Stripping paint from cast iron fireplace& summer cover

Hello! I recently begun stripping paint off a marble & cast iron arched fireplace in my 1874 Clinton Hill apartment. I used Citristrip and later Smart Strip, which has worked relatively well for marble.

I’m unsure of the best approach for cleaning up the cast iron insert & summer cover. The Smart Strip removed most of the paint on the insert down to black metal, though now I suspect this may actually be black paint on top of the metal. For the summer cover, however, the paint & stripper didn’t scrape off easily at all. Instead it stayed thick and got gummy, making it hard to remove with plastic scrapers, or later with steel wool and odorless mineral spirits (the “eco” white, milky kind). I did get down to bare metal in a few spots, and it’s actually a shiny, silver metal which makes me think the black insert is actually not quite down to metal yet. But there’s no way I can get into all the nooks & crannies with steel wool or brushes!

Beyond that, there’s a piece of plywood attached somehow behind the cover, and it seems like the cover was caulked or somehow sealed to t he insert, so I’m not sure how I could remove it in order to either work outside or try a different method like a low boil with detergent to remove the paint.

Does anyone have any thoughts on where to go from here? I could try another application of Citristrip (I have a bit more) and try to lay it on thick & let it dwell longer, or go to harsher chemicals (Peel Away 1 or 7 I think), or even the aircraft-grade strippers but these seem like a very bad idea indoors. I’ve also seen a drill with a wire brush attachment used to remove paint & rust, but this may make a mess indoors as well.

I’ve attached some before & after photos. Thanks Brownstoners!

[Before, painted all white](//muut.com/u/brownstoner/s3/:brownstoner:RnQ7:img_0706.jpg.jpg)
[After 1st session with Citristrip](//muut.com/u/brownstoner/s3/:brownstoner:6NYO:img_1027.jpg.jpg)
[After 2nd session with Smart Strip](//muut.com/u/brownstoner/s3/:brownstoner:LkdK:img_1006.jpg.jpg)
[After steel wool & mineral spirits on the cover. You can see some metal in the center of the circle](//muut.com/u/brownstoner/s3/:brownstoner:cpGV:img_1037.jpg.jpg)

mattfelsen

in General Discussion 8 years ago

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amason84 | 7 years and 11 months ago

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Use Peel Away 1 for metal. Press it into the nooks and crannies using the spatula they provide. A soft wire brush and water will remove the softened paint residue that the stripping process produces. The product does not damage the metal, but be careful which tools you use to remove the residue, as you don’t want to accidentally gouge it. Once the metal is fully clean and paint free, I recommend a product like XIM900 (find it at Janovic) as your finish coat. It has proven incredibly durable on all of my stripped metal and I love the look (it is a bit glossy if that’s to your liking). Hope this helps!

girithinkmani | 7 years and 11 months ago

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Isn’t it likely that there is lead paint present? And would that change how the paint is removed i.e. to make sure it’s safe?

pwnnyc | 7 years and 11 months ago

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I had my 1880s iron summer cover sandblasted at Ever-Nu in Windsor Terrace, and came out looking spiffy new – all sorts of detail I never knew was there under all the layers of paint.

http://www.brownstoner.com/services/metal-ironwork-nyc/d53605d85d74d7/ever-nu-metal-prods-471-20th-st-brooklyn-ny-11215/

One word of advice: overall good experience, great results — the sandblasting (e.g. paint removal) service was relatively cheap, but the powder coating, though very well done and super-durable, seemed expensive ($150), so you may consider only doing the sandblasting if you are on a budget. Again, very satisfied overall and would use them again, just FYI.

Lots of options in powder coating – I actually had Ever-Nu apply a clear ‘satin’ finish over the bare metal, as I liked the steel grey color of the sandblasted iron (and matched rest of room), but they have whole range, including more traditional satin or flat black.

CarmenR | 8 years ago

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I would honestly take it elsewhere to have it dipped. I spent I don’t even know how long trying to remove 160 years of paint from the newel post in our house and eventually our contractor sent it out to be dipped and it came back in like 3 days looking brand new. I’m not sure who you would contact to strip metal (ours went out with the woodworkers) but I imagine you will be shocked with how fast it is for them to do it for you.

The mantle looks great, BTW. Same style as ours, as is your summer cover! Let us know what you end up doing as my cover also has about 40 coats of paint on it and it’s a project I have not yet started…