The first thing that came to mind was chemicals but you don't wont to go that route . The next thing I was thinking is soda blasting , but that may be costly

 

I wouldn't mind the chemicals as long as I could be sure it won't hurt the brass...

 

Soda blasting will remove paint from Corvettes without damaging the fiberglass under the paint and I've been told that it will work the same way with painted wood. If the telegraph was mine I would find someone who can soda blast it and see what they think. Harbor Freight sells a small soda blast unit, if you insist on doing it yourself, but you are going to use a lot of baking soda, so find a good source for it like a bakery supply near you.

The citrus strippers might work. I have no experience here, so you should put some scrap brass in a small quantity of citrus stripper and see what happens to the brass before tackling the ship's telegraph.

Charley

 

brake fluid or acetone and ATF at a 1/1 ratio...
finish clean up w/ turps...

 

I'm guessing this is another one of "Sticks's Mixes" that doesn't come with a label...

Would I paint it on and let it sit for a while, repeat if necessary... or would I make enough to cover it in a 5-gal bucket and let it sit till it calls me on the phone...?

 

any film left on the bell will clean up very nicely w/ a distilled white vinegar wash...

just never forget you are dealing with unknown paint.. small segment to start 1st..

 

Ah,, the old brake fluid on the duco, trick......hehehe....

 

duco???
or am I afraid to ask???

 

Thank you, Stick...

Good point on the unknown MSDS...it'll definitely be an outside job...gloves and all. Besides, if I stink up the house in the winter it'll be the last bell I toll...

...btw...I'm gonna print your post and slap it on the side of the jug I put the mix in...I'm callin' it a label. I'll send you a preview...

Happy New Year...Nick

 

Maybe this?
Duco Hi Build

 

You can use a normal paint stripper, but stay away from any acid or citrus. Stick,s formula works well, but when cleaning with vinegar, use it at 1/4 to 1/3 strenght. Acid will leach out the zinc, leaving the surface a copper color.

 

I have used paint stripper on brass and copper without ever having a problem. But brake fluid would probable work and would be a lot cheaper.

 

I knew a lady in KY who bought an old ice box- oak with brass hardware. I asked her how she cleaned off about 8 coats of paint on the hardware. She soaked it in ketchup!

 

GREAT!!!!!!!!

can't do ketchup on burgers any more....

 

Oooops! The hardware, not the icebox. :no:

 

paint removal

You can try boiling it off. Big pot--NOT the WIFE'S-- lot of water boil till the paint is loose, scrape with wood, scotch brite or anything that doesn't scratch.
OR-- we use this on model trains-- put TIDE laundry powder in water and boil.

Patience.

Also -just came to mind-- heat gun, torch, etc.
I suspect that the heat wouldn't harm the brass patina.

 

Many years ago I pulled into a small store parking lot. At the exact same moment Joy and I burst into laughter - we had both read the same window sign, which proclaimed:
"Our bread is made with a chemical-free formula" (Pretty much everything includes chemicals!) We both wondered, just how does one pull a vacuum on a plastic bread bag? Truth is: there is no chemical-free formula.

Nick-meister, I think what you're looking for is called a "heat-gun". Pretty much everything else that I've seen suggested is "chemical".

Otis Guillebeau from Auburn, Georgia