First step of the restoration is to remove all the upholstery; Springs, webbing, burlap and tacks, everything. Then remove the old finish. We use what is now called a flow-over system. When we made up our first stripping system about 25 years ago we did not use a pump to re-circulate the liquid paint remover. I just pored the stripper over an item that sat in a tray on saw bucks. There was a half inch hole drilled in the corner so the liquid would flow out into a 5 gallon bucket. I just dipped a sauce pan (that I "borrowed" from my wife, but that's a different story) into the bucket, then pored the stripper over it slowly.