Stripping paint
Old paint has lead in it, so you never want to heat it up or sand it down. Instead, you must use an appropriate paint stripper.
Testing for lead
You must assume any decades-old paint has lead in it. There are also test kits:
- Lumetallix kit
- Swab test (less accurate, prone to false negatives)
Removing lead paint
There are paint strippers specially designed for paint that contains lead.
Dumond
The name of the product is Peel Away 1 in the US, and Smart Strip 1 HD in the EU. The latter is available from e.g. NAC Europe. Barrettine also seems to sell Peel Away 1 to the UK market.
The product was used for the removal of lead paint at Château de Purnon.
Scalp SAS
French producer of Scalpex AL 23, a gel stripper suitable for coatings containing lead or asbestos.
Franmar / Blue Bear
US producer makes a few strippers appropriate for lead: