You could also get a wire brush and clean away all the rust— which is your problem, not the paint. Knock off the paint in the rudting areas and scrub with the wire brush until the metal is clean Paint the bare metal with red lead or whatever it is cslled today—- a coating for bare metal to stop the oxidizing process. When you have cleaned all the areas of rust and treated them with two coats of rednlead you can then paint the entire piece whatever color you want.

If your intention is to strip off the paint and leave the iron au naturel it will continue to rust, more quickly outside than inside.

That is precious!

Agree with kswl … that’s exactly how I deal with rusty iron.

Please show afters!

Unless you attend to the rust, it will break through anything you use to paint over. I've never tried the stripper you have but since you already have it it's worth a shot The worst that could happen is that it's not strong enough to break the enamel bonds. Then you'd have to see if you can find something stronger but strippers with methylene chloride are being phased out. Once the paint is off you need a wire brush to scrub away all the loose rust, then prime with a Rust oleum product for metal before painting. It should be lovely when you're done - please share.

wow, thank you all for the info about how to proceed! :)

Wire brush to get chunks off. Strip. Paint with anti-rust paint. Then final coat paint.

Oxalic acid (available in dry crystal form) on Amazon) supposedly removed rust.

Please, wear safety glasses and an N95 mask (respirator). What others said about the rust.

It sounds like this nice plant stand holds a lot of meaning for you. You might want to explore getting it ”sand blasted” (other materials can be used) and maybe ”powder coat“ painted. Sand blasting the old paint and rust would be fast and effective. An auto body shop might be able to help you. Good luck.

Good advice from Petalique. I found a old rusty milk can, with an old farm name on it. I loved the piece enough I paid to have an auto body shop sandblast and finish painting it. I don't remember it being very much and my beloved milk can is still going strong 20 years later. It's not outside either though.

Years ago we had several pieces of old rusty iron sandblasted at the auto body shop. It was definitely worth the money since two of them had ornate detail that would have been difficult to brush.

Alle De, thanks, and I love your milk can. Beautiful. Nice top that you made for it.

A friend gave me one that is painted a soft sage-pistachio green (not super new paint). It is inside.

Now, kidding: (paraphrased)

~ Alle De — who are you, exactly, and have I met you before? (Please explain yourself.)

As Ogden Nash wrote:

If called by a panther

Don’t anther

😆

I've been on here since just after Spike sold out. I'm an intermittent poster, more often just a reader. I decided to change my name. What I was before doesn't matter bc I wasn't personal "real life " friends with anyone here and I don't think anyone would know or care...

In an online forum, anyone can be anyone. What it comes down to is the words we write and how we wish for these words to be taken.

Ally De,

I tried to point out that I was kidding, being facetious, after you were asked a day or two ago who you ‘were.’ NOT BY ME ;-)

You do not need to explain anything. And I hope it is understood that we can all express ourselves here without giving our RN, history, bank PIN, password, or DNA sample.

I’ve been a GW member since very rearly on. I had to take a hiatus for a few years, so missed out on Spike sending folks for time out in the teacups.

Like you, I am sincere in what I say, but find no treason to elaborate on my personal information.

Nice that you returned!

PS I hope it goes without saying, that I was taken aback by someone challenging the identity of a participant here. That’s ill mannered and frowned upon. And I had to giggle at the nerve.

Oh I don't know - I'm curious about your former screen name. I've been here since before Spike sold out, and I'm wondering if I'd recognize the old name...?

I often think about many of the familiar users from back in the day and wonder what happened to them.

Petalique, we are 100% good. I saw the source of that quote before it was deleted yesterday. You made me laugh that you remembered it. It's all good. 😄

My words are always sincere. I am who I say I am, to the extent that i share anything here. It is just that I'd like to keep some people from linking what I write here with me in real life. That's all. Nothing nefarious, just cautious.

I still want to be Zalco when I grow up, and Jinx is the best thing since sliced bread. That's the truth.

Ally! That is so sweet, you made my day. The feeling is mutual. :)

With you, Ally!

I don’t have an answer for you, but that is the cutest plant stand and I can’t wait to see the end result.