Yes agreed, painted stuff is a pain, but it can be a labor of love too. There is something wonderfully rewarding about watching old wood emerge from under layers of paint and knowing that you are seeing something that has been hidden away all those years.
Not too long ago I bought an old ships wheel that had layer upon layer of old marine paint on it. It was horrible. I don't think there is anything much worse than marine paint. It took me weeks of painstaking work with strippers and a heat gun. What made it more difficult was that the old varnish had seeped down into the wood, and the heat gun would bring up gobs of melted goo! But I loved doing it anyway.
The final result, although it looks good, it isn't worth much more than I paid for it. But, I have a cool old piece of history, and on the spindles the wood is dark from where dirty, sweaty hands gripped the wheel. You can see the history in it, now that the horrible "easter chick yellow" paint is off, and that's what I love about old things. I sail, and I spent 2.5 years as crew of a historic tall ship, so I have a great appreciation for that kind of thing!
