I would like to repaint a standard UK tired looking central heating radiator to a copper looking colour. My question is how to strip the current white paint really? Please see the photo attached. I don't know what sort of metal is radiator made of or what kind of paint is it currently. Do I just sandpaper it?
After the paint is removed, what kind of paint do I need? Is it a bucket and the brush I need or something else, spray paint? I wouldn't mind the paint being more distressed looking than on the example photo below. It would be amazing to apply the same paint to various exposed pipes around the room as well, all currently painted white, do I use the same approach? 
Best Answer
The radiator is probably steel. To remove the paint, you can sandpaper it.
Optimally, you should dismount it, so you're able to get to the back of it as well. If you dismount it, you can also take it to a workshop and have it sandblasted. That's the quick way to strip the paint.
As for painting: If you get down to bare steel, apply a primer that is suitable for steel, and a coat of a paint that is compatible with your primer to give it color. This can be spray paint, which will give it a uniform surface, or you can brush it on - which will probably give a thicker, less uniform coat.
For the pipes, the same approach should work. Be careful with the amount of stress you impart on them, as this may lead to leaks further down the road.