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Door hardware paint removal

I have 20 doors' worth of old brass hardware with up to 1/8 " of paint build-up, both oil and latex. Any suggestions for removing it as efficiently as possible? I intend to polish the brass before reinstallation. TIA Joe Arnold

Reply to
PhotoMan
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Soak them in a good quality paint remover and then steel brush and plastic scraper and lots of hard work to get the paint off. Des

Reply to
Des Perado

Reply to
Jane

Thanks Jane I had the foresight to put the parts in zip-lok bags, one for each door. Don't know if it was overkill in my case, as all of the doors have identical hardware. Joe

BTW - It's a 'gravy' job - The owner is paying me $20/hour to do it. :-)

Reply to
PhotoMan

Steel brush? That is insane. Paint remover - Strypeeze solvent wash is my favorite - takes paint off metal very quickly. If they have intricate lines, an old toothbrush or toothpicks helps get old paint out of the tight spots (like slots on screws). Brass polishes up nicely with extra fine steel wool - I believe I used it with Brasso when I refinished an old piano. Got the brass hinge and hardware looking beautiful. If not solid brass, you may get unpleasant surprises. Mebbe I used just the steel wool - got tips from a book on restoring pianos.

Wire brushes are great for rust removal and taking the Teflon out of a skillet :o)

If you plan to clear coat the brass, don't handle it after you polish it

- wear cotton gloves.

Lucky you - 20 doors with brass hardware. I'd be inclined to do two doors at a time - strip one, then while the next is in the stripper, polish and clear coat the first one. I'm awful at mixing things up, or forgetting that really safe place I put them in :o)

Reply to
norminn

I'd strip the paint chemically. If the hardware is smooth (flat) just buffing will do after stripping. Be careful to clean and remove any residue from stripping and polishing before finishing.

Woodcraft sells a particularly good lacquer that provides a very durable clear finish for brass.

http://sh> I have 20 doors' worth of old brass hardware with up to 1/8 " of paint

Reply to
RB

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