"No Chemical" Paint Removal

Hello, my friends!  I meant to post last week, but my vertigo was acting up...you know it's bad when moving your eyes makes you dizzy!  If you suffer from vertigo, you know what I mean.  I suffered for a few days, then, finally tried the Epley Maneuver and was feeling much better the next day.  I'll have to share that in another post.  Now, let's talk about today's project.

Prior to my carpal tunnel surgery, I was busy working on a hutch for my dining room.  While I was painting, I had the brilliant idea to paint the hinges with a brush...yes, I know, not one of my finer moments!  I soon realized that it was a bad idea and was left with hinges thick with paint.  Chemicals were not an option.

I had read that one way to clean off the paint was to use a crockpot. I don't know about you, but I LOVE my crockpot and use it for FOOD!  No painted hinges were going in my crockpot, so I came up with my own solution.

Here's a quick peek at the hardware for one of the doors:

Even though everything wasn't painted, there was varnish (or some sort of finish) on the other pieces.

I grabbed a coffee can out of the recycle bin and place the hardware in the can.  Then, I sprinkled baking soda over all the pieces.

The kettle was filled with water and brought to a boil (on the Cottage's vintage stove).

The boiling water was poured in the can - just enough to cover everything, and the only thing left to do was wait - but, only for a few minutes.

As soon as the water was poured, you could see the baking soda and boiling water starting to work:

After a few minutes, I donned my rubber gloves (that water was HOT) and grabbed the painted hinge.  I rubbed my thumb over it and this is what happened:

Here's another view:

Pretty cool, huh?

Have a look at two of those unpainted pieces:

You can see the varnish peeling right off.

So, there you have it.  Paint & varnish removed.  No harmful chemicals were used, and the coffee can was rinsed out and place back in the recycle bin.  

A win for all, don't you think?

I'm so glad you stopped by and if you made it all the way to the end of this post, have no fear, you will see the finished hutch soon.  My husband needs to get a neighbor to help him carry it upstairs, since my hand isn't quite ready to carry a heavy load!

The finished hutch can be seen HERE.

Have a wonderful week!