painted tools

[HeelSpur]

Stopped at a indoor flea market today and one guy has lots of really nice tools but 90% of them are painted red or primer brown. Not sure if he does it or he's buying from a source that does it but man is it a shame. There's even an aprox. 30" ratchet that is painted red, but no price sticker on it.
Here is 2 that I bought, is there any special way to remove the paint?

[OilyRascal]

Dang that's a shame!  Looks freshly painted on the monkey, and almost heavy over-spray on the pipe wrench.  I'd probably try hot water first.....hoping it was water based latex and fresh.  If I needed to be more aggressive I'd probably use an adhesive removal product next.  I'm guessing if it's oil based acrylic you're in for a shiny tool to remove the paint.

I'm no expert - that's my 2c on how I'd tackle it.

[BRwrench]

I have always used paint stripper to remove paint off of painted wrenches, it works good and doesn't seem to hurt the patina of the tool.  You will just need to be careful not to get it on the wood handle.

[Branson]

Paint stripper.  Done in about 5 minutes.  Oil, acrylic, stripper doesn't care.  Jasco is what I have at hand.  Worked like magic on a red painted Cman rat, and a (gasp) pink painted C clamp.  It shouldn't hurt the wood since it's made for stripping paint off wood. But you can tape the wood off to be sure you don't lose the patina.

[dimwittedmoose51]

I've had good luck using Acetone for spot removal of overspray and "paint jobs", but the acetone ebapoates quickly...sometmes TOO quickly before the cleaning is finished.  I'll dip a terry colth wash cloth i nit so there's a tad bit of abraslive going on.  If you are wearing protective gloves and in a nope air environment, then using Xylene or Tolulene will work too and they linger around longer than acetone.     

Now that I know that the paint stripper doesn't affect the condition of the metal , I htink the paint stripper would be less toxic and the gel version of it would cling to vertical surfaces better.

YMMV


DM&FS                           

[HeelSpur]

Guess I'll get me some paint stripper then, thanks.

[rusty]

Hopefully the paint isn't hiding the results of the 80 grit sandpaper....always a risk

...."I am have a spray can....I am a painter....uh..no ;P"

[Branson]

I've had good luck using Acetone for spot removal of overspray and "paint jobs", but the acetone ebapoates quickly...sometmes TOO quickly before the cleaning is finished.
YMMV
DM&FS                         

Lacquer thinner often works well too, and is less dangerous than acetone and xylene etc.  But gel strippers are so much less work.

[scottg]

From the looks of it. I'd try 27 seconds with a powered fine wire wheel.
It appears our painter didn't even dust the tools off first, so no way that paint stuck, and besides I recon its trying to hide the dirt and rust that is underneath it anyway.
 I'll fly off without hurting the tool at all, as long as you exercise even slight prudence.
 Namely a light touch and let the brush do the work (don't horse it).

Gel stripper costs about 10 bucks a quart these days. 
 yours Scott.

[Ken W.]

I see a lot of tools for sale around here that are spray painted Chevy engine Orange.Defiantly does not look good at all.

[clovis]

What a shame...

I bought a very large lot of IH tools last year, but sadly, many of them are painted bright red, with numerous coats of paint.

[Mac53]

I'd try "Citri-Strip" if you can find it near you. It is pretty great stuff. It even comes in a spray can so you don't have to worry about cleaning brushes or anything. You spray it on, it foams, and within a few minutes the paint just falls off in big pieces. It is citrus based too, so it isn't too nasty. I use it when I'm working on stuff I don't plan to just sandblast.

[keykeeper]

Just my opinion, but here it is:

For some reason, these flea market/rummage sale vendors think that by painting over the rust, they will get a better price for the tool. I've seen it time and time again, at least once at each venue I have been to. Evidently, these guys have plenty of time to kill in their "downtime" when they aren't selling, and it just makes sense to them to paint. I also think these sellers are catering sometimes to the "farmhouse chic" buyers that are looking for that special 'hang on the wall for decor/authenticity' purpose.

Then you have some collectors that will paint every tool they display, whether the tool needs it or not. Either it looks better to them, or they think it will impress someone. How many old farm wrenches actually came painted "John Deere Green"???  In that case, since it is their collection, I figure it's okay. They aren't trying to sell them, at least until they die and the family decides it's time to try and make a fortune from "uncle Festus'" junk from the shed.

Another seller I know cleans all the rust off of tools with a wire wheel brush, then slaps a coat of clear on them to "keep the rust at bay" (direct quote!). I buy from him regularly though, as his method doesn't cover up cracks, weld/grind jobs, etc.

Most of the time, though, I find that if it is painted, there is an obviously higher asking price compared to the same rusty wrench five tables down the aisle!!

Enough rambling, I think the others have covered all the various methods most people use to remove the paint. You will just have to experiment and find one way to do it that works best for you.

[HeelSpur]

There is one guy that sets up every week and does have some beautifully painted tools but they also come with a price. A buyer is paying for his work and not neccesarily the tool. I have never seen him make a sale but he has to be making money or he wouldn't be there every week.
If I see that 30" painted ratchet tomorrow I just may snag it.

[Bus]

I keep a spray can of paint remover handy for stripping paint. Also have a plastic five gallon covered bucket of lye water that I use when I have a lot of wrenches to strip. Just let them soak a couple days and rinse.