Removing Existing Banister/Handrail/Spindles

[vince365]

I've got a 1930's house and would like to strip back the entire banister to bare wood.

Having tried various methods; heat gun, paint stripper and sandpaper, I've decided that the best option would be to remove all these parts and send them away for dipping.

Is it possible to dismantle these parts without damaging them so that they can be re-assembled again?

My stripping so far has revealed several dowel rods on the newel post that appear to hold at least some of the joints. They are not glued in place as I've tried tapping them and they move with relative ease.

I'm hoping that the construction technique of the day did not involve glue and screws/nails, in which case it may be possible.

Does anyone have any experience of past construction methods, and does what I'm suggesting sound possible?

Cheers,
Vince.

[Jasonb]

The dowels pin the tennon on the end of the handrail and strings into the mortices in the newel posts. You will probably not be able to remove the handrail without taking out the newel posts which in turn are whats holding up the staircase, so not advisable to do.

Jason