Scrape and polish to remove old paint from aluminum

Dear Mr. HandyPerson: I bought a house, and while painting it on the outside, I noticed that the previous painter had smeared paint on the aluminum screen-door frame and on the aluminum window frames. What can I do to get the paint off (or will it come off)? I don't know how many years it has been on the aluminum frames. - Betty, Seattle

Dear Betty: There are a number of ways to get the paint off. But faced with this problem at a friend's home a few years ago, Mr. HP went at the paint with a dull putty knife, being careful not to gouge the aluminum (which is a softer metal than the steel putty-knife blade). He removed the larger portions of two different colors of paint boo-boos with the putty knife, and then polished up all the aluminum frames with a little WD-40 and No. 0000 steel wool. He then wiped them down thoroughly with soft rags.

After he was done, he applied a coat of automotive paste wax to the frames to slow corrosion and make future paint removal easier.

Of course, if he were doing the painting and accidentally got some paint on the aluminum window frames, he'd clean it up right then instead of leaving it for somebody else to clean up later. If this had not already been his style, it would have become so after spending most of a day cleaning up about a dozen window frames at his friend's house. Good luck, Betty. And take breaks.

Dear Readers: Some time ago, Mr. HandyPerson published a suggestion from a reader about using a product called Bar Keepers Friend to polish brass. A quick look in a few stores here in San Francisco didn't produce a container he could try for himself at the time, and he said as much in the column.

Since then, he's heard from people all over the country, including quite a few in San Francisco, who told him where he could find it (including a hardware store minutes from his home!) and how to contact the company directly to locate a local retailer in your area.

Bar Keepers Friend is a cleanser and polish for stainless steel, porcelain, fiberglass, glass cooktops, copper, tile, chrome and brass. It's made by Servass Laboratories, 1200 Waterway Blvd., Indianapolis, IN 46202. The company's toll-free phone number is 800-433-5818.

Mr. HP went out and got a container, and the only thing he could find offhand that looked as if it needed a little polishing was his stainless-steel kitchen sink, which had some minor mineral buildup near the faucet and generally looked a little dull. (This is something to be expected, he thought, of a kitchen sink more than 30 years old and used every day.)

However, that sink looked better after a good cleaning with Bar Keepers Friend than it has since Mr. HP moved into his present home more than 25 years ago when the sink was only a few years old. He probably shouldn't have been surprised, as he had already seen personal testimonials from many readers all over the country who have used BKF to remove, among other things: rust stains from a wedding dress passed down from mother to daughter; dried tea stains from fine porcelain cups; and scum, mineral buildup and rust stains from fiberglass shower stalls.

So there you have the happy ending to that story, except for one thing that impressed Mr. HP. At least five people who wrote him had never used BKF themselves. But they saw it in a store and took the time to write down the company address and phone number and send it to Mr. HandyPerson just to help out.

Mr. HP often asks his resourceful sidekick, Molly Bolt, to help him track down special services and products. But if neither Mr. HP nor Molly can find something, it's good to know he can mention it to his readers and somebody will scare it up.

Many thanks to all who wrote and for all the personal comments, notes and stories many of you added. It would take Mr. HP weeks to respond personally to every card and letter, but you know who you are, and thanks again.

Mr. HandyPerson wants to hear of home repair matters that are troubling you, interesting questions, funny experiences and useful tips you might want to share with other readers. Write to: Mr. HandyPerson, c/o Universal Press Syndicate, 4520 Main Street, Kansas City, Mo. 64111.