How To: Remove Paint from Old Hardware

[pureinsanity]

I recently purchased a house that was built in 1925. Original cabinets and hardware are still in the home. Rather than spending the money I do not have right now to get all new cabinets I decided to salvage them.

Repainting the cabinets, and worst case scenario, repainting the hardware. I would just replace the hardware but because of the layers and layers of paint it would look pretty odd with different hinges and latches. So I decided to try some different options with some cabinet hardware we decided to not use.

First I tried just soaking the hinges in hot soapy water and this freed the paint up enough to allow me to scrap most of it off.

After that I tried doing a grinding wire wheel to remove the paint. worked but pitted the hardware and removed the brass plating.

The hing on the left was done with a dremel and several different wire brush attachments for the dremel. The hinge on the right was done with a grinding tool and a polishing attachemt for a dremel. The both worked well but was very time consuming.

Now here is the miracle worker!

I went to goodwill picked up a pan, and a tongs. I set one hinge in the pot, filled it with water so water was covering the hardware. I than took the hardware out, put a small layer(1/8") of baking soda in the water and let it settle to the bottom, I put some of the hinges back in the solution and placed it on the stove and simmered on medium for 15 minutes. Took them out with the tongs and ran cold water on them to cool them enough to the touch. I than took a tooth brush and started scrubbing and the paint came right off. some of the harder areas required a metal pick to help get the paint off.

This trick works AWESOME and I thought I would share it with everyone if they need to get paint off of old hardware.

here is the end result.

Now I am left with brass hardware which I believe was just electroplated onto steel. I am going to attempt next to remove the brass coating and polish to a brushed nickel look. Worst case scenario I send them off to get nickel plated or just paint them with spray paint.

Anyone got any good tips on how to remove the brass coating? or know how to electroplate metals?

[LightningBG]

Anyone got any good tips on how to remove the brass coating? or know how to electroplate metals?

I am familar with electroplating, and its no small task. No something you're going to be able to do yourself. Having them done professionally could cost more than just going to the HD and picking up a few bags of the bulk hinges. I've seen them in 20 packs for like $10...if my memory serves me correctly.

Spray painting is always an option, but I have no idea how long it will hold up.

[pureinsanity]

I will put on a clear lacquer afterwords to ensure long lasting. There is a lacquer finish on most of these to prevent corrosion.

[delcecchi]

I would have tried some of that orange 3m stripper. Electroplating can be difficult or not depending on what you want to plate with. I have no idea how brass is plated since brass is an alloy.

[PurpleFloyd]

You did good figuring out the baking soda and water trick. In my line of work i deal with this type of thing all of the time and what i have found to be the best spray gun cleaner for removing the paint from guns after projects is Simple Green. I bought a parts washer and soak all of my guns in it at least once a month and they come out clean as a whistle but I am not positive it would work on the vintage paints that you have there.

As far as what to do after they are cleaned-. I work with a designer on many of my projects and she has used the aerosol spray paint in a oil rubbed bronze color and that ended up looking very good. I would say that the style of hinges you have would look fantastic in oil rubbed bronze. Have you decided on the color of paint you will be using for the cabinets yet?

[pureinsanity]

Yes, the paint we used on the cabinets is a blueish gray, hard to explain I can post a picture when we are done. The ol lady wants to either have a brushed nickel look on the hinges or a chrome. I spent lots of time on one of the hinges actually grinding the brass off and than using a polishing tool to make it look chrome. It worked great but the ridges and circles would take way to long to get it just right. Also way too much time and effort for me

we might end up finding a nickel spray paint and finishing with a clear lacquer.

[pureinsanity]

The baking soda trick worked amazing! I think that if you warm up and simmer any old paint it will come off over time. Not sure what the baking soda does but it worked?