Removing paint from door hardware

Problem: I stripped, sanded and repainted my old doors, but the hardware is still caked with old paint. How can I remove it?

Solution: Get a box of TSP (tri-sodium phosphate) cleaner and a bigold soup kettle. Put your metal and glass parts in the kettle, and add enough water and TSP to cover them at least an inch below the surface. Simmer this on the stove for a few hours, and all the paint will come off. Make it a fairly strong solution, and watch that it doesn't boil over. Simmering a long time is what you want, boiling doesn't help. -- John Sprung, on the Old House Web Bulletin Boards. 

Other readers report they've had luck with simmering their hardware in plain water and wire brushing it before it cools.