How do you remove metal hinges from a 50-year-old wooden door that has been painted many times?

Answer 1

apply paint and varnish remover to the area around the hinges follow the directions on the bottle the paint should peal away and reveal the screws take a sharp knife cut around hinge then with a hammer gently tap screwdriver into slot and turn out or use a "ezy-out"you can get these at any hardware store good luck bob I agree with both the above answers, just want to provide a third possibility. A good addition to any household tool kit is a variable temperature heat gun, available at Sears. Set the temp below 500 degrees (200 degrees below the vapor point of lead based paint) and heat the area until paint just begins to bubble then scrape with a carbide scrapper, or a sharp 5-in-1 putty knife. Be sure to use a HEPA vacuum to clean up the paint chips. Chase the edges of the hinges with a utility knife to help the extraction with out ripping the edges of the wood.

Answer 2

Remove the hinges and soak them in Zip Strip or some other brand of paint stripper. The paint will come off easily.