Immediately I, and by "I", I actually mean "Me and the Ol'Dad" (who can pretty much do anything, especially if it pertains to paint) encounter the first problem: the paint stripper only strips the first (and ugliest) layer. The clumpy purple mess wipes off to reveal white paint that has seeped into the wood, some interesting gold braid designs, and water stains of various sizes and shapes. Lovely.

Next weapon in my arsenal: steel wool. By now I have realized what I have gotten myself in to. And that is a whole lot of work. The steel wool is fairly effective, but essentially leaves the stains more visible. Unless I want to stain it black, I can't leave the wood like this.

Eldest Bro isn't going to like it, but what choice to I have? Bring on the belt sander!