Removing enamel paint from glass

[arachnyd]

Greetings,

I have a piece of tempered glass that has been painted with enamel paint. The intent of this piece is to protect the top of a dresser with the paint side down. It is totally covered on one side.

I would like to remove the paint without etching the glass.

I would prefer to chemically remove the paint as opposed to scraping.

I can work outside with adequate ventilation.

Does anyone have an experience with chemicals on glass that do not etch, dull or otherwise damage the surface.

I appreciate any suggestions you may have

TIA,
ba

 

[Mazo EMS2]

Start with a good razor blade and see what you can scrape off....you might not do any scratching at all. Have you tried mild paint thinner/remover such as mineral spirits? Heck, maybe your local paint store, or maybe even one of the "Big Box" stores could point you in the right direction.

 

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

Start with a good razor blade and see what you can scrape off

:agree: ..... I try to stay away from chemicals if at all possible ..... I would add using a spray bottle with water and a bit of liquid soap in it ..... and spray as you proceed ..... good luck .... Mike :thumbup:

 

[Gwolf]

Acetone should remove enamel paint. It should not etch the glass, but you need to try it in a very small, inconspicuous area before jumping into the whole piece. Scraping the thickest of the paint off will make the job a lot shorter.

Avoid breathing the acetone fumes. It is also flammable. Use common sense with it.

 

[JayBros]

I agree with Mike about the H[SUB]2[/SUB]O. Start with a bunch of brand new razor blades and change them frequently. Auto parts stores usually sell them in packs.

 

[jiffy]

If possible only use stainless steel razor blades. They will not scratch the glass. That is what is used to remove window tint. Any good paint store should be able to give advice on the proper chemicals. Good Luck.

 

[cruisinTX]

I was in the painting business for over 20 years. Using acetone or lacquer thinner will remove oil based enamels without harming the glass. Tempered glass is pretty much impervious to those chemicals. As recommended above, remove as much as possible with a razor scraper first then use either the acetone or lacquer thinner to remove the rest. If it is truly oil based enamel, water won't do a thing to it. On the other hand if it is water based, the solvent won't do much to it either.

 

[arachnyd]

Well, I failed.
Acetone and lacquer thinner did absolutely nothing. They didn’t even change the surface texture at all, it remain just as shiny.
I could not get a razor blade underneath the coating. Scraping with a blade did not scratch it or remove any material.
I thought it was enamel because the material description said so. Now I wonder. . .

Thank you for your suggestions.
ba

 

[Peter Aawen]

Are you sure it's enamel paint? :dontknow: Is there any chance it's a baked on 'vitrified enamel' type finish?? Cos if it IS that stuff, there's probably only one easy way it's gonna be coming off the rest of the glass and you probably won't be able to use that particular glass to protect anything much afterwards!! :gaah: