Easter5053 Posted March 10, 2015 Share Posted March 10, 2015 weve got an old Belfast sink we use for our brushes and rollers when we paint the stage. At this point it's caked and could do with a good clean.I know water aNd elbow grease will worke, but I'm wondering if there's any tricks. I'm considering a heat gun to flake the paint but I don't know if that will cause problems for the sink. Thanks for any help Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulears Posted March 10, 2015 Share Posted March 10, 2015 Hot water and a scraper? Lots of solvent works on some paint, but a scraper like a Stanley knife bladed one works pretty well and isn't that hard work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave m Posted March 10, 2015 Share Posted March 10, 2015 I would be worried about heat cracking the sink .I would use a paint scraper and try not to scratch the glaze. I use stainless steel wire wool type scouring pads at home. Maybe some washing up liquid? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oldradiohand Posted March 10, 2015 Share Posted March 10, 2015 What type of paint? water or solvent based? Actually forget that. I was going to suggest Nitromors for solvent based paints but they've changed the formula, removed the stuff that made it effective and it's pretty useless by all accounts Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigclive Posted March 10, 2015 Share Posted March 10, 2015 A bit heinous, but the door stripping companies use a tank filled with water and caustic soda, so it might be worth trying something like that. Note that caustic soda liberates heat as it dissolves in water (exothermic reaction) so add and dissolve slowly. Also make sure EVERYONE knows the sink has a caustic soda solution it it as it will burn skin and convert your natural body fats to soap. It also tends to attack metals if left in contact with them long enough. I guess a long soak with a fairly strong solution could dissolve many layers of paint. On a plus note, it's often used as a drain unblocker for the very fact it dissolves fats and other solids. That makes it relatively safe to flush down the sink I guess. It's also the easiest way to buy it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuart91 Posted March 10, 2015 Share Posted March 10, 2015 It's also the easiest way to buy it. It's available in my local pound shop. Surprisingly effective - cleared a well blocked gutter downpipe almost instantly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jivemaster Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 Do you have cleaners with floor buffing machines? The big discs of scourer the machines use usually liberates a 3"dia disc from the centre which is free and comes in various roughnesses. The red one I have used on vehicle paint satisfactorily (removes marks before paint) the Black one is very coarse and abrasive -will damage some surfaces. pick one to suit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kerry davies Posted March 12, 2015 Share Posted March 12, 2015 I used to use an apprentice. They seem to get things clean as long as you are in no rush. Don't use the heat gun on a Belfast, you'll break it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musht Posted March 12, 2015 Share Posted March 12, 2015 Scotchbrite is the big name in scourer pads in all sorts of grades, car paint shop suppliers stock them http://www.vikingtapes.co.uk/c-47-3m-scotch-brite-hand-pads.aspx#.VQGDmo5Juvs Heard this paint remover recommended before, from the good people at Barrentine who`s meths recieves rave reviews on Amazon... http://www.wood-finishes-direct.com/product/paint-varnish-remover This is good in a non solvent way: https://www.trade1st.co.uk/trade-strip-graffiti-go-500ml?gclid=CPjS_oysm8QCFYrLtAodwzUAAA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Easter5053 Posted March 12, 2015 Author Share Posted March 12, 2015 This has all been great information...and for more than just cleaning the sink! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ojc123 Posted March 15, 2015 Share Posted March 15, 2015 Be very, very careful with sodium hydroxide. At the concentrations they use for paint stripping it is seriously dangerous. If sodium hydroxide gets in your eye at that concentration it's likely that you will lose your sight. It's much worse than any acid. I'd rather not use sodium hydroxide for anything if I can help it. Sodium Hydroxide's the main constituent of Mr Muscle oven cleaner so if you do choose to go down that route then I'd be tempted to spray oven cleaner on an area to see if it works. It's a bit more expensive but it foams up and stays on vertical surfaces quite well. Wear thick rubber gloves and eye protection. Try not to breathe in the fumes. You'd need a lot of sodium hydroxide to fill a Belfast sink with a suitably concentrated solution. A famous search engine finds some people suggesting making a paste with sodium hydroxide and cornflour so you can plaster it onto the surface. Take care if you try. The stuff from the poundshop is usually sodium carbonate (washing soda) mixed with sodium hydroxide (caustic soda.) It's good for drains and taking your skin off but I doubt it would take paint off. I find it hard to imagine that the heat from a paint stripping gun at a temperature of about 600 C would crack a sink that's been fired at about 1200 degrees C. There's a large mass of ceramic with a high specific heat capacity. I suspect that a low mass of hot air with a low specific heat capacity wouldn't heat it up quickly enough to cause thermal shock. You only need to heat the paint not the whole sink. I've never tried heating a belfast sink with a hot air gun so I'm just sceptical of the advice. In the interests of research, I've just heated an old ceramic mug with my hot air gun with no ill effects. Whatever you do, please take care with sodium hydroxide. It is awful stuff. Edit to add MSDS to give you some idea what you're messing with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Easter5053 Posted March 17, 2015 Author Share Posted March 17, 2015 Thanks, that was highly informative! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d_korman Posted March 17, 2015 Share Posted March 17, 2015 It depends on the type of paint. If it's water based emulsion, then hot water, washing up liquid and a scourer will do it perfectly well. That's what we use for the Belfasts at the Charles Cryer Workshop, and for the odd occasion someone has used an oil based paint, polyclens brush cleaner and a scourer works OK. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ojc123 Posted March 17, 2015 Share Posted March 17, 2015 It depends on the type of paint. If it's water based emulsion, then hot water, washing up liquid and a scourer will do it perfectly well. That's what we use for the Belfasts at the Charles Cryer Workshop, and for the odd occasion someone has used an oil based paint, polyclens brush cleaner and a scourer works OK.This would be my preferred method. Brush cleaners can be aggressive too so take care. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.