The Historic District

Ok...I finally found a paint that Citristrip won't touch. Maybe it is milk paint? I need to get it off the door jamb. What would you recommend? Something with Methylene Chloride? Thanks for the input...

circa 1850 is probably the most common you'll find it in any hardware store I think.. it still might not do anything if it's milk paint,, a belt sander with about 60 grit will , but it'll make dust.. or a sharp carbide scraper maybe.

sometimes on that really tough stuff I ave had success with a carbide scraper and heat gun. not fast.. the sander is faster. but dusty!

you can also try water or maybe water with a little ammonia,, if that will break it free you are lucky, probably not but easy to test just in case it's calcimine or something.

If it truly is milk paint then there are specialty strippers for it. Before seeking those out I'd try the smelly chemical stuff first as it is fairly cheap and readily available

the problem with strippng door frames is it's so hard to take them outside. Other parts I just use the belt sander.. but it makes a lot of mess so it's nicer if you can take them to where it's easier to clean up and work them over.. then nail them back up finished.. but door jambs are pretty hard to remove so have to be done in place.

Thanks, guys. I'm picking up a couple of samples of some hardcore stuff on Monday. I'll see if they do the trick. I also could probably do some wet scraping with a carbide scraper - good suggestion, Phil.

Apparently you aren't supposed to use a heat gun when dealing with lead paint without a full face PAPR respirator and I'm not keen on spending another $500 right now if I can avoid it (especially since I need to pick up a HEPA vac). lol!

I doubt it's milk paint. In urban areas, the use of milk paint was rare after about the Civil War era.

I'd try a heat gun. You'll need the respirator if you sand it, as the particles will become airborne. With a heat gun, it will just soften and sag to the point that you'll scrape it and it will fall to the floor. It won't get hot enough to vaporize the lead that may be in it. You would need to get it over 3000 degrees Fahrenheit and no heat gun on the market can do that. An ordinary shop vac works fine to clean up - it has a filter and the bags are thick.

Be careful if you sand. Belt sanders cut fast, especially on softer woods like pine or poplar, and can do damage if you aren't used to using one.

If you still want to try a different stripper, try the one that's formerly known as Soy Gel. The name now is Blue Bear Paint and Urethane remover. I've had good luck using it on furniture and on other applications where a heat gun wasn't appropriate. The downside is it's kind of expensive, but it's been the best chemical stripper I've found and I've tried just about everything out there. It runs circles around Citri-strip and doesn't have the toilet cleaner smell.

"toilet cleaner smell?" I think Citri-strip smells like orange candy! LOL

Mick_VT wrote:"toilet cleaner smell?" I think Citri-strip smells like orange candy! LOL

I guess I have a bias against things that are orange flavored or scented. It all stems from a traumatic experience I had a few years ago.

I was in the hospital and I had to have an endoscopy procedure where I had to drink a gallon of this mystery substance over four hours' time. Without my knowledge or consent, someone mixed in an orange flavoring packet with it, which made it taste even worse and it was near impossible to choke down. Since then, I haven't wanted anything orange flavored or anything that smells like orange anywhere near me. The sad thing is I used to love Orange Crush and orange cream-sicles prior to this experience.

1918ColonialRevival wrote:I guess I have a bias against things that are orange flavored or scented. It all stems from a traumatic experience I had a few years ago.

I was in the hospital and I had to have an endoscopy procedure where I had to drink a gallon of this mystery substance over four hours' time. Without my knowledge or consent, someone mixed in an orange flavoring packet with it, which made it taste even worse and it was near impossible to choke down. Since then, I haven't wanted anything orange flavored or anything that smells like orange anywhere near me. The sad thing is I used to love Orange Crush and orange cream-sicles prior to this experience.

When I was little, I was an orange cream-sicle fanatic. One particularly hot summer, I apparently got what my folks thought was a minor case of heat stroke. The last thing I had eaten before the heat stroke started showing symptoms was an orange cream-sicle, and the bad memory of urping it back up stuck with me for a long time at that age, and I refused them when offered. During my dad's retelling of that story, he of course made mention that he was "forced" to eat the rest of the box so it wouldn't go to waste.

I offer my heartfelt sympathies.

1918ColonialRevival wrote:I doubt it's milk paint. In urban areas, the use of milk paint was rare after about the Civil War era.

I'd try a heat gun. You'll need the respirator if you sand it, as the particles will become airborne. With a heat gun, it will just soften and sag to the point that you'll scrape it and it will fall to the floor. It won't get hot enough to vaporize the lead that may be in it. You would need to get it over 3000 degrees Fahrenheit and no heat gun on the market can do that. An ordinary shop vac works fine to clean up - it has a filter and the bags are thick.

Be careful if you sand. Belt sanders cut fast, especially on softer woods like pine or poplar, and can do damage if you aren't used to using one.

If you still want to try a different stripper, try the one that's formerly known as Soy Gel. The name now is Blue Bear Paint and Urethane remover. I've had good luck using it on furniture and on other applications where a heat gun wasn't appropriate. The downside is it's kind of expensive, but it's been the best chemical stripper I've found and I've tried just about everything out there. It runs circles around Citri-strip and doesn't have the toilet cleaner smell.

Yeah, I am not sure what kind of paint it is for certain. I would like to know though, because it is tough as hell! I will check out the Blue Bear remover, thanks!

I just finished a 40 hr contractor's course on lead abatement, so just to add a few things in case anyone else runs across this...

- It is necessary to wear a PAPR (powered-air purifying respirator) when using a heat gun for stripping. These are the ones with a battery that supplies fresh air. A standard half face respirator is not deemed sufficient protection by OSHA

- A shop vac is not sufficient to clean up anything associated with lead dust. These are not air tight and will likely just shoot the lead dust around the room. One needs an actual contractor's HEPA vacuum designed to deal with lead. https://www.jendcosafety.com/pullman-ho ... g-b160535/