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

[waywardangler]

I must be emoticon challenged.  You never cease to amaze me with what you come up with Tales.  Nice deal on the matchsafe off eBay and it looks pretty good so far.  Can't wait to see the final result.

[gingertomantiques]

Sandblast away paint from metal using a sandblaster if needed. These machines rent by the day, yet are available for sale at home improvement or hardware stores. Blowing sand onto the metal piece under great pressure strips all of the unwanted paint from the metal work.

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[syl]

Sandblasting probably is the best solution but you would be better off to find a local sandblasting company and have them do it for you. They might even do it for free.

[talesofthesevenseas]

I think I would only use sandblasting as a last resort if the Jasco stuff and the heat gun both failed. I'll never forget seeing a beautiful wooden carousel horse back in the 1970's that someone had sandblasted to get the paint off of it. It was pitted all over and seriously devalued.

I realize that probably wouldn't be the case with iron, but I think I'd want to save sandblasting as a last resort for any antique after only after gentler methods had failed. That's always been my approach to try the gentlest things first and only move to more aggressive methods if absolutely necessary. ...or am I being paranoid when it comes to sandblasting? I realize we're talkin' iron here, but I would hate to see the lettering lose any sharp edges as well as the small lines of the detailing.

[regularjoe2]

Soda blasting is much more gentle , and does take some time .

Sandblasting causes so much ablation that it's not really recommended for many/most antique items .

Sand/soda/shot/bead blasting results do very much depend upon the skills & attention given by the blast operator , as well as the quality of the blast mat'ls & equipment .

Blasting does produce very good-to-fair results on rusty metals (cars , ships , etc.) and buildings , but I consider blasting the first option for the impatient .

As D&b mentioned in a post above these , stability of metal is always a consideration with many antique metals .

Heat & ablation can cause small-to-large portions of a metal object to crack , break &/or to be lost forever .

I'm for slow-and-steady 'winning the race' , rather than quick used-for-production methods (while refinishing/restoring antiques) .

That's just my cautionary opinion , though .

[KC]

Nice find Talesof!

I tend to be the take-it-one-step-at-a-time person as well....since I devalued a few things over the years!

Sandblasting is the absolute last choice for me....I would probably go ahead and paint over the last little bit and consider it an extra seal on the item instead of sandblasting.  If you go back to the original black...it won't matter as long as the  paint is in the crevices.

[talesofthesevenseas]

My goal is to get the old paint off, take it down to the original iron and oil it. No new paint. So I need to get the paint and rust off. I'll try that Jasco paint n' flesh remover in a couple of days.

[KC]

Comprenday!  Let us know!

[Dean Perdue]

How about electrolysis?
 
I read it has decent results with stubborn paint and rust and maybe you would have everything you need in your garage.

Might need a couple of attempts but thought I'd throw it out there and see what anyone with 1st hand experience might have to say.

[talesofthesevenseas]

I'd probably zap myself trying, LOL!

[Dean Perdue]

Tell your kids to try it for you.

[waywardangler]

Yes Dean, I have read about that as I find a lot of old rusty tools and would like an easier way than hand cleaning with steel wool.  The setups I have read about entail some type of tank (5 gallon bucket), a battery, some electolyte solution, and some wire.  I have not tried it as I always wondered what I would do with the solution when done and where I would store it.  It is detailed here and seems simple enough...http://www.rickswoodshopcreations.com/Miscellaneous/Rust_Removal.htm

[talesofthesevenseas]

I think if the Jasco doesn't work I could also take it to a metal plating shop where they have it set up already and could probably get it done for a couple of bucks.

[waywardangler]

Tales, have them plate it in nickle.  Now that would look COOL on that Parker matchsafe!   

[fancypants]

Another suggestion for your consideration :

when you're done torturing your cool iron item (& yourself) , you could simply finish it with some good 'ole paste wax (Johnsons &/or etc.) & a toothbrush (for gettin' into the crannies) .
Give it a little buff with a rag & you're done (& you don't have to worry about oiling it so much) .

I had a friend who owned scads of iron items .... after years of using lamp-black , he switched over to black (paste Kiwi) shoe polish & never went back .