Restoring cast iron fireplaces?

[pieman]

Could anyone please enlighten me on how and what is the best method for restoring a cast iron fireplace.
The fireplace has been painted with white paint.
I dont want to sand blast for fear of damage, is a caustic paint remover safe?
Any other ideas?

Thanks.

 

[em]

Hi,

We had several victorian cast iron fireplaces covered in years of paint - we had them sandblasted and then used grate black polish and they have all come up perfect - no damage or pitting and I did look really carefully as was dupious.

The only thing is once they are stripped you do need to treat them quickly otherwise they start to rust.

Conservation have seen them and actually commented on how good they were - As with most things is probably as much to do with the person doing the work knowing what they are doing and doing a careful proper job.

I would listen to others advise tho as I have no previous experience in conservation only learning as I go - luckily that one turned out alright!

 

[Penners]

I would always favour paint stripping rather than sandblasting. The latter has to be done very carefully in order to avoid losing any of the detail of the patterns in the iron, and you never know just how heavy-handed (or otherwise) your sandblaster is going to be.

My favourite stripper is Klingstrip, made by Strippers of Sudbury. They have various formulations for different jobs, so it's a good idea to have a look at the "I want to remove..." page of their website, to choose the best one. You'll find cast iron fireplaces specifically mentioned.

You can buy the stripper online direct from them.

Click here.

Once you've stripper the paint off, I suggest polishing the fireplaces with a black grate polish, like this one.

 

[Anita]

Sanblasting is fine as long as the fireplace has no flaws - but sometimes a small crack or weakness in the metal can cause an item to basically fall to bits if it is sandblasted! Therefore given the age and wear and tear on period fireplaces - it is always a bit of a risk. I'd not risk it if it is a fireplace that you really want to keep - better safe than sorry!!!!

I have always found that "Nitromors" and various wire brush attachments on a drill works well. This way you can get into all of the little crevices in the castings - but it's a messy job. Very old clothes, goggles and marigolds are compulsory! Once paint is removed - grate polish and elbow grease then gives lovely finish.

 

[Carrie]

I have stripped several cast iron fireplaces and found Klingstrip by Strippers of Sudbury the best option. I also used grate polish but thinned it down with a bit of white spirit and painted it on - saved on the elbow grease.

 

[Moo]

I also used grate polish but thinned it down with a bit of white spirit and painted it on - saved on the elbow grease.

What an excellent idea! Thanks for that.