Refinishing wrought iron house numbers: Technique?

[964haus]

Hi all,
I'm planning to refinish a set of house numbers that my wife's grandfather made waaaay back in the day. He's long passed, but he was an important figure in my wife's childhood.

Our anniversary is coming up and she's really hard to buy for, so I thought to bring back to life this treasure and mount it on our garage.

I've started with a wire brush but would love to get your input on how best to strip it and finish it. I don't have a compressor so I'm using basic hand tools. Any tips on a solution to help clean off the old paint? I have a dremel - what end should I use? Planning on priming and painting - what would you suggest I use, Rustoleum?

There are some rough welds and it's not entirely smooth or perfect, which is part of the charm. I removed it from her grandparents house about 8 years ago when the old house was sold and soon demolished....glad I kept it.....

Some pics for ref.





Thanks for any tips!!

Matthew

 

[hermetic]

You could try an overnight soak in cider vinegar or white vinegar or electrolysis, which will remove the paint and the rust, but for a perfect job, get it sandblasted and powder coated! Nice heirloom to have!
Phil
UK

 

[Glemon]

Clean it up a bit but not too much, and keep the vintage/weathered look by clear coating it? Depends on what you want, but that might be kind of cool.

 

[Bobthetractor]

The welds ugly and I personally don’t see a nice vintage patina. If it were me, I’d take a wire wheel to it and then bead blast it try steel wool or Emory cloth if not and put a nice coat of paint in a color that he loved. John Deere green, Chevy orange, etc. I’d present it as finishing the job he would have done himself...if she hates it then you can strip it and bury it for a year and it will look the way it does now. It’s a nice gesture. I’ve done similar type
Projects a few times.

 

[bushmechanic]

Naval jelly/rust remover.

 

[The Cobbler]

perfect job for electrolysis. (search here or google for the process)
you could also try a vinegar bath, evaporust, or a wire wheel on an angle grinder .
I agree with you in not getting it too perfect, it's got the homemade characteristics that should be preserved .
A coat of semi gloss spray paint would be a good finish for it .

 

[kaymccampbell]

Sandblast it. Give it a coat of hammered bronze. And, call it good. If someone did that for me, I'd be happy.

 

[lilredex]

I'd sandblast it, too. Get one of those gravity fed units, then paint.

 

[nadogail]

Living in beach community, I have developed a genuine affection for Powder Coating.

 

[matt_i]

It doesn't really look rusted to me (if it was, evaporust).

Seems like sandblasting would be fastest...BUT...you should be ready to paint it asap after it comes out of the blast cabinet to avoid flash rusting.

Rustoleum can work well, spray or brush. I like to add the Majic catalyst hardener sold at TSC for more gloss and more toughness.

 

[Walkers]

I would also sandblast it and paint it.

 

[The Cobbler]

I love the model and evrything and it's an amazing gesture, she's really lucky to have you! I'm looking for a similar model actually, maybe someone here knows where I could find a similar house number model at a decent price? Thanks!

you could post in the wanted section, include your location and a picture.
I could maybe help, but I don't know where you are or what you want to spend.

 

[Norcal]

I had a stand sand blasted this week, it was $95 an hour, 1 hr minimum. Plus tax of course. It was too large to fit in my trusty HF blast cabinet, did do a couple of Rockwell grinder stands (the value engineered version) in it & that worked well.

 

[PCustoms]

I had a stand sand blasted this week, it was $95 an hour, 1 hr minimum. Plus tax of course. It was too large to fit in my trusty HF blast cabinet, did do a couple of Rockwell grinder stands (the value engineered version) in it & that worked well.

I'm assuming the OP finished this 4 years ago

 

[BTL-A4]

I've used Citrustrip. It took off auto paint off my garage floor. Leave it on overnight and rinse it off.

 

[dogdog]

I love the model and evrything and it's an amazing gesture, she's really lucky to have you! I'm looking for a similar model actually, maybe someone here knows where I could find a similar house number model at a decent price? Thanks!

2020 thread,
But I think that is a custom job that some one made from 1/2 square stocks and brazed together. Benders are cheap but those twisting would have require some heat and muscle or specific purpose machine. So…. Maybe pay some one to make it ?

 

[scfoxman]

For stripping old paint without a compressor, a chemical paint stripper specifically designed for metals could be a safer and easier option than manual scraping. For your Dremel, a fine wire brush attachment or a sanding band could work well to smooth out rough areas without removing the charm. As for priming and painting, Rustoleum is a solid choice due to its durability and rust prevention qualities. It's really thoughtful and sweet of you to take on such a project for your anniversary. If anything doesn't go as planned, you might want to check out these metal address signs. I've used them for my house, and they're fantastic - offering that classic look with a modern touch.

 

[thammel]

I have a blast cabinet and that's where I'd start. Then rustoleum rusty metal primer followed by color of choice.

 

[isb cornbinder]

I see that you are in Vancouver. I am in Burnaby. I might be able to help. I might let you use my sand-blast cabinet for this project. If you are interested, contact me in the forum email.

 

[PCustoms]

I see that you are in Vancouver. I am in Burnaby. I might be able to help. I might let you use my sand-blast cabinet for this project. If you are interested, contact me in the forum email.

The OP posted in 2020....

 

[isb cornbinder]

The OP posted in 2020....

Thanx for the heads-up. I missed that little detail . Offer removed.

 

[isb cornbinder]

I have an affinity for so many things. Some of it has followed me home. Some of it was taken to the city transfer station for recycling. I, after giving this some serious thought, think you may want to cut your losses and pass it along. If your significant other takes exception to your purchase and if you care about your relationship, set it out for "Curb Mart" and remember the inexpensive lesson.