Getting rid of the undercoat on chromed parts?

[MillenniumFalsehood]

So, I have a stack of car parts I got in a massive box some rando left at the model store several months ago. I've gotten the rest of the parts cut from the sprues and sorted, and I'd like to do the same for these. But I've had poor success in the past with stripping the chrome of chromed parts. I can get the chrome itself off with Easy Off, but the underlying coating always proves too stubborn. What works best to attack this stuff without damaging the plastic?

[Andrew Gorman]

Easy off for me usually loosens up the yellowish layer enough for me, but maybe a rubdown with a white Scotchbrite pad will get rid of the clingy remains.

[Rocketeer]

I always use ScaleCoat paint remover, available from model railroad sources.

[geck]

You can use bleach to remove the chrome. It will completely strip it from the plastic leaving on a shiny and very sanitary part left behind.

Just immerse the part in the bleach and be amazed as it just disappears before your eyes. As long as this is not a vinyl part...you should be good...it won't attack styrene.

[Wug]

Superclean

[DaveVan]

That clear/yellow undercoat is a lacquer coating and VERY labor intensive to remove....if you can. Depends on the era/age of the chrome parts.....some undercoat I never get off.......the model car guys (me) fight this all the time! Good luck.

[MillenniumFalsehood]

Thanks for all the tips! I think I'll try bleach. I have been having success with Easy Off, but it hasn't been that good at getting rid of the lacquer undercoat on its own for some of these parts, AMT parts, in particular... some of these parts like the grilles and hubcaps are really stubborn with those deep parts that collect the lacquer and have some REALLY thick chunks left behind. At least it's coming off, slowly but surely.

[DaveVan]

I have found the cheaper the bleach the better.......seems more harsh!!! Dollar store stuff!

[MillenniumFalsehood]

Ooooh, good to know! I looked at Reddit alongside asking here, and some people have suggested soaking in alcohol for 2 hours to get rid of the lacquer. Is that very effective in your experience?

[DaveVan]

91-92% will work on some types lacquer (synthetic) but trial and error.

[TurkeyVolumeGuessingMan]

Coca Cola. It might not work as quickly, but it is gentler on the plastic than bleach.

[southwestforests]

Looking at those,

I always use ScaleCoat paint remover, available from model railroad sources.

That clear/yellow undercoat is a lacquer coating and VERY labor intensive to remove....if you can. Depends on the era/age of the chrome parts.....some undercoat I never get off.......the model car guys (me) fight this all the time! Good luck.

brings to mind this is what the ScaleCoat Wash Away paint remover did for me last year on MPC's Pilgrim Observer,

[southwestforests]

Coca Cola. It might not work as quickly, but it is gentler on the plastic than bleach.

It has worked for me though it had to sit long enough for the Coke to begin getting moldy.
So, might want to refresh the Coke after several days.

[Rocketeer]

It's not clear to me why anyone would mess around with improvised and less than satisfactory solutions like brake fluid, bleach, or Coke, when the ScaleCoat stuff is reasonably priced, does a better job, and is readily available from trustworthy sources like Walthers.

[southwestforests]

It's not clear to me why anyone would mess around with improvised and less than satisfactory solutions like brake fluid, bleach, or Coke, when the ScaleCoat stuff is reasonably priced, does a better job, and is readily available from trustworthy sources like Walthers.

Some of it might be an effect of generalized 'compartmentalization' of hobbies.
As in, "I build this, "Those People" do that other thing."

[Saturn]

Superclean

What he said. Castrol Superclean Degreaser. It's strong enough to get rid of that yellow undercoat that Tamiya chrome parts have.

[naoto]

Coca Cola. It might not work as quickly, but it is gentler on the plastic than bleach.

I suppose Sprite might be so effective in this task?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dfbRs_qEYVw

[MillenniumFalsehood]

Bleach seemed to work really well, until I discovered that it left a white residue which is being very stubborn. The Clorox website suggests using vinegar to get rid of it, but so far after several days of soaking the vinegar hasn't touched it. Whenever I scrub on them, it makes the parts want to fall off, so I'd like a solution to get rid of the residue that will dissolve it without ruining the parts. I have tried using Easy-off to get rid of it, but that didn't touch it, either.

[seam-filler]

I haven't tried this on a model yet, but a recent accident led to a table top being completely stripped of all trace of varnish - the table is over 40 years old so had tons of polish and patina on top of the commercial varnish. Now it is bare wood.

The spilt liquid happened to be menthol crystals dissolved in hot water - and not a particularly strong solution at that. As I said, I've not tested it on models yet, but I don't imagine that such a weak solution would harm the plastic at all (although I'd let it cool before using it).

[MillenniumFalsehood]

The varnish has disappeared. What I need to get rid of now is the residue left over from the crappy bleach I soaked the parts in for a week.

[naoto]

Hrm... I wonder having this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2CWfSLyjx8pa
played in the background may help?
Perhaps the sound waves may provide a bit of agitation of the solution that may help to "stir things up" as well as loose and perhaps dislodge the bits that get stuck...
Perhaps we may even experiment with different genres of music and see which ones may be more effective?
* hip-hop
* house
* electronica
* disco
* heavy metal
etc.

[seam-filler]

Hrm... I wonder having this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2CWfSLyjx8pa
played in the background may help?
Perhaps the sound waves may provide a bit of agitation of the solution that may help to "stir things up" as well as loose and perhaps dislodge the bits that get stuck...
Perhaps we may even experiment with different genres of music and see which ones may be more effective?
* hip-hop
* house
* electronica
* disco
* heavy metal
etc.

But seriously, you could try an ultrasonic cleaner.

[MillenniumFalsehood]

Yeah, I should probably try that. XD I just need to get one!

[Rocketeer]

The varnish has disappeared. What I need to get rid of now is the residue left over from the crappy bleach I soaked the parts in for a week.

Perhaps a mild acid, like white vinegar?

[MillenniumFalsehood]

Perhaps a mild acid, like white vinegar?

Bleach seemed to work really well, until I discovered that it left a white residue which is being very stubborn. The Clorox website suggests using vinegar to get rid of it, but so far after several days of soaking the vinegar hasn't touched it. Whenever I scrub on them, it makes the parts want to fall off, so I'd like a solution to get rid of the residue that will dissolve it without ruining the parts. I have tried using Easy-off to get rid of it, but that didn't touch it, either.

[Rocketeer]

Perhaps a mild acid, like white vinegar?

Bleach seemed to work really well, until I discovered that it left a white residue which is being very stubborn. The Clorox website suggests using vinegar to get rid of it, but so far after several days of soaking the vinegar hasn't touched it. Whenever I scrub on them, it makes the parts want to fall off, so I'd like a solution to get rid of the residue that will dissolve it without ruining the parts. I have tried using Easy-off to get rid of it, but that didn't touch it, either.

I'm obviously not reading the thread closely enough.

[MillenniumFalsehood]

I'm obviously not reading the thread closely enough.

No worries, I do that, too!