This is an example of how easily paint can be removed when it was applied originally over a clear finish.
My wife enjoys watching TV shows about house restoration. She mentioned to me the other day that all the paint from the house the host had removed was so easy and clean. She knows that this isn’t normal, having done quite a bit of paint removal.
I explained to them that the wood had been treated with shellac (probably a clear coat) before being painted. Shellac was used because the house was older and shellac was still being used by painters up until the 1950s, when spray guns were introduced and lacquer became more popular (since lacquer solvents are available to make lacquer easier to control in hot and humid weather).
Its a topic that continues to expand as I talk about paint and finish strippers. There are several factors that determine the ease of stripping besides just the strength of the stripper. I have already mentioned the coating that is being removed. Some can be made to dissolve or blister much more easily than others. Another is whether there was a clear finish applied to the wood before it was painted. It is much harder to get rid of paint that was not applied before it dried.
Im not advocating that you apply a clear finish before painting wood. Im just pointing out some of the factors that influence the effectiveness of stripping paint.
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