cosmoline removal on NOS chrome

[mbstude]

I have a couple of NOS chrome pieces I want to install on a friend's car. The pieces are fresh out of the box and have a yellow coating of what I think is cosmoline. I've tried every polish and cleaner I can find without any effect. Does anybody know what I can use to reveal the chrome??

[JBOYLE]

How about gas or acetone?

[TX Rebel]

If those are early 50's pieces, it is a clear lacquer which has yellowed. It is usually tough to remove, and the finish under it is thin & fragile.

[mbstude]

I've tried acetone, lacquer thinner, Goo-Gone, heavy duty polishes, etc etc.

Yea Barry, well aware that it's tough to remove. <G> The piece in particular is a hood ornament for a '51. (Found scratches in the original; can't have that!) 90% of the other chrome on the car is NOS so if we can get the coating off, it'll fit right in. I think there is a second NOS ornament around that has a not-so-yellowed coating, so I may just install it. No worries about it not lasting.. The car doesn't see rain and the chrome always has wax on it.

[laughinlark]

Try Berrymans Chemtool carb cleaner. It should rinse it right off without wiping. Try a little on the bottom side to test it. Shouldn't harm the chrome at all.

Gordon

[Chucks Stude]

Spray aircraft paint stripper will do it, without harming the chrome.

[jclary]

In the early 50's there was a shortage of chrome due to demands by the military during the Korean war. This was especially critical for 1952. I had some NOS '52 pieces that had yellowed in the box. They had never been exposed to the elements and in fact had always been stored in a good environment. Not only was the chrome thin and of poor quality, but the nickel often used under the chrome was missing as well. If that is the case with the pieces you have, no amount of polishing will remove the yellow or dull finish. The only fix I have found for that is re-plating.

[Jeff_H]

I have what was a NOS "Automatic Drive" script on my '53. It had that clear coat on it. After being on the car a couple years with some sun exposure and other "wear" from washing, etc the clear coat was turned hazy yellow and started to chip off in places. It was looking really shabby by last summer. So, since I was having the '53 Judged in Cedar Rapids, I had to do something about that script. I tried dabbing it with laquer thinner being careful not to get any on the trunk lid paint!! It did very little. In the end, I used a dental pick and tooth brush to laborously chip it off while not scratching up the plating. I think if I had the part loose and it was not on the car, I would have tried dunking it in thinner or brake fluid a couple of days but that was not a option.

[studeclunker]

If it is in fact Cosmoline, Gasoline should have removed it. Denatured Alcolhol is better or Laquer thinner would also remove it. Elsewise, it isn't Cosmoline.

By the by, Cosmoline would be a thick, possibly rubbery feeling coating. You should be able do dent it with your fingernail. If it is very thin and hard, likely its Laquer as has been suggested here earlier.

[StudeRich]

It is Korean war Chrome! It has very little copper, no nickel and very thin chrome with a Lacquer protective coat, most '52's have it and some '51 parts.

[(S)]

The coating you see is in fact old clearcoat. I would not use paint stripper.

When removing any type of clearcoat or paint, sand the surface before the application of paint stripper. On a car's steel body, 80 G in straight lines lets it soak in deeper. Also remember to apply it in straight lines with a brush.

In Matts case you have to be carefull not to sand to deep so you do not hit the thin chrome underneith AND because paint stripper WILL dull the chrome, I'd suggest sand the surface lightly with 400 grit and let a laquor rag (wet with thinner) sit there for awhile. It will goo up then keeping it wet, rub it straight lines. Use clean cotton rags.

[jclary]

My bet is that it is the lousy techniques and shortcuts taken because of rationing during the Korean war as I stated earlier. If it is an old clear coat, you can go to Lowes or Home Depot and buy a can of MEK solvent. It is about the most aggressive solvent you can buy. As (S) suggested above, place a wet rag over the piece and let it soak. If it is any kind of coating, the MEK should lift it. However, I think you are dealing with the lousy era chrome that plagued all makes during the Korean war rationing period. If it were merely a coating of lacquer, the abrasives of the cheapest chrome polish should remove it. If lacquer was all that tough, body shops and paint suppliers would never have made so much money repainting so many cars over the years!

[mbstude]

Thanks for the advice and tips guys. For the sake of time, I installed another NOS hood ornament that wasn't yellowed. See the "51 is ready for the show" thread for a couple of pics.

[rockne10]

I made the mistake of removing that coating from the tail light housings of my '53 thirty+ years ago. They quickly deteriorated after that. I used polishing compound and a lot of elbow grease. Once it's removed it had better be waxed constantly or plan on re-plating.

[unclemiltie]

Denatured alcohol is what Studebaker use to tell us to use. I have used it and a lot of elbow grease several times, the hardest piece I have done it on was the hood ornament on the 47 Champion as it is full of bumps and ridges.