big lion head door knocker

hey peeps

something i found yesterday in an antiquey shop for £2

looked quite old, big (5 1/2")and heavy, and thought i would strip all the paint off

but quite the way it looks now, think i might keep it like its shabby self

there seems an awful lot of reproductions about, so wondering if this looks old and genuine

cast iron ?

any thoughts appreciated

 

Great find for £2! I’d make sure I know what the surface is like before stripping, but if you choose to not, it’s still very pleasing to look at!

 

Nice find, Chesaroo! I do have a weakness for big knockers

Looks like brass or bronze. See if a magnet sticks.

 

A magnet will tell you if it is iron.

If it was me, I'd take the paint off.

 

thanks van p, yeah i quite like him as is, looks genuine aging as well so might set him apart from the modern repros

 

If you are keeping it, chemically strip that paint off. Get into the crevasses with a stiff brush. Lots of details are hiding under there. With luck it will be oxidize and you can lightly buff some highlights.

Looks bronze to me.

 

thanks buddy, not magnetic at all, so guess not iron

ya reckon much age ?

 

Looks like the real deal to me. Two layers of paint, at least, too.

 

With luck, it will come to life.
My bathroom door hook...

 

thanks james and dave, all good advice

i can see it appealing to 2 different crowds , one in this state, and the other cleaned up

would be nice to see the proper details underneath though

 

i can imagine it 'roaring' at unsuspecting guests, in a thats not your towel growl

 

fer sure!!
are those fangs I see?
strip it down......and make it your own.....!!!

 

yeah two fangs buddy

the paints chipping off with just with my fingers so ill probably give it a go

 

go hard.......and have fun !

 

Decided on a compromise, didn't want to take everything off and have it pristine looking, happy the way it is now, better I think

 

Looks awesome! Pulled out some nice details.

 

Thanks buddy, thought I'd made a bad mistake at first when it started coming off

But glad I did now

It might look even better totally stripped, but I'll leave that to whoever buys it, at least now you can see what's going on, and it still looks old

 

Looks great this way. Just the right combination. The remaining paint really creates definition