How to remove paint from cast iron when paint stripper fails? (PHOTO ADDED)

[talesofthesevenseas]

Hi gang,

I've been working on stripping the last of some old white paint from an 1870's cast iron match safe. The last of it won't budge. This is a sturdy piece, with just slight surface rust and is structurally sound. It is ornate with a lot of grooves with paint lodged in them, but the paint isn't coming off the smooth surfaces either.

I have tried soaking the match safe in Citristrip paint stripper overnight, but it isn't losening at all. Citristrip is what I have used on other antiques and it has worked well in the past, even on old marine paint. It is a little gentler than other stripping agents but with a little patience, it does the trick without harming the item. But not this time. Any suggestions? I've been working at it for several days with lots of scrubbing, but to no avail. It appears to have been painted many years ago and I think I'm dealing with some pretty tough paint.

[waywardangler]

I am assuming this is lead based paint? I am sure it was originally baked on.  Have you tried a heat gun Tales?  I would be very careful as the fumes may be poisonous.  Use outdoors for sure and stay downwind.  The heat should soften the paint and the cast iron would take the heat without any color change. Just do not heat cast iron too hot or it will crack.  I would not use a torch with an open flame.  When the paint softens, quickly pick out the paint from the nooks and crannies with a wood or bamboo pick. I buy bamboo skewers used for kabobs and use them for mixing small amounts of glue and small stir sticks.  I can also cut them off and sharpen the tips repeatedly and use them for dropping pinpoints of glue in spots.  They should also work for scraping off small bits of soft paint.

[syl]

Good advice Wayward but I think you should stay upwind, not downwind.

[waywardangler]

HAHA!  Good catch syl!  I agree, upwind is MUCH better than downwind.  What was I thinking? 

[talesofthesevenseas]

The heat gun sounds like a good idea, and I'll wear a mask, just in case the wind shifts on me! 

[D&b antiques]

if the paint continues to resist. & the metal is stable enough, you can use a BernzOmatic torch. light weight & easy to use. just avoid the fumes. most any hard ware store has them. & there cheap.

[talesofthesevenseas]

OK sounds like a plan. I am betting the heat gun will do the trick. I've used a heat gun to remove varnish from wood, but I hadn't thought to try it on paint. I'll be really careful about the fumes, the last thing I want to do is to inhale lead paint fumes!

Here is a "before" pic. It's just a little twenty buck restoration project that looked like fun. It's kind of a cool little match safe, with a self-closing flap lid, striker plate, and the manufacturer's name "C. Parker" and an 1869/1870 patent date on the lid. Most of the paint you see here I was able to get off, it's the last stubborn spots that won't let go. Soap/water and olive oil has taken care of most of the rust and should keep it from advancing.

[fancypants]

If I was certain that this tough old finish was not baked-on enamel , I'd just break out the nastiest stripper (for paint) that I could find & go @ it that way .
Cast Iron is tough & can take it .

The other method I'd use a would be a propane torch & wire brush (a softie , though) .

I had a pair of cast iron items , similar to yours , which I had powder-coated (to sort of an 'ivory' hue) .
They turned out remarkably well & went over big with the bride & groom who rcd them as a wedding gift .

Way not as cheap as a coat of paint , but just a diff way to toss money around , I guess .

Cool match safe , talesof !

[talesofthesevenseas]

That's a thought Fancypants. When I chose Citristrip I had asked for a gentle stripping agent designed for antiques. You can even get it on your hands for short periods of time and it doesn't hurt them. It isn't one of those harsh stripping agents that makes the paint "boil" off, but it gently loosens it. I've used it on several antique wood items and it worked great, but that's a thought, maybe I should tray some heavy-duty stripper on this since the cast iron is tough.

Especially since I'm not sure where the heat gun ended up after the last project!

[waywardangler]

Tales, I think that Parker is the same one that made the famous double barrel shotguns.  I will have to look it up later in my gun memorabilia book.  There is a pic of a Parker matchsafe and I think it is all black and original.  I will check to see if it is identical to yours.  If it is, it is more than a $20 item.

[talesofthesevenseas]

No kidding! That would be cool! Please do let me know!

[talesofthesevenseas]

You sparked my curiousity Waywardangler and I went hunting. It IS the same Parker according to this page which shows an earlier match safe of Parkers:
http://www.thelampworks.com/lw_companies_parker.htm

But if you click the link on that page that says "Match safes" it takes you to this page, which shows one identical to mine:
http://www.thelampworks.com/lw_match_holder.htm

And here's one selling on a firearms collectibles site for $175! http://www.sportingcollectibles.com/parker.html

Woo-hoo! SCORE! (So nice when this happens!) Thanks for the heads-up on this one Wayward! Yup, I definitely have to get all that paint off!

[waywardangler]

Well Tales, I see you have discovered your matchsafe is by 'The' Parker Company.  The one in my book is identical and it is all black. If you bought that out of a shop for $20, you did real good!

Nice jumping monkey but a happy hopping pirate would have been quite the to-do.  Aaarrrrrrr!

[talesofthesevenseas]

Thanks Wayward! It was an Ebay purchase, $24.99 to be precise. 

I stopped by the hardware store on my way home and picked up some Jasco Premium Paint and Epoxy remover, plus the nitrile solvent gloves needed to protect my hands. they said this stuff would burn. So I think it will do the trick to remove the last of the paint.

This is how it looks now, after Citristrip, but before Jasco. I think it may need a little rust remover too, but I'll see how it looks after the Jasco stripper:

[talesofthesevenseas]

Oh yes... and here's the happy pirate digging up treasure Wayward!