Chemical Chrome Stripping

[Chuck G.]

Need some advice. I'm fooling around with a couple of early 63 mirrors, the ones with the faint "GUIDE" stamping on the back.

Have them disassembled. If I send them to the plater, I know that they'll grind/sand off the chrome, thus removing the stamping.

Thought I'd try chemically stripping them. I've got sulfuric acid, and muriatic acid here at home. Suggestions? Has anybody tried this? TIA. Chuck

[Mike M.]

Re: Chemical Chrome Stripping

send the piece to Paul's chrome in evans city pa and he'll strip old chrome then engrave the guide prior to plating. mike

[John L.]

Re: Chemical Chrome Stripping

Chuck -- I banged up a KO wheel spinner a while back. Charger Metal Works in Phila PA repaired it for me and did an excellent job. They chemically removed the chrome. I was concerned with the writing on the spinners and the arrow. It came out perfect. Jerry Martin 215-289-9227

[Chuck G.]

Re: Chemical Chrome Stripping

My other concern is that when I get them back, of course I'll have to crimp the edges over the mirror glass.

I can do it "gently", but I wonder if the plating would crack and start to peel. Chuck

[Jack H.]

Re: Chemical Chrome Stripping

Typically, platters remove prior chrome via acid etching. When done, the underlying bare surface needs to be polished to become flat/smooth. Hence, features like the very lightly stamped 'GUIDE' emboss are typically oblitherated....

But, if the platter has advance notice and a modicum of due diligence, we can strip the existing chrome using his plating bath (reverse polarity). They don't like to do this because foreign materials that come off along with the remaining chrome will contaminate the plating bath.

But, if the platter sets your part aside and waits until it's time to dump and replenish his bath, no harm is done. So, it's a cat's game of waiting for the right time/place....

Now, since the original emboss is typically 'light' (not very deep), replating the housing via conventional show/triple chrome methods usually result in the emboss being 'filled in'. If your platter will do a flash/smack chrome job (as these parts were done originally), the results are better (from the standpoint of the emboss showing clearly). But, few will do a 'shoddy' flash/smack chrome plate job today....

Mike's suggestion of using a platter with prior experience who'll take the time to re-engrave the original emboss (make it deeper), is a pretty good suggestion!

[Tracy C.]

Re: Chemical Chrome Stripping

Chuck,

To answer your question, there is no good "home brew" method to remove the plating. The chrome plate can be removed if you let the part swim in muratic acid for a few minutes but the underlying nickel and copper plating will still remain.

However comma

I DO NOT recommend you do this with your mirror. It's base substrate is pot metal and the muratic will attack it and will create huge undercut voids on all unplated or existing pitted areas.

Sanding the plating and pitted areas off is really the only way to properly refinish the piece. There are very few platers that will even discuss replating pot metal with you. Having done a couple sets of 63 hubcap trim bars, I can understand why.

Pot metal is literally the PITTS!

good luck,
tc