Removing Chrome
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 313
Likes: 0
From: Fairfield PA
Removing Chrome
I am polishing some aluminum parts on my Vett (door sills, rocker panels and back window trim) and when I stated to fine sand the rocker panels before polishing, the passanger side one is chrome plated but the driverside was etched aluminum. I stated to sand the chrome off the part but it is eating up the sand paper and taking forever. Is there an easy way to remove chrome?
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 24,125
Likes: 15
From: Columbia Missouri
Originally Posted by 11Jake
I am polishing some aluminum parts on my Vett (door sills, rocker panels and back window trim) and when I stated to fine sand the rocker panels before polishing, the passanger side one is chrome plated but the driverside was etched aluminum. I stated to sand the chrome off the part but it is eating up the sand paper and taking forever. Is there an easy way to remove chrome?
There are some chemical dips available, but in all, it's VERY hard to manually remove good chrome, and the surface under it will suffer as a result. It's a plating, checmically bonded to the surface under it. Generally removing it takes some of that under-surface away in ****** or pits. You'd almost have an easier time buying a new panel that's polished, or another chrome one.
Team Owner
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 23,831
Likes: 10
From: Springfield MO
St. Jude Donor '07
Or take it to a plating shop and have it de-plated. They just reverse the electrical charge.
If you're brave, muriatic acid will eat chrome - but I imagine it would do nasty things to aluminum, too.
If you're brave, muriatic acid will eat chrome - but I imagine it would do nasty things to aluminum, too.
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 24,125
Likes: 15
From: Columbia Missouri
I found a grinding wheel of a flap wheel will remove chrome too, but the surface is scarred pretty bad. I still think it's better to just get a parts to match either side or the other and not modify one to match the other.
Team Owner
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 40,338
Likes: 786
From: Redondo Beach, California
Originally Posted by I'm Batman
Or take it to a plating shop and have it de-plated. They just reverse the electrical charge.
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Team Owner
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 24,125
Likes: 15
From: Columbia Missouri
Originally Posted by 68/70Vette
As far as I know, the only practical way to remove chrome is to take it to a chrome plating shop and have then de-plate it. Actually when you take a corroded chrome piece to them for re-plating, they have to de-plate the piece before they can start to work with it.
I was thinking of that for my sidepipes and headers. I'm guessing it's just as much to have them un-plated as it is to get it chrome plated.
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 313
Likes: 0
From: Fairfield PA
Well I have most of the chrome off. It has been a huge pain in the A##. I stated with 80 grit sand paper on a sander to scratch up the chrome really good but not to much to get to the aluminum. Then I used 150 grit paper to get the chrome off. After I get the chrome off I used 250 paper and then 400 paper to get a really smooth surface. I did the other rocker panel (the one that did not have chrome on it) with the 250 then the 400 paper and polished it. It looks amazing.
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 24,125
Likes: 15
From: Columbia Missouri
Originally Posted by 11Jake
Well I have most of the chrome off. It has been a huge pain in the A##. I stated with 80 grit sand paper on a sander to scratch up the chrome really good but not to much to get to the aluminum. Then I used 150 grit paper to get the chrome off. After I get the chrome off I used 250 paper and then 400 paper to get a really smooth surface. I did the other rocker panel (the one that did not have chrome on it) with the 250 then the 400 paper and polished it. It looks amazing.
Good...I'm glad that went well for you. Can you take and post a pic of what it looks like now?
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