I have stripped the white gloss paint from my Victorian cast iron fireplace, using paint stripper, and followed all advice about what to do then about maintaining it in its unpainted state. Despite applications of white spirit, wire wool, wire brush, metal polish and hours of buffing, and now a blackening paste followed by more hours of rubbing with soft cloths, I can't get rid of a greasy residue, like a black film that stains my fingers to the touch and rubs off on clothes and anything else that comes into contact with it. Is this normal or am I not doing something I should? Could I not have perhaps removed everything that might have been applied to it? What's causing this? I can't get the metal to a silvery burnish that I see on the photos, but it remains a dullish black. I'd really appreciate your thoughts, as I don't want to paint it after all that work removing paint from it.
Trouble cleaning/polishing a cast iron fireplace
- Thread starter Baz912
- Start date
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I had a similar problem with a radiator ( cast iron column, Victorian ). I remember blackleading my gran`s stove when I was a nipper and that was fine 
I agree that heat is needed followed by more polishing with clean cloths . I ran a blowlamp over the rad and it seemed to help -maybe try a heat gun
I agree that heat is needed followed by more polishing with clean cloths . I ran a blowlamp over the rad and it seemed to help -maybe try a heat gun DIYnot Local
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