Un "hinge" me

When we decided to give the kitchen a face lift, I made the choice to "save, lovingly re-use and re-generate" the original 1954 hinges & cabinets. Over the years, previous owners painted, re-painted, painted again, and yet again, (sheesh!) right over the hinges. I've never understood that ideology.
Well, three days ago hubby removed a cabinet door and it's hinges and let me have at it. Thanks Babe! Today I conquered the hinges.

Before:
You can see where the hinges were painted and had adhered to the wood of the cabinet.


Look at all those layers of paint. Yuck!

Backside of hinges & layers of paint...eww!
Front side of hinges & layers of paint...ugh!

Hinges being simmered in a concoction of water and baking soda. Fill the pot with enough water to completely cover your hardware, pour baking soda into the middle of the pot. Do not stir. Place hardware into pot and let simmer. Paint will begin to peel away from the hardware. Be sure to use an old pot that you no longer need for cooking as it will not be able to be used for cooking purposes after this. When removing hardware from water, be sure to be careful and use tongs as the hardware will be very hot to the touch.

After:
YES! This is one of the same hinges pictured earlier. After I removed it from the water, I used an old rag and paper towels to clean the paint off. I also used an old toothbrush so I could clean in the grooves. I buffed it up a bit and Viola! At the time of this post, the other hinge was still in it's "jacuzzi". I was so excited at the result, I couldn't wait to show you! Here is the frontside of the hinge.

Back side of hinge:
The process took a little over an hour and what I liked best about it is I'm not using any harsh or toxic chemicals to remove the paint. Now...only 28 more to go! (gulp!)