Try a palm sander and 80 grit sand paper. that should remove the varnish and the stain leaving a new surface to work with.

I agree with Gary. The sander should work for him. Work with a medium grit paper. Easy does it. He is just removing enough to get down to unstained wood.

Jasco makes a stripper that they say removes “all paint, varnish, lacquer, shellac, polyurethane and most stains.” It says it will not raise the grain on wood.

I bought some at Lowe’s a while back but haven’t tried it yet. I would try it in a small area to test before proceeding if you go that route.

I think the stripper might just take off the varnish. Sanding will remove the patina of the wood too, so if it’s not sanded evenly, the patina can look blotchy. I’d try the chemical stripper, then sanding.

i am trying to remove varnish from wood windows and its not doing so good i am using jasco stripper – there is probably 2 layers of varnish on the window is there a easier way i also have some wood that has darken almost black i used clorox and wood bleach both several times any suggestions

Try this. A orbital sander, 80 grit, to get down to wood. Be careful not to let the sander set in one place for too long. Burn marks will add to sanding time. Then use a combination of stripper, sanding pad, and folded sandpaper to get at the corners and details. Step down in grit to do final sanding. If you are going to refinish with a more tranparent stain remember that all sand marks will show. Use a wood conditioner before stainning.Be consistant throughout project.

None of these comments are helpful. You can’t just sand something down till the stain is gone. It’ll destroy the look of the thing you’re trying to preserve. Better to throw it out than wste your time. The Silent Paint Remover is the best method to remove all top coats. There are 2 part stain removers and wood bleaches that I have read will do the trick. If you find one let me know.