Snaggletooth Posted April 7, 2011 Share #1 Posted April 7, 2011 I got a couple new projects starting up and sending some parts to the platers to have the old chrome stripped so I can clean them up and paint them. The thing is I also have some parts that are plastic that were "chromed" and I need to remove that also. Any suggestions on removing that without damaging the plastic? Other than a lot of scraping and sanding? Thanks Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dingy Posted April 7, 2011 Share #2 Posted April 7, 2011 Take two round dowel rods about 8" long. Wrap about 24" of fishing line between them, keep 16-18" or so between dowels and start a sawing type motion. Sizes can be adjusted to suit !! It is slow, but it will get them off. Gary Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptainJoe Posted April 7, 2011 Share #3 Posted April 7, 2011 Think i'll pass on this one... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snaggletooth Posted April 7, 2011 Author Share #4 Posted April 7, 2011 Gary, trying to get the "chrome plating" off some plastic parts. So you're talking about removing badges right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dingy Posted April 7, 2011 Share #5 Posted April 7, 2011 OK, my bad, I thought you wanted badges off to plate them. Gary Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freebird Posted April 7, 2011 Share #6 Posted April 7, 2011 The little bit of knowledge that I have about this and a little bit of searching confirms that the only real way is to deplate it. Caswell is supplier of plating systems and supplies and has a forum at their site. Here is a link with some information. http://forum.caswellplating.com/electroplating-questions/8279-chrome-stripping.html It may not be something that you want to do at home and may actually require that you find a shop that actually does chrome plating on plastic that can remove it for you. A lot of people don't realize that plastic can actually be chrome plated. I used to work in the plating industry and sold a lot of equipment to shops that chrome plated on plastic. It involved first using an electroless copper base. Basically it is a process that uses a chemical reaction to coat the plastic with copper. Once the copper base is in place, you then have a conductive surface to electroplate the nickel and then finally the clear chromate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freebird Posted April 7, 2011 Share #7 Posted April 7, 2011 OK...I also just found this method on YouTube. I have no idea how well it would really work but his results look good. [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jDpObLuJVeQ]YouTube - Stripping chrome from Plastic parts[/ame] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flyinfool Posted April 7, 2011 Share #8 Posted April 7, 2011 His results do look good. But I wonder how many days it took and how many changes of bleach (read that as gallons). I also wonder about the legality of the bleach disposal afterward. There is a chromed plastic grill on my truck, I bought the truck that I have because it had the LEAST amount of chrome of the different brands for that year. This may be a good excuse to strip and paint the grill. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Condor Posted April 7, 2011 Share #9 Posted April 7, 2011 OK...I also just found this method on YouTube. I have no idea how well it would really work but his results look good. That really looks interesting. Might be worth testing it on a small junker piece of chromed plastic to see how many 24hr. dip-rinse cycles it takes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
okiestar Posted April 7, 2011 Share #10 Posted April 7, 2011 Easy off foaming oven cleaner. Wear gloves and eye protection. Spray and put parts in a trash bag. Rinse, rinse, rinse with water afterwards. Very effective Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zane Posted April 7, 2011 Share #11 Posted April 7, 2011 His results do look good. But I wonder how many days it took and how many changes of bleach (read that as gallons). I also wonder about the legality of the bleach disposal afterward. There is a chromed plastic grill on my truck, I bought the truck that I have because it had the LEAST amount of chrome of the different brands for that year. This may be a good excuse to strip and paint the grill. Not to worry about bleach diposal, just dump it down the crapper or your sinks and bathtub! Cleans them slick as a whistle! It may stink a little, but hey it's a toilet! They're supposed to for a little bit when yer usin' them! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sgn Posted April 7, 2011 Share #12 Posted April 7, 2011 Not to worry about bleach diposal, just dump it down the crapper or your sinks and bathtub! Cleans them slick as a whistle! It may stink a little, but hey it's a toilet! They're supposed to for a little bit when yer usin' them! But ... If you have a septic tank it would not be a good idea! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flyinfool Posted April 7, 2011 Share #13 Posted April 7, 2011 Not to worry about bleach diposal, just dump it down the crapper or your sinks and bathtub! Cleans them slick as a whistle! It may stink a little, but hey it's a toilet! They're supposed to for a little bit when yer usin' them! It is not the bleach that I am concerned with, it is the dissolved chrome in the bleach and its environmental impact. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snaggletooth Posted April 7, 2011 Author Share #14 Posted April 7, 2011 Thanks Don, I'll look into Caswells again. I buy the tank sealer and some polishing products from them now and then. Good folks to deal with. That epoxy tank sealer is great stuff. Did mine a couple years ago and then three more tanks for friends over the winter. I looked into some of their plating kits last fall but decided to not to go that route. Just don't have the type of workspace for that stuff. Just to strip.....might be fine. Gonna do a little test with Okiestars idea to. Might work. Thanks for the suggestions guys. Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KiteSquid Posted April 7, 2011 Share #15 Posted April 7, 2011 they dont chrome plate plastic, the process is actually Vacuum metallizing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freebird Posted April 7, 2011 Share #16 Posted April 7, 2011 That's not true. Some of it is vacuum metalized but MUCH of it is chromed. I was in that business for a lot of years and sold and installed a good number of automated electroplating machines for plating on plastics. I sold a huge machine to a company outside of Mexico City for the purpose of chrome plating plastic grills for the Chrysler corporation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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