What's this on my mantelpiece?

[CadwellParker]

Hi there,

I've just started stripping the gloss paint from my fireplace using Nitromors paint stripper.

I've managed to get down to the bottom layer of the mantelpiece quite quickly and have found this strange green stuff... ( see pic below ).

While the rest of the paint blistered and was easy to strip away this green stuff does not blister. Instead it turns into a sludgey paste and while I can scrape some of it away, much as you would remove excess butter from a slice of bread it's proving very difficult to remove all traces. The stuff left on just sets hard again after a while.

Does anyone know what would be the easiest way to remove it altogether?
I wondered if I should soften it up again with some more paint stripper and then use some kind of detergent to wash it off or is there a better way?

Hope someone can give me a clue

 

[Robbie uk]

It could be a scumble glaze, this was used during the process of figure graining to make it look like wood, very popular in the thirties and forties.
This is very sticky when heated and then dries hard again. There is no easy solution other than to continue with the heat lamp or nitromors.

 

[JohnD]

try a bit in hot water just in case it is size-based like distemper

 

[ujmfb]

Is it a carriage clock?

 

[CadwellParker]

Ok, thanks all...

Carriage clock? perhaps a green plastic one which got a bit too hot

 

[Nestor_Kelebay]

If it were me, I would use a HEAT GUN to soften the stuff and scrape it off with a sharp paint scraper.

Then I'd probably see if lacquer thinner or acetone removed what was left behind.

When repainting, use an interior alkyd primer and an interior alkyd paint over that mantle. Latex paints (or "emulsion" as you call it in England) simply don't form hard enough films to provide good service on working surfaces like floors, shelves, window sills, desk tops and mantles. Dust that collects on a working surface like a shelf will be embedded in the soft "emulsion" when you slide a stack of plates or a stainless steel pot across that shelf. The result is that the shelf will soon look dirty as dirt becomes embedded in it's surface. The same thing will happen on a mantle, but at a slower rate because the surface of a mantle enjoys less usage than the surface of a shelf.

The harder the paint you use, the less dirt will get embedded in it. Ideally, you'd want to use a paint intended for floors. However, polyurethane paints intended for use on floors are typically pretinted at the factory to only a handful of colours. The reason for this is that the colourants used to tint paints at the point of sale are dispersed in GLYCERINE. That's because glycerine is soluble in both water and mineral spirits, so by using glycerine as the carrier fluid in paint colourants, you can use the same colourants to tint both oil based and water based paints. So, hardware stores only have to have a single paint tinting machine to do all their tinting with for every kind of paint they sell. The problem is that you add glycerine when tinting a paint, and glycerine is slow to evaporate. The result is that the more you tint a paint on a paint tinting machine, the longer it will take to dry, and this can be a serious problem with a floor paint. So, paints intended for use on floors will stand up best on working surfaces like mantles, but they will typically come pre-tinted in only a few colours, all of which will be suitable for hiding dirt on floors, like grey, dark grey, reddish brown and navy blue.

You can, however, tint an alkyd or polyurethane floor paint in a paint tinting machine. It will just take longer to dry (depending on how much it's tinted). The trick is finding an alkyd or polyurethane floor paint in a light enough colour that you can tint to your desired colour.

If push came to shove, you can always take a gallon of a polyurethane hardwood floor finish and tint it to the colour you want, including white using the white colourant on the paint tinting machine. You'd have to remove some poly to allow room for the colourant, tho. This is in fact how the first "enamel" paints were made; by tinting cans of varnish on a paint tinting machine. Since polyurethane has replaced varnish as the clear coat of choice over wood, what you'd actually be making is a modern day "enamel" paint.

 

[CadwellParker]

Ok, thanks for the paint info Nestor...

The plan was to return the fireplace to as near to original condition as possible, obviously not using the old lead stuff they used to put on them but a modern equivalent.

If I decide to go paint it afterall I'll bear your comments in mind

Cheers

 

[Zampa]

Whatever you do DONT rub it down..it could be lead based.

 

[Robbie uk]

you know the more i look at it i think that it might have been made to look like Malacite which is a mineral. Around the early part of the century there were alot of things grained to look like this instead of looking like wood. Malacite is green. Zampa will know !! What do you think matey ??

 

[Zampa]

Yeh I thought that as well..I just didnt want to say anything

Good call as it happens...or an attepmt at Verdigri (spelling)

The way the OP describes it makes me think it isnt oil based..or maybe its a oil based 'gold' paint that has corroded because its got a water based paint over the top of it?

 

[CadwellParker]

Thanks Zampa! You're right. Going down with lead poisoning won't get my house sorted.

I'd heard it'd be ok to sand leaded paint if it was damped down with water. I guess after the water has dried out you'll still have a load of poisonous dust to deal with so I guess this is best left to the pros.

I guess I'll have another go with the Nitromors and maybe a heat gun and see how it goes.

I wondered how it'd look if I just painted over the green stuff if it proves too hard to shift. What do you reckon? Would that just look terrible. Perhaps some kind of base coat put on first would help the finish.

Cheers

 

[Zampa]

Wet and dry abrasive paper will be ok just kepp the rinsing it out and leave it clean after..and dont panic there wont be enough lead to kill you..

Having said that...avoid the hot stripper..youll produce lead fumes

If it is lead based that is.

 

[joe-90]

Having said that...avoid the hot stripper..

Send her round to my place.

 

[Zampa]

Filth!!...ban this man!!!



And so near to a Sunday too...

 

[Robbie uk]

Dont be too hasty zampa LOL !!!!!! Sounds just wot we need !!