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Removing a clear coat finish from a bronze statue

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I would like to remove a clear coat finish from the face of a bronze Buddha statue located in a New Jersey Buddhist temple, so that the face can be painted. I am not certain if the protector is oil or acrylic based. My concern is not to damage the bronze finish with the incorrect chemical remover.

Thanks,

David Newman
architect - Lawrenceville, New Jersey

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October 17, 2009

Hi, David. Although you should obviously test in a non-conspicuous place, because things sometimes aren't what you expect, most organic paint removers should not have much effect on bronze. I would start with acetone, since this is commonly used as a lacquer thinner and may work fine. Although it is flammable, it is common nail polish remover, so it's not exotic toxic chemistry. If that doesn't do it, a methylene chloride based aircraft stripper [linked by editor to product info at Amazon] should -- but this is a really toxic brew that can only be used with great ventilation and good personnel protective gear including goggles [linked by editor to product info at Amazon] and protective gloves [linked by editor to product info at Amazon].

Good luck.

Regards,

Ted Mooney, P.E. finishing.com Brick, New Jersey