Summary for remove paint from copper Discussion
Removing paint from copper ship lanterns is best done gently, because the copper finish may change once the paint is gone. James Watts advises using a real paint store for the proper remover, working outside, and following directions carefully; he also suggests carefully lifting thick paint with an Exacto hobby knife or using a small micro torch, but says not to bake or sand the lanterns. Goran Budija recommends acetone or an ammonia-and-acetone mix, with thorough rinsing afterward. Rod Walters offers a different approach: boil the lanterns in water for 30 minutes or more, optionally with baking soda or TSP, then use toothpicks or popsicle sticks for recessed paint. Dean Wallace says a low-cost furniture stripper may work well and notes the lanterns’ dark outdoor storage may mean little visible color change. The thread also includes a later caution from Philip Armstrong that some old copper items may only be plated, so harsh caustics could damage them.
Q. I am in possession of two copper coal oil ships lanterns that have been around my family for about 50 years, they were stored outside in a garage and some spilled paint managed to seep underneath then. I want to hang these lanterns in my living room but don’t want the bottoms hanging there with all the paint on them for every one to see! How can I remove the paint?
Thank You,
Ian Munroe
Home upgrade – Qualicum Beach, British Columbia, Canada
2006
A. As soon as you remove the paint, the color of the copper will be different, but in a decade or so, they should be the same.
Talk to a real live paint store, rather than a paint department for the proper paint remover. It is a nasty chemical, so work outside and follow the instructions carefully.
You might, if the paint is thick, be able to very carefully get under the paint with an
Exacto hobby knife
⇦ on
or
Amazon [affil link] and peel most of it off.
You can very carefully and slowly ash the paint with a micro torch
⇦ on
or
Amazon [affil link] from a hardware type store. These are small and use lighter fluid, butane gas.
I would not bake it or try to sand it off.
James Watts
– Navarre, Florida
2006
A. Try acetone
⇦ on
eBay
or
or
1 part ammonia
⇦ on
eBay or
Amazon [affil link] /2 partsacetone
⇦ on
eBay
or
mixture! When finished rinse it well! Good luck!
Goran Budija
– Cerovski vrh Croatia
2006
A. If the lantern will not be damaged by water, you can put it in an old pan of water and boil it for 30 minutes or more and the paint should peel off. Some people add some
baking soda [in bulk on
or
Amazon [affil link]
or TSP
[trisodium phosphate
⇦ on
or
Amazon [affil link]
] to the water to help the process. If you have recesses with paint in them, carefully use toothpicks or popsicle sticks to get it out to avoid scratching the copper. Do Not use the pan for food preparation after this.
Rod Walters
– Des Moines, Iowa
2006
A. The simplest thing to do is to purchase the lowest price stripper … semi paste or liquid … and strip the lanterns just like furniture … rinse with water .. you will have very little color change since they have been stored outside and are no doubt rather dark.
Cheers!
Dean Wallace
– Wilmington, North Carolina
2006
Q. I have two old ship lanterns a port and starboard someone sand blasted them and I was trying to look for the right paint color to paint them can anyone help.
Greg Janik
painter – Chicopee, Massachusetts
2007
Q. What is the best way to strip several coats of paint from copper heat vents. My house was built in 1947 and has those ornate heat vents fitted into the wall and I would like to strip off the paint and put a clear coat of varnish to prevent tarnishing.
Judith spencer
home owner – peterborough Ontario. Canada
2007
A. I’m dealing with two solid copper lamp shades from the 30s with coats of enamel and latex on them. Your register grates may have been copper plated but are, surely, not solid copper. That was when our whole nation was reeling from WWII and copper was precious! I’d remove them and find a refinisher with a tank and pay someone else to do the dirty work.
It will be a thin plating and caustic solutions may eat the copper off! Have him hang a new penny by a copper wire in the tank and see what’s left after 24 hours. Any penny minted after 1982 is zinc with a thin copper plating. If the copper isn’t destroyed you have a winner!
Cheers,
Philip Armstrong
Industrial Finishing Instructor, Appalachian State University – Vilas, North Carolina
August 1, 2021