Removing Lacquer From Hardware

[lazybum]

Hi

Anyone has any good ideas on how to remove lacquer from solid brass hardware? The hardware that I wish to work on has quite a lot of not easily reachable places, so if possible i'm looking for a chemical that will easily remove the lacquer when the hardware are soaked in it.

I've tried acetone but the results were not stellar. I soaked a bunch of stuff in it for about 3 days, and while it completely removed the lacquer on some, the acetone only partially stripped the lacquer finish on the rest. I even tried shaking the acetone when they were being soaked every now and then but that was still not enough to do the trick. Is there a stronger chemical out there that is easily available?

Will lacquer thinner or paint remover work better?

Edited November 19, 2011 by lazybum

[Ferg]

Lacquer thinner.

ferg

Hi

Anyone has any good ideas on how to remove lacquer from solid brass hardware? The hardware that I wish to work on has quite a lot of not easily reachable places, so if possible i'm looking for a chemical that will easily remove the lacquer when the hardware are soaked in it.

I've tried acetone but the results were not stellar. I soaked a bunch of stuff in it for about 3 days, and while it completely removed the lacquer on some, the acetone only partially stripped the lacquer finish on the rest. I even tried shaking the acetone when they were being soaked every now and then but that was still not enough to do the trick. Is there a stronger chemical out there that is easily available?

Will lacquer thinner or paint remover work better?

[Kcinnick]

Boiling water with Baking soda in it will work.

[lazybum]

Boiling water with Baking soda in it will work.

Will it? I've been reading around and it seems that this method will require additional scrubbing which is going to be troublesome for the small hardware that I am concerned about. I was thinking it probably won't be as strong as soaking in acetone for a few days, which I why I did not try it.

So lacquer thinner is likely to do a better job than acetone? Right time to buy some to try.

[Kcinnick]

Boiling with baking soda is used to get lacquer off instruments, I have never done it, i played instruments made out of wood, but I have seen it done and the parts would be boiled and then rinsed off in under hot running water and it was enough to get off all the coating. I am going to try to antique some buckles and screws and I planned on boiling the pieces to get any coating off, I'll let you know how it goes when they get here.

[electrathon]

Brake fluid will strip it off. Soak it for a few hours, should rinse right off. It is water soluble and cheap too.

Aaron

[Andrew Chee]

I was trying to get a matte finish on my brass buckles so I bought a cheap rock tumbler and used that. I filled it with sand and water and let it run for a day or so. It got the lacquer off but it also refinishes the surface so it may or may not be what you want.

Andrew

[benlilly1]

Lacquer Thinner will work...didn't know about brake fluid!

[lazybum]

Brake fluid sounds interesting. Anyone with experience with both thinner and brake fluid?

I would love to own a rock tumbler, but I don't think it will be cheap and readily available where I live.

[Ferg]

I have sprayed and removed lacquer for over 50 years, use the lacquer thinner and save yourself a lot of grief.

ferg

Brake fluid sounds interesting. Anyone with experience with both thinner and brake fluid?

I would love to own a rock tumbler, but I don't think it will be cheap and readily available where I live.

[lazybum]

Roger that. Will grab a can of thinner on my next visit to the hardware store.

[electrathon]

If you have ever spilled brake fluid on a painted surface you will know how effective it is as a paint stripper. It will lift the paint off the fender of a car fairly quickly. It is water soluable so it it easy to clean up (simply scrub it in the sink under running water and it is good). Laquer thinner is a strong solvent, has more safety issues than brake fluid too. I agree it likely will work too.

Aaron