How to Remove Paint From Antique Hardware
by
Sarah's Big Idea
(IC: blogger)
$0.00
1.5 Hours
Easy
I've spent a lot of time stripping paint from wood, but this was my first attempt at stripping metal. I decided to go with the "slow-cooker" method, and to my complete surprise, it was really easy!
I didn't want to ruin my slow-cooker (or cook a future meal in paint residue), so I actually used an old saucepan on the stove. I just dropped the doorknobs and hinges in, made sure they were completely covered with water, then let them simmer on low for about an hour. I just kept them in there until the paint looked like it was starting to peel.
Once the paint looked kind of loose and bubbly, I used a pliers to hold on to the hot hardware while I scrubbed it with a brass bristle brush. Most of the paint peeled off in big chunks. I only had to use the brush to get in all the little details.
This was one of those rare projects where the end result actually justifies the amount of time I spent doing it. I don't get a lot of those around here, so I tend to appreciate them when they come along.
You can read more about this project and see the entire kitchen transformation on my blog: http://www.sarahsbigidea.com/
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Published May 4th, 2014 6:00 PM
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LibraryKAT on Jan 22, 2017Thank you for this post! I just used a small saucepan with plain water and a few drops of Dawn dish soap to remove the paint from a cast iron bookend. It boiled for about an hour and then I used a hard plastic bristled brush to take off almost all the black enamel, followed by scrubbing with an old toothbrush to remove the rest. There are only a couple of VERY small spots of black paint left. You have to really look to see them. This was a wonderful and easy way to do it. Thanks! :-)
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