Jake, I've used the crockpot cleaning system in the past and yes it does work great. I can pop the pins out of the hinges, but I just am not sure how much the doors weigh. Thought of a 300 pound door coming loose has me a bit nervous.

Last week I had to take 3 doors off at my wife's family cottage to plane them. One was 4' wide and weighed a ton. I tapped in 4 nice sturdy wedges underneath the door bottoms to take the weight, and had mrs Notfarnow keep it steady. They came out without drama. The pins were painted in so badly I couldn't get them out.... had to actually unscrew the hinges from the door jambs.

reread you post... are the doors themselves actually brass? that's nuts!!

sorry for the hijack!

Yep, actually I think they may be bronze. Won't know for sure until I clean them up. I like the wedge idea and my give that a try.

There's Crown City Hardware in Pasadena or Liz's Antique Hardware on La Brea in L.A.

Thanks for sharing - please keep up the interesting hardware and details!

Kurt, can you post some pics of your door and how it's attached? There are basically two ways to strip paint, heat or chemical strippers. Using heat, w/ a heat gun or a propane torch is less messy but needs to be done w/ care. Besides the obvious dangers of heat and flame, it will break glass if you accidentally get it hot by transfer. I use heat 98% of the time, but I know what I'm doing and don't use it around irreplaceable glass, for instance. If you use chem method, I recommend using the nasty stuff, like "Zip strip", not the newer "green" products. Just tape plastic underneath door on ground completely and make sure that kids and animals can't get in it.

Someone asked how business is, it's great right now. Not sure why, but I'm not going to argue considering that the first 6 months of the year was dead. I have a very small operation and this house alone could keep me employed for several months if I work alone and keep finding new projects to do. He is a dream client, as close to a "blank check" as they come. He's a buddy, trusts me, has the $$ and needs the house kept in good shape. Anything that I've suggested he do, the answer is either "go ahead", or, "whatever you think..." I have other, smaller jobs coming up that I will do, but I can come back to another phase of this house for a while. The motor court area alone is a major project that needs doing.

As for the house, I'll try to get some more shots of details up. The interior has amazing carvings, like the main stairway, and hand-painted, original wall paper. Here is an example of woodwork inside:
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1216917038.jpg

My own imaginary dream house would be a lot smaller, I get a lonely feeling in mansions. Smaller house, fewer constant workers around, (housekeepers, gardeners, etc.), but a killer garage and yard. The garages are amazing, fully finished in paneling and nice cement floors in mint condition. Three huge double garages, all empty. He's not a car guy, at all, he drives a Prius and parks in front. These houses usually have this carport that I love, you park your whip under this roof out of the sun or rain and pop in and out of the house through the pantry:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1216917496.jpg

Pulling out of gate looks like this:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1216917627.jpg

Looking back over shoulder:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1216917738.jpg

Other side or approach:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1216917825.jpg

Only way in or out:
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1216918391.jpg

Where the streets have no name, (only house numbers):

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1216918479.jpg

A house like that could almost make me live in CA.

That's funny. One of my cousins has a house like this in Minneapolis, I once told him that I would require a house like his to live there but I'd live in a tent in L.A. :cool:

Great news on the semi-long term job Denis! I'll try to get some pictures up of the doors, and also the windows, tonight.

love the house and grounds. beautiful woodwork. looks like you're doing a great job with the resto too. out of curiosity, what's a house like that sell for in LA? have the prices for something like this fallen with the rest of the market?

on another note, i had a modest house built in the '20s. solidly built, plaster and lathe walls and lots of brass and copper plated fittings. all the fittings had been painted over many times. i stripped every knob, plate, heating grille, window lock and wow did it ever make a difference. great work denis.......

Slow 6 months huh? You could have painted my house in Wichita.:D 30 ft up on a ladder, 100 deg, and PAINTING. Had you showed up then, I would have given you everything I had.

I'm very happy for you, my Friend.

Continued success.:)

Beautiful! Thanks for the pictures!

81 deg. w/ a westerly (ocean) breeze today. How's your weather, Rick? ;)

There is a reason why this place filled-up first. :)

It's only about 110 right now and I think it feels fine. Only downside for me is it's too hot to wear full riding gear.

I just couldn't part with all the guns I own that would be illegal in CA. I love wearing a sidearm while on the bike and then looking for cars with CA plates to pass on the left to the driver can be outraged when they see my right hip.

Just stopped home for lunch, (weird hours, I know), the job is less than 1 mile away. Here are a few interior shots I took, first the woodwork:
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1216940193.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1216940243.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1216940293.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1216940392.jpg

Wow!

How about some original, hand painted wallpaper from 1927, in perfect, unfaded condition: :eek:
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1216940611.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1216940662.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1216940720.jpg

Whatever floats your boat, brother. I like guns, but how does that old saying go? Oh yeah,

If I owned hell and Phoenix, I'd live in hell and rent-out Phoenix." ;)

That's a hell of a price to pay just to carry a gun around. Plus if I ever feel the need, I'll carry here. Haven't been checked once for guns in ~26 years. :cool: