Vintage Vise Paint removal HELP

[ALLFAST]

Hello Experts !
This very original 1945 542BX of mine is slathered in what is probably 65 to 70 year old light battle ship gray lead paint (up close it's heavily crazed and has tiny vein like delamination marks ). The swivel base was not painted gray and as you can see here, looks pretty good. I soaked the base (which was covered in a molasses like oily pitchy mess)for 6 hours in diesel and it came out spotless. This very tough semi gloss black paint remains and looks original to me. It's 95% intact. The 2 original pipe jaws have the same black shade on their outside edges, like it was sprayed or brushed on. I cleaned the main body and dynamic with Krud Kutter and its remnants was flooded with the gray white thick paint reside. I'm assuming it's lead as I had a very mild headache afterwards (didn't wear gloves for "just wiping it down for 30 minutes). My hope is to get the gray off of the main body without destroying what seems to be the original black paint underneath. What's the best method? Another member suggests oven cleaner. Any thoughts? The paint on the base looks AWESOME for being 75 years old. I'm trying to preserve whats left as best as I can.

Thanks for any input !
Shawn

 

[RTM]

Take it apart, soak it in Simple Green. All the eastern time zone folks must be asleep for a vise question to not get answered for an hour.

 

[ALLFAST]

RTM,
I will add that to the list of methods. Thanks for the tip.

 

[thehorse13]

Take it apart, soak it in Simple Green. All the eastern time zone folks must be asleep for a vise question to not get answered for an hour.

Yep. I'm at my battle station at 4am and just now sifting through the site.

RTM,
I will add that to the list of methods. Thanks for the tip.

I've run into this black glaze on Prentiss vises. The simple green suggestion does work but you have to give it hours and sometimes a day or so. I've had to resort to electrolysis a few times when all else failed.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

I third the SG suggestion, but you want to watch it. It will remove newer paint fairly fast, which is what you want, but it WILL go after the older paint too, if left soaking too long. On the other hand, there is paint so old and enameled and fused with the steel that even SG will not budge.

If that's the case, try a little acetone or paint thinner with steel wool. You may have to bear down a little, but obviously not too hard or you start digging into the black.

If careful amounts of acetone/thinner and scrubbing don't work, I have moved on to stripper applied very cautiously with steel wool.

You are curating with the last two, not cleaning.

Unfortunately, it's that kind of job. There is no easy way.

 

[ALLFAST]

Thanks RTM, HORSE and LUGS... Definitely curating at this juncture ��

 

[RoninB4]

That black "paint" underneath may very well be a version/imitation of Japanning. It's a very old finish the Europeans borrowed from what they saw in Asia (a special type of lacquer IIRC). First used on furniture but quickly adapted to tools for durability properties. It's a complex multi-part process that looks great but isn't something you do indoors. I wanted to replicate it for my Prentiss vise but wussed out and used enamel. Not as good looking.

 

[bmwrd0]

If it is Japaning, that is the finish used on the classic period of Stanley planes. If you look around the websites that cater to those collectors you can find many recipes for it.

I am sure RTM can help you there.

 

[ALLFAST]

Thank you Gents for the Jappaning info. I too had read about it's interesting history on old wood planes as well.

 

[RTM]

If it is Japaning, that is the finish used on the classic period of Stanley planes. If you look around the websites that cater to those collectors you can find many recipes for it.

I am sure RTM can help you there.

Oops, that’s my queue or cue, one of the two.

There are a handful of recipes and sources that people have recommended, but the ingredients are getting harder and harder to find, and the vendors selling has gone way down. If you are serious, I will dig out the recipes, but beware, these aren’t rattle can finishes. These are more like Smokeshow getting in trouble for stinking up the whole house, for a few days.

 

[ALLFAST]

I appreciate the interest on the Jappaning, but I'm soleley interested in removing the old gray paint without destroying what's underneath it��. 6 more days before I can begin !��

 

[ALLFAST]

Hopefully the gray paint removal goes according to plan !

 

[ALLFAST]

Hopefully the gray paint removal goes according to plan ! View attachment 1059205

View attachment 1059206

 

[Shiftless]

As Lugz has said already, to get tough paint off the top layer and not disturb the factory paint is very difficult. The few times I have tried that, I too have used acetone and an abrasive. I like scotchbrite. Soak the scotchbrite in acetone and rub an area on the vise to see what happens. Then repeat. The repeat again. The goal is to remove thin layers without soaking the surface which will loosen the factory paint.
If the acetone isn’t working for you, get some Methylene Chloride paint stripper. That stuff is very toxic and has been mostly banned just about everywhere. Professional refinishers can get it. Some old timers like me have a supply left over from when it was legal to sell it in hardware stores. That stuff will work faster than acetone and will remove anything...even epoxy paint.

USE NITRILE GLOVES AND WORK OUTSIDE WITH PLENTY OF FRESH AIR
Vapors of acetone and methylene chloride are not only toxic but explosive. Skin contact is also bad.

I use simple green soaks to strip paint, but I’d be worried about removing the factory paint as well. You might try soaking for an hour and then checking on progress by rubbing with scotchbrite or fine steel wool. Then another hour and so on.

 

[ZRX61]

The headache wasn't caused by lead in the paint, you've been living in California too long.

 

[ALLFAST]

Thanks shift! None of that nasty blacklisted stuff for me. I'll probably try some acetone and SG mixed and do the spot soak and see how it goes. I was able to chip some of the gray off with a razor blade edge with success, before I left for work, where I had the revelation of original black paint.

ZRX61, Yep!! Had a 20 minute chat about that very fact at 10PM with a coworker this evening !

I think I can get this stuff off. If not, I'm maybe going to use some of Private Lugnutz' faux finish techniques . I spent some time looking on that WWII toolbox thread.....There are some cool ideas there to be sure. In the end ,it's just a vise, and won't risk my health over it. Just hoping to have SOME originality in tact if at all possible.��

 

[Shiftless]

Thanks shift! None of that nasty blacklisted stuff for me. I'll probably try some acetone and SG mixed and do the spot soak and see how it goes. I was able to chip some of the gray off with a razor blade edge with success, before I left for work, where I had the revelation of original black paint.

ZRX61, Yep!! Had a 20 minute chat about that very fact at 10PM with a coworker this evening !

I think I can get this stuff off. If not, I'm maybe going to use some of Private Lugnutz' faux finish techniques . I spent some time looking on that WWII toolbox thread.....There are some cool ideas there to be sure. In the end ,it's just a vise, and won't risk my health over it. Just hoping to have SOME originality in tact if at all possible.��

I hope you don’t literally mean SG and acetone mixed. Either soak in SG for controlled time periods or rub off bits of paint with acetone and a rag or a scotchbrite pad. But I wouldn’t mix those two liquids together and expect good results.

If you want to try formulating some authentic Japanning paint, I have a supply of old school turpentine..not what’s sold today as “turps”. Turpentine is one of the ingredients. I’ve never tried making my own Japanning.

 

[ALLFAST]

Shift,

Thanks for the heads-up on not mixing SG/AT.! If I go the Jappaning route I will drop you a note !

Have a good afternoon Sir!