Removing paint from cast iron

I bought a couple late 50's early 60's fire hydrants today (legally from a nearby towns public works department). I want to clean and paint one for myself and clean and paint one to sell. A wire brush in a grinder is always one option for removing the many, many layers of paint (orange, yellow, blue, red, and white) but it's hard to get the paint out of the cast-in writing on the hydrant and even the fluting on the caps will take quite a bit of time.

Considering I want to make some money on the one I'm selling--and I mean enough to think I made a real deal--I can't afford to pay to have it sandblasted. Seems back some years ago I heard people had used oven cleaner to clean cast iron on their tractors. Does it remove paint or just grease? Any other ideas?

Wal-Mart sells a cheap shiphone (sp) type of sand blaster for around $15 and they work ok for small stuff

(quoted from post at 13:06:00 10/18/12) I bought a couple late 50's early 60's fire hydrants today (legally from a nearby towns public works department). I want to clean and paint one for myself and clean and paint one to sell. A wire brush in a grinder is always one option for removing the many, many layers of paint (orange, yellow, blue, red, and white) but it's hard to get the paint out of the cast-in writing on the hydrant and even the fluting on the caps will take quite a bit of time.

Considering I want to make some money on the one I'm selling--and I mean enough to think I made a real deal--I can't afford to pay to have it sandblasted. Seems back some years ago I heard people had used oven cleaner to clean cast iron on their tractors. Does it remove paint or just grease? Any other ideas?

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Get a needle scaler. Looks kind of like an air chisel, but has a bundle of needles instead. It's the best and easiest way I have found for removing multiple layers of paint from cast iron.

If you aren't in a real big hurry, electrolysis would be the way to go. Google it, or look through the archives on this site for instructions. I hardly ever use a sandblaster anymore.

Give the oven cleaner a try. I used it more to get the grease and grime off. But it did take some paint also. I sprayed it on, let is set for a short time then used a scrub brush, sometimes a tooth brush, to clean the grease off. I would think if set longer it might take the paint also.

Dusty

If sandblasting isn't an option I would probably use a paint and varnish remover.

What can a person do with an old fire hydrant? The reason I ask is I hauled off one from a customers house that wanted to get rid of it. This one could never be made usable. It was broken off at the base.

I know to some folks they are junk but to some they are treasure. I'm in between.

I've seen them laying where they were broken off by a car and wondered if broken they would be given away. I stopped and asked once but was told I'd have to call their office. I didn't bother. That's been years ago. Then I found these. I fully expect that after painting the second one I'll get over a $100 for it on Craig's list. Like most folks I expect, mine will be a lawn ornament. I have an old gas pump I need to paint too and I plan to put them outside a metal building I have. I guess if you have a game room or man cave or shop that you decorate you could use it there. Or if you are a fireman you might have a lot of fire collectables and love a old hydrant in the corner of your living room. Two could be used as legs with a glass top for a unique table. Dog owners, men and women, like them to give dogs something to pee on but I doubt the dogs really care. It would be a great ornament outside a vet office or dog rescue etc.

If you find another broken one and all the pieces are there perhaps it can be tack welded back together--remember it's just for display. Frankly the jury is still out if I make enough to pay for my time in cleaning the pump and painting it to make it worth my while. Chemical cleaners and wire brushes for the grinder are expensive and spray paint is too. I paid $50 for each and trust me that is much cheaper than I will ever find for a unbroken hydrant with all the caps. Plus these have the fluting on the top that I like.

If I had a can of red paint to brush on I expect I'd get the most bang for the buck not cleaning it and just slopping on some red paint so it'd take a nice picture but I want mine done pretty nice and the one I plan to sell I'd do similarly and try to take pics that show how nicely it's done.

Theft is something to be concerned about if left in the front yard and it's obvious it's ornamental as it would be out in the country where I live and not actually connected. Of course they'd still have to work for it as the smaller of mine weights 150lbs and the larger 220lbs.

I bought a needle scaler from Harbor Freight today for $20 and it is indeed great for thick paint and that cracking peeling paint. It's still not magic for some areas but I also bought 2 cans of oven cleaner from a dollar store for $1 each. I think this and perhaps a bit of wire brushing with the grinder will get it cleaned up good.

The needle scaler will be great for future projects as well so I don't consider it a direct expense of fixing these up.

We have a commercial/industrial sandblasting
place near us. All of the shrouding for a V4 Wisconsin Engine..blasted and primed cost $20.
A fire hydrant would probably be $20

I went out and took a picture of the hydrant I have. There is a date 1953 on it. The only thing I could think to do with it is run an outside hydrant through it. Now I may just refinish it and try to sell it. I didn't know there was a demand for them.

I have restored 2 Mueller brand hydrant in the last 2 years. The neighbor up the road has an industrial sandblasted & charged me $40 to blast it. I brushed on 2 coats of new holland yellow on the bottom & the same with Massey furgusen red for the top & caps. Taped it up & sprayed the 3rd coat for that glossy finish.

I recent did another one that was finished all red. I had sandblasted it myself since we have 2- 2-stage compressors in out shop. Might have taken 200 lbs of silica sand to do the job, but very time consuming since the compressors couldn't keep up the sand blaster. A chemical based solution u can try Muscle Magic from o'Rieley's. We always got the 5-gallon jug sine we use it to degrease tractors, it also helps "cut" through the paint. However, we spray Easy Off Oven Cleaner (has to be the brand named) on the project, let it sit for 5 minutes & scrub it with a scotch brute pad & then wash it off with hot water. Just some things we use when it coming to cleaning cast iron.

That "53 hydrant is a Ludlow. Lots of info at this link. A geek can spend hours there.
Firehydrant.org

I picked up a couple when scrap prices were so low they were giving them away.My neighbor and I painted them up and put them in our back yards for the dogs to use.Neighbor had some friends over who belonged to the local fire dept and they demanded that we register them with the fire dept. He said fine but they are just stuck in the ground and not hooked up to anything.that ended that topic. Bill

Buy a box of RED DEVIL lye (caustic soda) and a gallon of laundry starch. Mix up a good strong batch of paste,brush it on and let it sit rinse and use a good stiff brush,repeat as neccessary.

Not sure what it's worth but it does have some collector value. The more ornate, the more they are worth. Firemen mostly collect them but others do as well.