What solvent for removing "plastic lifetime finish" from door hardware

Acetone

on eBay or

Amazon

(affil links)

A. Hi George,

I'd hazard a guess that the coating is a urethane ... and that's very hard to remove.

You tried acetone (well done!), now go to a stronger solvent ... a so-called aromatic solvent. Or if you happen to have some PVC cleaner and it works, then obtain some 'clear' PVC cleaner ... which is tetrahydrofurane ... try your drug store for any powerful solvent, too.

Failing that, try the Yellow Pages for 'plastics' and see if there is someone specializing in urethanes. Go & ask them ... the modern deluxe wheel rim repair Companies do use a urethane but I'm unsure of the solvent ... they use it as a last coat on aluminum rims.

A. If this is old brass hardware, they might indeed have a hard to remove clearcoat. But "Aircraft Remover" will remove most organic coatings without damaging the brass.
. It's noxious stuff, for use outdoors only, standing upwind, and wearing goggles ⇦this on eBay or Amazon [affil links] and rubber gloves ⇦this on eBay or Amazon [affil links] as a minimum.

But if these claim to be Baldwin "Lifetime Finish", I was under the impression that this is a zirconium nitride or similar PVD finish on top of electroplating, rather than being a plastic finish. So if it's discolored it's probably because some cleaning chemical attacked the finish; I don't think there is any practical way to restore the finish yourself.

A. From Masco's website: "Technical innovation like the introduction of Physical Vapor Deposition technology, The Lifetime Finish™ from Baldwin®, has created a new standard in the marketplace: tarnish-free brass. Baldwin continues to develop expertise in this field collecting twelve patents in the process and solidifying our position as innovator and industry leader. Our Lifetime Finish product line is the broadest in the industry and growing."

I've heard you can buff the heck out of it and strip it. You will need to replate it though.

If it is a lifetime finish, why don't you send it back and get it replaced?

A. We used a nitric and sulfuric acid solution to remove the top layer down to the nickel plating underneath. We had to remove the finish on a total of 20 strikes that are going to be gold plated. Our plating source can easily strip the nickel. I had ordered these in an 030 finish but the distributor gave us the dreaded 003 (Lifetime Finish).

A. In response to the Baldwin clear coat, a commercial paint stripper will remove the urethane coating; Jasco ⇦this on eBay or Amazon [affil links] or a similar product. I use a much more caustic stripper with the viscosity of water.

Q. In regard to the PVD finish and using the combination of the 2 acids, is there a certain percentage used?

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Hi. Those acids are for use within an industrial plating and finishing shop, not out in the field. For one thing, nitric acid will ignite organic materials like sawdust or newspaper.

Regards,

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey

A. A fluoride based acid solution strips titanium/zirconium PVD coatings quite well.

A. Hi Margaret. The Baldwin finish is supposed to look like polished brass, so polished brass will look like the Baldwin finish. The only thing is, you'll need to lacquer it, and strip and re-lacquer it every few years if it discolors.

Regards,

A. Hi Mark. It is not a brass finish and can't be aged. You would need to strip the PVD finish, strip the underlying bright nickel plating, and hope that the hardware is solid brass (I don't know whether Baldwin uses solid brass hardware or not . . . a magnet would not prove they are brass but would indicate if they are steel). A plating shop can do the stripping for you, but consumer chemicals won't do it.

Regards,