How do I get etching primer off Chrome??
Thread Starter
CF Community Team
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 9,329
Likes: 359
From: Delaware
St. Jude Donor '25
How do I get etching primer off Chrome??
Hi guys, had a hard time starting here but got thorough......I have some nice chrome parts that someone painted 3 times over.......got through the first layers with stripper....what remains is some of what I can only guess is a gray / silver etching primer that is very stubborn. Some came off with the initial strip but about half remains30 mins of Zip Strip didn't move it. Any ideas? The chrome underneath looks nice and I need to get it off? Torch???
Thanks, john
Thanks, john
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Thread Starter
CF Community Team
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 9,329
Likes: 359
From: Delaware
St. Jude Donor '25
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 2,709
Likes: 3
From: Savannah GA
I vote for lacquer thinner, very wet and light pressure from 0000 steel wool. Won't scratch, and the solvent will help. If still hazy after, a FRESH, lightly moistened Brillo pad (NOT a cheap store brand!) will brighten the chrome without scratching. Keep the water to a "paste" soapiness, and get a new pad if the slime gets thin. Hope this helps!
Thread Starter
CF Community Team
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 9,329
Likes: 359
From: Delaware
St. Jude Donor '25
I vote for lacquer thinner, very wet and light pressure from 0000 steel wool. Won't scratch, and the solvent will help. If still hazy after, a FRESH, lightly moistened Brillo pad (NOT a cheap store brand!) will brighten the chrome without scratching. Keep the water to a "paste" soapiness, and get a new pad if the slime gets thin. Hope this helps!
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 2,709
Likes: 3
From: Savannah GA
If the etch is very basic, or acidic, it might have "etched" the chrome permanently. I hope not, and suspect this is an anomaly if so in today's "green" climate. "Good" products (those that work as intended) are rarely politically or environmentally friendly... if you can't remove the etch please tell us what was used; we might need just that sometime!
Thread Starter
CF Community Team
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 9,329
Likes: 359
From: Delaware
St. Jude Donor '25
If the etch is very basic, or acidic, it might have "etched" the chrome permanently. I hope not, and suspect this is an anomaly if so in today's "green" climate. "Good" products (those that work as intended) are rarely politically or environmentally friendly... if you can't remove the etch please tell us what was used; we might need just that sometime!
Former Vendor
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 76,656
Likes: 1,853
From: Jeffersonville Indiana 812-288-7103
St. Jude Donor '08-'09-'10-'11-'12-'13-'14-'15
Avalon,
Sounds to me like this stuff etched pretty good. When we strip cars we strip to the primer and them remove the primer with 0000 steel wool and thinner combined. Not saying this would work but it might be worth a try.
Primer is hard enough to get off, let alone the etching primers. Another thought would be to maybe use a buffer working your way up the ladder in grit. If you start out with the gray it should cut the primer off and leave the chrome in pretty good shape. (Depending on how nice the chrome is).
Willcox
Sounds to me like this stuff etched pretty good. When we strip cars we strip to the primer and them remove the primer with 0000 steel wool and thinner combined. Not saying this would work but it might be worth a try.
Primer is hard enough to get off, let alone the etching primers. Another thought would be to maybe use a buffer working your way up the ladder in grit. If you start out with the gray it should cut the primer off and leave the chrome in pretty good shape. (Depending on how nice the chrome is).
Willcox
Burning Brakes
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 952
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Le Mans Master
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 5,000
Likes: 1
From: Minneapolis, Mn USA
MEK can be had at the Home Depot in quart size containers. Watch out, that stuff is a STRONG solvent. Handle with gloves and keep the garage OPEN to dilute the fumes. 
You'll know what Im talking about once you open the container. Its about as strong as any photoresist solvent I've ever dealt with.
You'll know what Im talking about once you open the container. Its about as strong as any photoresist solvent I've ever dealt with.
