It's Spring, so Let's Strip!

Before stripping

A sure sign that spring is here is not the blooming daffodils, but Joseph out in the driveway with paint stripper. I had several mirrors that needed to be done, and due to the hazardous nature of the materials, will only strip paint outdoors, on breezy days. And since I had a few to work on, it feels good to get as much out of the way as possible.

This large convex mirror is not period, but a substantial and impressive look. Probably from the 1940s-50 era, it was not done in real gold, which was evident by the areas that had darkened and some parts had turned green.

I'm not sure what I will do with this - since it is not period I can do something more creative, but some re-gilding will be involved. I need to replicate some missing pieces to one side ornament, and the spherules will be replaced with water gilt ones.

Paint mostly stripped

As found

This small Federal mirror did not look that appealing when I purchased it at a recent auction - the bronze paint had turned dark, and touch-ups were a coppery color. It also had some damage, but the eglomise panel, while crudely done, was an original in fine condition.

Stripping the paint shows what this mirror has the potential to become. Fortunately the spherules were in good shape, so that is one blessing, and the gold on them was still intact after stripping.

Discolored bronze paint

Remains of original gilding under the paint

The third mirror is a late Sheraton with a relief carved panel applique. Again, a heavy hand with the bronze paint killed any charm this may have had. Just stripping brought back quite a bit of the original surface, and I may be able to do the repairs without re-gilding (although I will probably need to do all the existing spherules, plus make replacements for the missing ones.

The deadly dull brown of tarnished bronze paint.

Just stripping the paint did wonders for this one

Well, these may not get worked on again for a while, but it is nice knowing that the dirtiest, worst part is over. More posts will follow as these projects move along.