UN-DOING WHAT I DID {HOW TO STRIP PAINT FROM BRASS}

Hey there friends!  I feel like things are finally getting back to some level of normal around here, even in the midst of summer craziness.  Thanks for sticking with me through vacation, guest posts, & link parties...  I'm ready to get back to some project talk.  Does that sound o.k.?

So...several years ago before brass was back in style, I picked up this fantastic tray for a few dollars at a thrift store, and promptly spray painted it black.  Don't mind the dust, I pulled it out of storage.

Fast forward a few years to today when brass is all the rage again, and I've seen that tray on some popular home decor sites for a pretty penny.  So what's a girl to do who has realized the error of her ways? After confirming with my dad-who-knows-everything that it would be ok, I decided to strip the paint off. 

It couldn't have been easier!  I used this:

and within just a few minutes the paint was already bubbling up, ready to come off.  And just FYI, don't try spreading stripper around on your piece with a foam brush.  It will eat your brush in about two seconds, trust me.  Use a super cheap chip or regular bristle brush.

When the paint was all bubbly and loose, I used the hose to rinse it while I rubbed lightly with a piece of very fine steel wool, just to get all of the nooks and crannies clean.

Here it is all cleaned off!  Now I remember why I painted it...it wasn't in the best condition.

I didn't think that it would completely shine up, but I've said it before and I'll tell you again, BAR KEEPER'S FRIEND is awesome for brass!  With some water and a light scrub it even cleaned off the spots that I thought were permanently discolored. 

Here's the beauty all cleaned up: 

So shiny!

It's nice to know that sometimes mistakes can be reversed, and maybe the result can be even better than the original!