How to remove coating from metal ring? I've got this here ring.



It's covered in some sort of grey paint or varnish that I can scrape off to reveal a copper base. I'd like to remove all of the varnish, and scraping will only do so much - I cannot, for example, scrape off the varnish on the inner edges. 

What can I use to remove the varnish?
Start with acetone (nail polish remover) and see if that does the trick. Agitating with a Q-tip can speed things along. It all depends on what the coating is, but acetone won't hurt the copper so it's a good place to start. If it works but isn't fast, you might try soaking it for an hour or so.

A more aggressive approach would be oven cleaner, but it's likely to remove any patina from the copper and shouldn't be left on there too long. Also make sure to rinse thoroughly with water afterwards to remove any caustic residue.