How To Remove Paint From Iron Hardware

Practiced painters remove or cover door hardware before they paint. The other kind of painter just slops it over any exposed metal and ruins the door's advent. Fortunately, any knob, escutcheon plate, or hinge can easily be made to shine again without the need for noxious chemicals, expensive tools, or uncomfortable gear.

The secret to restoring metallic'southward gleam is uncomplicated: A long, hot, sudsy soak in a crockpot. This method, advocated past Brad Kittel, owner of Discovery Architectural Antiques, in Gonzales, Texas, uses nothing more than water, a bit of liquid detergent, and heat to pause the pigment bond. More ofttimes than not, you can slide all the cooked paint layers off with your fingers. A scrubbing with a nylon brush removes the stubborn $.25. (Wire brushes or ability tools are much too aggressive for this kind of work.)

A beeswax furniture polish after stripping, or a nonabrasive polish like Flitz or Maas can restore the sheen to solid contumely or thickly plated hardware. And the next time the door needs painting, exercise yourself a favor—accept the hardware off before the painter shows upwards.

Stride i

Cut the paint

Protect the surrounding paint from damage by carefully scoring the perimeter of each escutcheon plate with a utility knife. Loosen the prepare screw holding the knob to its spindle and slide out the pieces.

Step 2

Remove the plates

Cleave out paint buildup in the screw slots with the knife. Dorsum out the screws, simply don't utilise a lot of pressure or you lot can slip and gouge the metal. Pry off the escutcheons.

Step 3

Heat and soak

Identify the hardware in the crockpot. Cover with water, add a couple of tablespoons of liquid laundry detergent, and turn the oestrus to medium. Put on the lid and let the contents of the pot cook all night. The next day, the pigment volition exist soft and fix to fall off the metal.

TIP: Use plastic tongs to remove hardware from the crockpot without scratching it.

Step 4

Chemical soak (if needed)

While hot water is amazingly constructive at removing paint from metal, it needs some time to work. Only if time is something you're running short of, then a chemic stripper will hasten the procedure. Fast-acting methylene chloride will do the job in less than an hour; a less volatile, less toxic stripper needs several hours.

TIP: Whichever chemical y'all employ, be sure to protect skin and eyes and always work outdoors.

Stride v

Scrub

Remove hardware from the crockpot (or chemical soak) with tongs and button off any remaining paint with a toothbrush or nylon bristle brush. (A wire brush tin scratch the surface.) The paint hardens quickly once it'due south out of the pot; dip the pieces back in the hot water to help loosen any stubborn spots.

Step 6

Wax

Protect the metal with beeswax polish, rubbed out with a soft material. You lot tin spray on a lacquer finish instead, but if it ever fries or wears off, the metallic volition have to be chemically stripped.