This past week was rainy and cool - not very pleasant for outdoor work. Besides, my back was on the fritz again. In these moments, I do my least favorite things: stripping and cleaning the hardware for the shutters.
After chipping away at layers of paint to expose the screw, I remove the hinges from the window frame. I don't believe they'd ever been removed because I was seeing bare wood where the hinges once had been.
I then put them to soak in a glass jar of eco stripper and forget about them. Some of the hinges have been soaking for weeks. It looks pretty nasty, but at this point, it's not hard work at all, but it is messy. The paint has separated from the metal and it comes off like removing the skin of a cooked chicken.
I clean them with soap, water and a tooth brush to remove whatever is left. Then they're spray painted with a heat tolerant paint. Those hinges get really hot, being exposed to the sun all day.
I then put them to soak in a glass jar of eco stripper and forget about them. Some of the hinges have been soaking for weeks. It looks pretty nasty, but at this point, it's not hard work at all, but it is messy. The paint has separated from the metal and it comes off like removing the skin of a cooked chicken.
I clean them with soap, water and a tooth brush to remove whatever is left. Then they're spray painted with a heat tolerant paint. Those hinges get really hot, being exposed to the sun all day.