apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Hey, that's my tip!

It really does work incredibly well. A word of warning, though -- if you use this method to strip the paint from glass or porcelain doorknobs, keep in mind that they will be HOT HOT HOT when you take them out of the crockpot (use tongs!). Cast iron and brass cool down to a manageable temperature pretty quickly, though.

Also, a disclaimer: It goes without saying that old paint often contains lead. This removal technique doesn't get the paint hot enough that it will release lead vapors, but if you do have to scrape any of paint off (most of it will just pull off in one piece, but the details may require a little extra work), take precautions to contain any dust or flakes.

So ... is it safe to remove lead paint in a vessel that one cooks food in?

I would assume that you're getting an old used Crockpot so it could be used exclusively for these types of projects ...

She does say get an old one from Goodwill, common sense would say "no cooking" after the stripping. I think that was made quite clear. JMHO

Uh...no. I definitely would NOT consider using your paint-removal Crockpot for cooking food. It will get pretty nasty after a few batches of cast iron hinges go through it!

Crockpots (even new ones) are pretty darn cheap, so it's best to have one designated solely to paint removal. That said, this method might not make a whole lot of sense if you only have one thing to strip, but for those with a whole house or apartment full of paint-coated hardware, it's great.

Funny, I've never actually cooked food in a Crockpot! I kind of forgot that's what they're for.

I know at least a dozen people who have done this - it totally works!

Just a quick question before I start... any recommended detergents? Powder or liquid?

Thanks for the tip!

Could someone explain "the one where you boil your painted hardware" please? Previous occupants of my flat took a rather slapdash approach to painting, so I've got about a dozen porcelain doorknobs that need cleaned up as well as a load of hinges that will need to be stripped if I ever manage to get them out from under the layers of paint. (Btw, I'm in France so no Crockpot action for me!)
Thanks.

I would really like to try this tip. I have tons of painted hardware in my house. But I'm a little intimidated about removing the doorknobs and not being able to figure out how to put them back on (so that they actually function again). Anybody had any trouble with this or am I worrying needlessly?

Don't re-use the toothbrush, either. Or the toothpicks! Okay, I think all the bases are covered.

Hubiquitous: Liquid laundry detergent is the way to go. Any type should be fine. I've used several different types (whatever I have on hand for the laundry), and the results are the same every time.

El Jinx: Old House Web says TSP and water in a kettle will do the trick, but you want to simmer (NOT boil). I personally prefer the Crockpot, because it's much easier to safely maintain a lower temperature over a longer period of time than it is with a stovetop. I have concerns about the stovetop method getting the paint to a temperature high enough that lead vapors could be released, but maybe I'm just being overly cautious. Good luck with your hardware! It is SO satisfying to get 15 layers of paint off a hinge all in one go.

Aaw: TAKE CLOSE-UP PHOTOS as you're disassembling the knobs and locks, and store all the part in a Ziploc bag. If you're doing lots of hardware at once, label the bags so you know which door each set of hardware came from. And don't lose any screws! You can put them in the Crockpot, but finding a replacement screw for an old lock at Home Depot is not fun.

If you need to remove paint from any of the interior parts of the mechanisms, DRY THOROUGHLY after removing from the water, and wipe everything down with WD-40 before reassembling.

We have a combination of mortise locks and rim locks in our house, all of them 100 years old, and so far all of them have gone back together right. The parts are all cast iron and brass, and reassembly is logical. The first few times we got a little confused, but some Googling lead us to photos showing the right way to put which spring, etc.

(I'm assuming here that you have old knobs and locks. Newer mechanisms may be much more complex, and the parts may be less durable.)

Thanks Anna.

Thanks for walking me through this Anna at D16. My knobs and hinges are all old and all brass as far as I can tell. I can't wait to try this over the weekend! I enjoyed looking through the pics of your bathroom project btw. Good luck.

Just to give credit where credit is due: We did write about this in This Old House, but the original idea came from Brad Kittel, the owner of Discovery Architectural Antiques, in Gonzales, Texas.

http://discoverys.com/

They actually shot the story using my apartment's hardware, and I can attest that it worked amazingly well on some pretty badly crusted hardware!

Anna at D16 and El Jinx: TSP is not available in a lot of places anymore (including NYC). We just used regular dishwashing soap. Also, if you don't have a crockpot, it can work almost as well to put everything in a heated pot of water with the soap, cover it, and let it sit out overnight (not on the stove). Several people have told me that does the trick.

The article for This Old House will be up on our site soon, if you want to learn more.

Thanks for filling in the blanks, Alex! I tried to find the article on TOH online before I posted the tip, but couldn't find it.

That's interesting about TSP -- I just realized that what I've been cleaning my walls and woodwork with (pre-painting) is actually called "TSP Substitute". Huh. So the safer (presumably) alternative to TSP doesn't get its own name? Confusing!