I had off from work, it was a rainy day, I made some progress on the latest project wheel.
I mentioned in a previous post that the finish had turn into alligator skin. This is what the bench looks like after a washing with Murphy’s Oil Soap:
Lovely, huh? Let’s see a close-up of that:
Fortunately, it does come off. The amount of scrubbing is worth it, because there is lovely wood underneath. Here is the mother-of-all and flyer assembly relaxing after a rub-down with boiled linseed oil:
Can’t wait to get the whole thing looking like this!
The Wool Merchant's Daughter 
You shouldn’t have to scrub that finish hard to remove it. It’s probably shellac which removes with alcohol, or it might be lacquer which comes off with lacquer thinner. Or you could use a finish remover (methylene chloride) and then scrub it with a vegetable brush and lacquer thinner. Either way, be sure to use a lot of product. Thank you for all your pictures. I refinish furniture and someone gave me an old spinning wheel in box, so I’m trying to put it back together.
David, thanks for dropping in! Don’t know if you saw a later post entitled “See You Later, Alligator,” but you are exactly right in your suggestion — the old shellac came off without too much trouble and lots of denatured alcohol, even revealing the maker’s mark underneath! Thanks for the tips on refinishing. As for putting you wheel together, let me know if I can be of any help. Also, you might want to look up a site called Ravelry.com, make a profile there, and join the Antique Spinning Wheels group. We have a number of nationally known spinning wheel experts who are members, including Carson Cooper. I’m sure the collective advice will help you with your project wheel, plus we all love to gawk at newly discovered wheels! C’mon and join us!