Can’t get this paint off.

[MitchellC]

I got a wafer iron a few months back that was painted at some point in time. I’ve had it in two different fresh hot lye baths and done electrolysis on it once for about a day. The vast majority of the paint has come off, but there is still some stubborn spots in the motif of the irons. It’s been in a lye bath for a solid three months now and there are still spots of paint stuck so hard that I’ve even tried picking some of it out with a needle (I was careful not to make any scratches). The paint that is left is not remotely soft at all. Any suggestions on getting the rest of paint out?

 

[Doug D.]

Lye won't do anything if the substance doesn't have polymerized oil content. Might not be paint that's left, may be what the paint was trying to cover up. My guess would be carbon residue that has no grease left in it. Hard enough to deal with on flat surfaces, let alone intricate patterns. Bamboo skewers might be worth trying.

 

[MitchellC]

Lye won't do anything if the substance doesn't have polymerized oil content. Might not be paint that's left, may be what the paint was trying to cover up. My guess would be carbon residue that has no grease left in it. Hard enough to deal with on flat surfaces, let alone intricate patterns. Bamboo skewers might be worth trying.

Thanks Doug.

 

[RJ Ruchti]

A day is not long enough to clean the black off a pan. I have run into the same thing and left the pan in the E-tank for a week or longer to get it clean.