Remove paint from lead roof

[rossyl]

Hi All

Previous owners have painted a lead porch roof with red paint. It's flaking off in some areas but stuck on in others.

What best to remove all the paint from the lead?

I've been reading and read mixed reports on:
- soapy water and wire wool (but water will turn the lead white)

- heat gun and scraper (but easy to melt/damage the lead when hot and this is a visible decorative roof)

- Nitromors (but washing it off with water will turn all the lead white)

After removal if like to use Patination Oil to bring back a more natural look.

A but stuck what to use. Grateful for advice.

Thanks
R

 

[footprints]

I doubt a heat gun will melt lead, even when wiping joints with a blowlamp you have to be pretty careless to melt the lead. Just keep it moving.

 

[opps]

I once had to remove paint from lead flashing. It was a PITA. I used paint stripper and then washed it off. I then had to wait for it to dry and then polished it with a webrax pad and then applied patination oil. It is doable but time consuming.

 

[rossyl]

Thanks.

Heat gun might be the easiest way to. Avoid the washing stage.

 

[opps]

I am not sure that a heatgun will work. I don't think you will be able to scrape the paint off without scratching the lead.

Let us know how you get on. Good luck.

 

[Tigercubrider]

You probably need to do some experiments.
A really good stripper is synstryp. (The spelling may be off)
It works very well on paint and possibly stainless steel washing up wire balls might catch enough paint to pull it away without scratching.
There must be something that could blast the paint stripper away yet not discolour the lead?
You'd need to do some research.