the tank are better than 1 long dip (less likely to attack the glue in the joints or warp the door panels this way) I would ask the firm if they use a hot tank and spray before going ahead, also be aware that some modern paints cannot be removed so it is a good idea to check with the firm. This can give very good results but you will still need to do a lot of finishing to make the doors look there best, they will need sanding to 180 grit finish and sealing with varnish/sanding sealer also removing the paint can reveal old handle and hook holes which will need patching with wood/filler before finishing. You can attempt to strip the doors on site but it is time consuming and can be messy, best method I have found is to remove the moldings and strip separately in an improvised tank then remove the bulk of paint with a hot air gun (electric not gas flame to lessen risk of scorching) then scrub the door with caustic soda to remove residues finally wash door down with water and vinegar solution and let dry before finishing. As you can see neither method is a cheap alternative and ends up as expensive as replacing the doors with good quality reproduction doors but in my view it is the best way to finish old pine doors and gives lovely character to the doors( this method only works on pine doors not hardwood, when a different method should be used.) Sorry to go into so much detail but I thought it may be of use to explain is involved. Hope this helps Gavin