Stripping paint from hinges without removing petina

[Dan Mages]

I hate lazy painters... I dont see why it is so hard to remove hardware from doors, tape over hinges, outlets, and switches.

I want to keep the old brass ball finial hinges in the house, but they are covered in paint from lazy painters in the past. Any good techniques without removing the petina?

Thanks,

Dan

[Neal Clayton]

get an old crock pot from the junk store.

throw the hinges and any other hardware in there with some water and a couple tablespoons of dishwasher detergent, boil for a few hours.