Sorry to abuse my priviledges - but I know Y'all know the answer to this non-boatbuilding question.

I'm over at my friend Bill's house. He is trying to refinish his front door. It has some old stain literally cooked into it. He want's to strip it and restain

The obvious questions:

1. How should we strip the old finish off? Can you suggest the right chemicals. Sanding isn't going to do it.

2. After re-staining - what would you recommend as a preservative?

3. Also - we were curious if preparing the surface prior to restaining is a good idea. Would it make sense to lubricate the wood with some kind of oil prior to staining? Use an oil based stain? The wood seems a bit parched at this point.

Sorry to intrude on the boat building fun - but a few other projects around the hous are inevitable aren't they?

TIA,

PC for Bill