need help stripping a 1912 Erfurt for re-finish

[ithacaartist]

Originally Posted by rhuff

... Just don't get this stuff on your skin or in your face.....it is a "bad actor"(ask me how I know!!). I used one of those non-metal/open pore paint stripping wheels in my drill....

Caution! Those stripping wheels are quite abrasive, there's grit bonded to the filaments of the pad, and I'd worry about surface damage.

"Bad actor"--agreed! I worked part-time during college at an antique store, where I refinished furniture. A co-worker got a kick out of applying just a dab to, say, the inside of my upper arm, where the skin is tender. He was sneaky about it, but even if you caught him, it was too late. As the methylene chloride soaked thru the skin, it would create a burning sensation that would not wash off, impervious to any efforts to relieve it. A prank that registers high on the annoyance meter... To whirl one's face full of the stuff would be quite an experience!

Originally Posted by Arizona Slim

Just a thought but I wonder if that could have been Powder coated?
Lon

That's what this stuff sounds like to me.

D.P.

[sthomp]

Well, the saga continues...the last couple of days have seen some, but minimal progress. The Klean-Strip is slowly attacking it, but very slowly. So, today I went back over to GT's place and we decided to put the muscle to it...try to speed things up. We broke out the propane torch...and very tentatively attacked a small area. It took several maybe 5 second shots with wire brushing between shots to see any removal. So, we got more aggressive and really went after it...right up to the point that the metal was just starting to turn bluish...GT estimated about 600F...we didn't dare go any hotter for obvious reasons. The results were not as good as expected...still significant residual black junk hanging on. So, we did a prolonged application of the Klean-Strip after all the parts cooled down...then rinsed and dried and soaked in Muriatic acid for several minutes. After all of this there was still remnants remaining...more than we expected. Here are some before and after pics. The plan is to continue the propane treatment, with Klean-Strip and muriatic acid dips. I think this will get it done, but it ain't easy...what the hell is this stuff???. I really don't want to go to bead blasting.