On Oct 19, 4:54*pm, Nate Nagel wrote:
...that is, I started an "easy" project and it ended up being way more
work than I anticipated.

Picked up a 1950's vintage (I'm guessing, from the style of the drawer
pulls and the gauge of the metal) Steelcase filing cabinet off
Craigslist for $10. *I figured I'd rather "restore" an old one than pay
big bucks for a new one that wouldn't fall apart after one move (like
the one sitting under the stairs right now, eagerly awating my finishing
of this "new" one so I can send it on its way to its final reward.)

Well, I picked it up and it turns out that it'd been painted twice
before by previous owners, both times with a PAINTBRUSH. *Oh well, I
figured, I'd just sand it down with some 80 grit, finish with some 120
then 240 and spray it. *No such luck! *the old paint is completely
resistant to my efforts, although I do not have a D/A or air compressor
which might be appropriate. *I got two drawers done by stripping them
with your typical methylene chloride based paint stripper and then
scraping, steel wool, wet sand, prime, paint. *Ugh. *I wasn't planning
on doing this thorough a job on it, nor was I planning on using all my
primer on the filing cabinet.

Anyone see an easier way, short of continuing on as I am, and/or buying
an air compressor and a D/A? *I'm guessing "no" but I figured I'd ask.

snip

A sand blaster (commercial type ) could have the paint off in a few
minutes but might wrinkle any light gage sheet metal, so having it
done by those people could be risky, or maybe not. Some operators have
a light touch, so it would pay to ask. Chemical stripping is sometimes
available at shops that do furniture, or for something strictly metal
(disassembled) a plating shop could be a possibility. Auto body shops
might have some good ideas, since they often get odd projects like
color matching appliances for folks doing remodels who aren't into the
current stainless steel fad. Bottom line, you probably have a ten page
Honeydo list, so outsourcing will save your sanity. Good luck.

Joe