Removing old pitted chrome from pot metal pieces?

[Corley]

Anyone have a cheap / easy way (preferably at home) to remove the chrome plating from pot metal parts such as head light rings, grill surrounds, etc.? I need to remove chrome, drill out the corrosion, fill, and paint a few items on the '54 / S-15 project car. I do NOT intend to have these parts replated.

(I tried to do a search on this, and came up empty, but I'm sure there are some posts on it somewhere here...)

[showbizkid]

I've never found an easy way to do this. Chromium itself is a metal, and it doesn't dissolve easily. Plus, there are layers of other metals - nickel and copper - underneath it.

About the only good way to do the operation you describe is with a grinder or, preferably, a Dremel tool to get into small areas.

[Jeff_H]

There is generally a layer of copper under the chrome.

Some years back I experimented reverse plating the chrome off. Took a totally crusty pitted inside door handle and tried a few things. I found that suspending the part in salt water with a power supply hooked up with the correct polarity to the part and a "anode" in the water would take the chrome off and convert it to a green chrome-oxide compound that floated to the top of the bucket. Not sure how safe this was from a toxic standpoint. Probably not. I'd be doing diligent research before attempting this again!!! This was before I had internet so was not able to do much research easily and only had some old chem. texts to go off. It was really slow but did remove the chrome. I don't know if the copper would have come off next as I didn't continue the experiment. Certainly, the chrome plating shops have methods to un-plate parts to base metal.

[sweetolbob]

Can't vouch for any of these but it'll give you something to do this weekend.

http://www.wikihow.com/Remove-Chrome-Plating

[rockinhawk]

Sand blasting! or walnut shell blasting. best done in a cabinate. I think Harbor frieght has an inexpensive one.

[gordr]

That wikiHow article is rife with mistakes. Some of the methods suggested are for removing paint, not chrome. And lye is NOT sodium hydrochloride, it's sodium hydroxide. Huge difference.

I agree with Neil. Sandblasting will take it off in sheets. The sand acts like millions of tiny hammers, peening the chrome plate and making it expand a tiny amount, enough to break the bond with the underlying metal. It loosens and can be peeled right off.

[dean pearson]

What ever you read don't attempt to remove it with muriatic acid. This method actually works well until you have checkering that penetrates the copper layer underneath or there is no copper there at all.
The acid will remove the chrome and not effect clean copper but if it has spots where the copper is damaged or especially if there is no copper layer at all your part will be gone.

It is nasty and then you have toxic waste to dispose of. I can only suggest having it professionally done at a chrome shop

Dean.

Ps. 52 hard top beltline front corners R.I.P.
Don't be like me. I still don't have a replacement pair.

[dean pearson]

Who the heck sets our clock? last post at 9:04 pm. Dean.

[Corley]

I was worried about sand or walnut blasting, as the metal underneath is softer than the chrome, so if I blast through, won't it put big divits in the underlying metal? I can try it on a junk piece to see what happens I guess... I was actually wonderring about a flap sanding wheel? Those seem pretty "delicate", but would it remove the chrome?

I'm not big into the chemical solutions in my home shop, I have already ingested and breathed so many harmful things in my lifetime that I might just croak on the spot, and then what would the wife do with all this junk? Call the scrap metal guy to haul it off, that's what! Then there would be no chance for any of it going vroom vroom ever again... Nope, no nasty experimental chemicals for me...