remove enamel paint on French polished side table

[Clinton1]

hey all,
I'm asking for a friend about a piece of furniture I haven't seen.
"how do I remove enamel paint from a 100 plus year old French polished side table".

I've certainly never come across this before. If you have questions, I'll pass them along.

as always, all assistance gratefully received.

[China]

Try gently scraping if that fails gently sanding if that fails paint stripper, either way you will need to re polish.

[The Bleeder]

Don't use a heavy stripper. Try a citrus based one. Have had success before but it is a long process.

[auscab]

Its sometimes possible to apply heat from a heat gun and by being careful and testing you find a sweet spot where the enamel lets go and the shellac stays put . Too hot and it all comes off together.
If it works, which Ive seen it do plenty of times . You save a ton of work and can end up with a piece being in its original finish, revived with a light re polish, which can be a real good thing .

If it wont work then strip

[Clinton1]

thanks all, I'll pass it on.
greatly appreciated.