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struggling to remove chrome.

paddy

paddy

Well-known member
Well i have tried oven cleaner and bleach as well as brake fluid on my Bentley chrome parts and not had a lot of success.?
Its not like the usual thin coating on polished alloy, this is thick Chrome...


DSC_2166.JPG
 
There is a product on this side of the pond called "Purple Power" made by Clean-rite. It is an industrial cleaner/degreaser that is available at auto part stores. It takes the chrome off without any scrubbing and only requires a quick rinse after. It has the usual warnings of use in well ventilated areas, don't drink it, etc. You might have it or something like it that Health & Safety let thru over there.

Rich
 
it should work with some household cleaners, SODIUM HYPOCHLORITE with a conzentration of 5% or more is the key. It is a chemical process then which let the chrome just disappear. This kind of cleaners are not that wellcomed in EU anymore as those are not good for the environment but they are available her in Germany. Once the chrome is gone you then have a chromatic solution which is hazadous for aquatic life
 
Been going through he cupboard and found some "spirits of salts" that etched the stainless steel bowl but didn't touch the chrome. Of course its not usually chrome but a polished alloy coating however i have never come across anything as tough as this Airfix stuff...t
 
Hi Rob
No sorry. Household bleach was the best but its patchy, some striped off in 24 hours, other areas were not touched in 5 days.
Interesting that under the chrome the plastic was copper plated first.
 
Did you ever try Castrol Super Clean? Always works for me, but it's readily available here in the States.

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I've used this in the past, it worked very well but I think the parts had to sit in it overnight. You may try it with a scrap piece first.

cleaner.PNG
 
Most of the models i build dont have chrome but i remember Tamiya motorcycle chrome was very easy to shift. This new airfix chrome seems totally different. the fact there seems to be copper or brass under it makes me think its real chrome. I am still experimenting because unless i can get it off large areas like the radiator my Bently build is going to hit a problem.
 
Paddy if there is a copper underlay, it is possible that the copper was vapor deposited and then the chrome was plated over that. It would give a thicker and better plating. Of course if you are trying to remove it, the opposite would end up being the case as the electro plated finish would be more robust than vapor deposit which most chrome over plastic is. Definitely a puzzler. :bm:
 
Another thought is if there is a substrate of copper under the chrome, you might be able to use some ferric chloride to break down the copper underneath and get the chrome off that way. Do a search for it and a small bottle should not be too expensive. The stuff shouldn't affect the plastic and probably wouldn't affect the chrome either but will eat copper and brass in short order. Be aware that it will stain everything a reddish brown, clothes, painted surfaces, plastic tubs and parts. your hands, everything. Also don't get any aluminum around it as it will eat the aluminum super fast and release hydrogen gas and could cause a fire. Otherwise it is fairly safe to deal with. I worked with the stuff for about 10 years and had no problems, just had to be careful to not get any on my clothes.
 
One thing no one has mentioned. I used to have a Paasche Air Eraser which would take anything off. I used it for cleaning pe after I was done gluing. Maybe that is a thought. Looking at the Cdn price I think the UK price would be half.

Paasche AEC-K Abrasive Sprayer : Amazon.ca: Home

Paasche AEC-K Abrasive Sprayer : Amazon.ca: Home
www.amazon.ca
You can etch glass with it which I toyed with for a nano second until I realized my lack of an artistic talent would make it very difficult.
James
 
I have one of those, but have only used it a handful of times years ago. I would not try to use it to remove the chrome. It you did the chrome is so much harder than the plastic that once it broke through it would eat the plastic in a second.
 
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