To strip or not to strip a cast iron planter and sconce shelves

I picked up a few items at an auction last year that are sitting on my project table because I am not sure if I should strip them. The previous owners used what I think is Rub N Buff on them as they were still kind of tacky when I purchased them. My intent is to sell them...I think.

The first is a cast iron planter. It really is amazing but the gold and antique gold finish I think hurts it:



These shelves I am certain I want to strip. They look to be mahogany under there:


So would you strip these items? If so what in the world takes of this RubnBuff stuff?
Thanks
Sherri

 

Could repaint the iron unless you want it raw. Methylene chloride based stripper should work on the sconces. Not sure if you can even still buy this, as it is pretty toxic stuff.

 

If they had original paint or gilding you would want to leave them alone. In this case, stripping would not effect the value.

 

Even the "Methylene chloride" sounds dangerous! I will look into that. Thank you

 

I wonder if using the power washer on the cast iron would remove that paint?

 

There is a non-methylene chloride product available that I have found highly effective in removing paint and varnish from any surface, especially highly carved items such as your sconces and detailed work in cast iron planter.
The company is called Regents E-Z Way Paint and Varnish Remover, they are located in Washington State and will ship. They have a website you could google for the information.
I have found the process quite simple, just spray the product on the surface, encase the item in a heavy-duty plastic bag and let the stripper do the work. After most of the finish has been removed, I get into the crevices with a regular paintbrush with the bristles trimmed down to about half an inch.

 

Found them! Would you suggest I use the industrial strength? Or Semi paste for vertical surfaces. Thank you

 

I would definitely strip them; nice pieces but that gold paint is ugh . Black paint on the planter would also look great as @very brad suggested.

 

I hear ya...that gold finish is bad. I thought about just repainting it but existing paint is really globbed on in areas and the detail is lost. Strip it raw and maybe a thin coat of linseed. I imagine it is beautiful under all that gook.

 

I would think the regular stripper would be effective here, as you could rotate your items once they are encased in the heavy-duty plastic bag, ensuring overall coverage of the product. I find the semi-paste good on vertical surfaces that can't be removed, such as moulding trims and garage doors.

Edit to add: - I am pretty sure that both the semi-paste and regular are the same strength, there is just a thickening agent used in the semi-paste to help it cling to vertical surfaces.

 

Here in Australia we can still buy methylene chloride stripper, but it is nasty stuff...

Caustic soda will change the appearance of wood very noticeably and damage it. I would only suggest it for a cheap piece which had wood worm damage -- they don't like it.

Caustic soda is a good way of treating a cast iron piece. It will not damage the iron, and as long as there is enough caustic in solution, it won't rust, either. So a caustic solution dip followed by high pressure water is a treatment that will strip the iron down without causing any damage. But it is a messy process, and you have to be very careful not to get it on you.