Ansonia Swing Clock Question

[ccclaus]

Hello - I am new to this forum and posted this question in the Projects Section, but did not get any replies, so I thought I would try the General Antique Section to see if anyone would have a suggestion.

I recently purchased an old Ansonia Swing Clock.  Clock movement works great and is stamped Ansonia under the face, but statue has been painted gold sometime in its life.  I want to know the safest way to remove the gold paint. Would that hurt the value any more than the statue being painted in the first place?   Base metal of statue is spelter, I believe.  If the surface below is acceptable I will just leave it.  If not, I want to get it re-plated.  I have found a place that will replate, but I want to see what is under the paint first.  I have attached a photo of the current condition.   Thank you for any suggestions.

[frogpatch]

Take a little nail polish remover to a inconspicuous area to see what the finish looks like. Liquid, (not paste) paint remover will take paint off of metal easier than wood. Use 0000 steel wool and a soft natural bristle brush ( a toothbrush will melt) as not to scratch the piece. Chances are that it will have a bronze patina. Do not polish it. Work slowly and painstakingly carefully. That is a beautiful clock and getting to its original condition is worth the work. Of course remove the face and works first.

[ccclaus]

Thanks for the reply - so I assume that the original finish is plating - not paint and paint remover will not harm the original surface?  Is there a recommendation on type of paint remover - is one less likely to harm the original finish.

Thanks,

[KC]

Beautiful clock!!!!!  Great advice on the removal of the paint! 

The good point is that items are being saved and relifed.

Unfortunately, I have been seeing more and more of the painted metals and for those of us that would like to take it back to original finish it is labor intensive and many times the finish is ruined (but that may be why they painted it in the first place).

[mart]

When you do the test patch, also test the stripper you plan to use !! If you see a silvery grey under the paint,, stop right there and do no more !! some of the stripping agents will also remove the original finish !! You do not want that !! So find a spot on the bottom and test before using !! Ask at the hardware store for the best product for what you are doing !!

[ccclaus]

Thanks to those that had suggestions on what to do with this clock.  I went ahead and stripped off the gold paint and the results were better than expected.  Would like to know if there are suggestions on how to stabilize and protect the restored finish.  Wax??  Attached are some photos of current condition.

Thanks,

[cogar]

It looks great to me as is.

Wax would work ...... but tuff to apply with all the crevices, creases, etc.

If I was going to put a protective coating on it ....... me thinks I would use a spray-can of lacquer ..... and do it carefully so as to not get any "runs".

And lacquer can be easily removed, ................ with lacquer "thinner", of course.