Removing Chrome Plating

tonyG2 · Post by **tonyG2** » Sun Feb 27, 2005 11:56 pm

Can anyone suggest a reliable way to strip chrome plating from plastic parts?

Jonas Calhoun · Post by **Jonas Calhoun** » Mon Feb 28, 2005 12:04 am

I've had good luck with Mr. Clean, others report bleach works well too.

Dan

kovertops · Post by **kovertops** » Mon Feb 28, 2005 12:39 am

Bleach. Soak the piece or entire sprue, in a shallow pan of 'clorox' overnite, (on the back porch to avoid the stank) and the chroming on the plastic will be gone.

scifi58 · Post by **scifi58** » Mon Feb 28, 2005 1:34 am

Pinesol, the plain unflavored kind, works great and doesn't have as harsh an odor as chlorine. Again, soak in shallow pan overnite.

LG Johnson

Padawan v 2.5 · Post by **Padawan v 2.5** » Mon Feb 28, 2005 8:10 am

Windex, just soak it in windex for a day or so. Bleach and some of the other suggestions here can leave the plastic a little soft or brittle. Windex is gentle enough that it just takes off the chrome with little to no effect on the plastic. In fact, Windex is so gentle that I have a number of drink recipies if anyone is interested.

K

John P · Post by **John P** » Mon Feb 28, 2005 8:24 am

In fact, I'm soaking in it right now!

artic316 · Post by **artic316** » Mon Feb 28, 2005 12:41 pm

tonyG2 wrote:Can anyone suggest a reliable way to strip chrome plating from plastic parts?

Hi I have used castrol superclean and it removes chrome just dandy.I spay it on directly and let it sit about and hour and spray another coat.About a half hour later I turn on warm water and use a nylon scrub brush to gently remove the chrome.I repeat as needed.It is a trick I learned on the board. 8)

Trollkina · Post by **Trollkina** » Mon Feb 28, 2005 1:31 pm

I use 409 Cleaner - depending on the size of the piece - put enough in a paper cup, drop the piece in and wait about 3 to 5 minutes (heavy plating a lil longer) and you can actually see it change from silver to the plastic color. quick and easy

Brad · Post by **Brad** » Mon Feb 28, 2005 1:55 pm

I've heard oven cleaner works well. Can any one confirm that?

Padawan v 2.5 · Post by **Padawan v 2.5** » Mon Feb 28, 2005 2:31 pm

Yeah, oven cleaner works great at removing chrome. It also welds the styrene right to your skin, which is being disolved by the oven cleaner. Oven cleaner also takes the paint right off a car, and causes cancer. Go with the Windex.

"Windex, the other mouthwash"

K

Owen E Oulton · Post by **Owen E Oulton** » Mon Feb 28, 2005 3:28 pm

If you're looking at removing the plating from a Polar Lights kit, forget it - it won't come off, no matter waht you try, short of sanding it off. I don't know why. Their process must be different from other manufacturers. The prime offender is their Back to the Future deLorean Time Machine. The problem with that kit is that they used a heavy "antique pewter" finish which looks nothing at all like the brushed stainless steel of the original car. AND you can't bloody well remove it! Aaaaarrrrrrgggghhhh!

The usual process for plating a model kit is called "vacuum deposition" or vacuum plating. It involves placing the parts in a vacuum chamber and vapourising a small amount of aluminum, which settles on the parts by means of a static electrical charge. The parts are then sprayed with a clear or tinted lacquer.

Sci Fi Smoker · Post by **Sci Fi Smoker** » Mon Feb 28, 2005 5:43 pm

Castrol Super Clean Degreaser. IMO the best stuff.

Saturn · Post by **Saturn** » Mon Feb 28, 2005 7:59 pm

I always carry a couple of jugs of CSC. It's perfect for darn near stripping everything (save the PL Delorean, die casts or Resin)

Jonas Calhoun · Post by **Jonas Calhoun** » Tue Mar 01, 2005 12:21 am

Owen E Oulton wrote:If you're looking at removing the plating from a Polar Lights kit, forget it - it won't come off, no matter waht you try, short of sanding it off.

Really? The Mr. Clean trick took the plating right off the D-7 kit I've got. I'm gonna hit the HomerMobile and the Ecto-1 next...

Dan

Digger1 · Post by **Digger1** » Tue Mar 01, 2005 12:47 am

I soak my in Coke for a day. It's much safer than other chemicals you buy in the household section of the grocery store and much less expensive. Sure, might take a while longer but the results are the same and your place won't smell like the morgue.

Padawan v 2.5 · Post by **Padawan v 2.5** » Tue Mar 01, 2005 8:05 am

babaganoosh wrote:I soak my in Coke for a day. It's much safer than other chemicals you buy in the household section of the grocery store and much less expensive. Sure, might take a while longer but the results are the same and your place won't smell like the morgue.

Oh, sure! Use soda whydoncha? It'll stain the plastic that nasty brown color. Not to mention the weight gain and how badly it messes with your blood-sugar. Use Windex for all your parts-stripping and thirst-quenching needs.

K

P.S. For a summer time treat, put a dolop of vanila ice cream into a tall glass of Windex for a cool, refreshing "Windex Float".

Saturn · Post by **Saturn** » Tue Mar 01, 2005 11:03 am

babaganoosh wrote:I soak my in Coke for a day. It's much safer than other chemicals you buy in the household section of the grocery store and much less expensive. Sure, might take a while longer but the results are the same and your place won't smell like the morgue.

Wasn't this Busted in an episode of Mythbusters??

Digger1 · Post by **Digger1** » Tue Mar 01, 2005 11:26 am

It works and doesn't stain.

seam-filler · Post by **seam-filler** » Tue Mar 01, 2005 11:49 am

And all of the above have used US trade names - and many of these products are not available in the UK.

The 2 I've used are:-

1) Modelstrip. It is a caustic paste which strips just about any paint including chrome. Available from model shops about Â£3.80.

2) Persil "Power Spray". Mildly caustic spray meant for getting grunge off of ovens, BBQ grills etc, but works great at removing most paint from models. May need more than one application to work. You may also need to scratch the chrome surface a bit.

Digger1 · Post by **Digger1** » Tue Mar 01, 2005 11:57 am

Coke doesn't exist in the UK?

MarkW · Post by **MarkW** » Tue Mar 01, 2005 1:51 pm

Kempesh wrote:Yeah, oven cleaner works great at removing chrome. It also welds the styrene right to your skin, which is being disolved by the oven cleaner. Oven cleaner also takes the paint right off a car, and causes cancer. Go with the Windex.

"Windex, the other mouthwash"

K

Not even close to true as a broad generality. I've used EZ Off (lemony fresh) to strip chrome plating off all sorts of kits. It does absolutely nothing to the styrene. Some other srtippers will leach out the chrome, but not strip away the clear layer used to give the chrome finish. EZ Off strips down to bare styrene with no problem.

Padawan v 2.5 · Post by **Padawan v 2.5** » Tue Mar 01, 2005 2:31 pm

MarkW wrote:
Kempesh wrote:Yeah, oven cleaner works great at removing chrome. It also welds the styrene right to your skin, which is being disolved by the oven cleaner. Oven cleaner also takes the paint right off a car, and causes cancer. Go with the Windex.

"Windex, the other mouthwash"

K
Not even close to true as a broad generality. I've used EZ Off (lemony fresh) to strip chrome plating off all sorts of kits. It does absolutely nothing to the styrene. Some other srtippers will leach out the chrome, but not strip away the clear layer used to give the chrome finish. EZ Off strips down to bare styrene with no problem.

Dude, don't assume I'm being serious in these critiques. I am over here advocating Windex as an alternative drink to Coke after all. You can't really read into that kinda thing too deep.

K

Owen E Oulton · Post by **Owen E Oulton** » Tue Mar 01, 2005 2:53 pm

Dude, don't assume I'm being serious in these critiques. I am over here advocating Windex as an alternative drink to Coke after all. You can't really read into that kinda thing too deep.

Guy, people are here asking legitimate questions about real modelling concerns and screwing around isn't at all appreciated. Go play in Thunderdome if you want to be an idiot, but purposely giving out bad information is one way to make yourself really unpopular really fast. This is a technical forum and crap like this is on the wrong end of the signal-to-noise ratio,

Digger1 · Post by **Digger1** » Tue Mar 01, 2005 3:06 pm

since when are people serious here?

MarkW · Post by **MarkW** » Tue Mar 01, 2005 3:50 pm

babaganoosh wrote:since when are people serious here?

This from a guy who thinks coke is cheaper than Windex? How much does a gram go for these days?

Romulan Spy · Post by **Romulan Spy** » Tue Mar 01, 2005 6:38 pm

Plain old Clorox bleach worked just fine on my PL D7. The de-chromed parts took paint with no problems.

Digger1 · Post by **Digger1** » Tue Mar 01, 2005 8:32 pm

MarkW wrote:
babaganoosh wrote:since when are people serious here?
This from a guy who thinks coke is cheaper than Windex? How much does a gram go for these days?

The COLA variety, ya idjit!

Perotis · Post by **Perotis** » Tue Mar 01, 2005 9:41 pm

Brad wrote:I've heard oven cleaner works well. Can any one confirm that?

yes i can.

seam-filler · Post by **seam-filler** » Wed Mar 02, 2005 3:24 am

babaganoosh wrote:Coke doesn't exist in the UK?

True - I missed it in the thread. But once you've seen what it does to paint, filler and sometimes even plastic you will never want to drink the stuff again!

The biggest drawback with cola is that the stickiness is so darn pervasive it's hard to really get rid of all of it.

Padawan v 2.5 · Post by **Padawan v 2.5** » Wed Mar 02, 2005 11:11 am

Owen E Oulton wrote:Dude, don't assume I'm being serious in these critiques. I am over here advocating Windex as an alternative drink to Coke after all. You can't really read into that kinda thing too deep.

Guy, people are here asking legitimate questions about real modelling concerns and screwing around isn't at all appreciated. Go play in Thunderdome if you want to be an idiot, but purposely giving out bad information is one way to make yourself really unpopular really fast. This is a technical forum and crap like this is on the wrong end of the signal-to-noise ratio,

I think you could benefit from a cool glass of iced windex. It'll take the edge off...

BTW, I am serious about using it for stripping chrome, it works great and it is something most of us have already. There is nothing bad about the info, it is a perfectly good solution to the problem being addressed. If you can't handle a little levity along with the advice, I would suggest a sedative of some sort. Everybody else here seems pretty cool and are keeping it lighthearted where ever I go on these boards.

K

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Removing Chrome Plating

Removing Chrome Plating

Re: Removing Chrome Plating

Stripping Chrome Plating Quick and Easy!