dechrome?

[panheaddreamer58]

Any tricks on getting chrome off a piece of metal

[Deye76]

Take it to a chrome shop, they'll dip/strip it.

[Erichill]

I have not tried this myself, so I don't know if it works.  Sounds to easy, and sure don't want to mess with chemicals without protection for skin and eyes.  This is from another forum:

Run down to your local hardware store and buy a gallon of hydrocloric acid (yes, I probably mis-spelled it). It's typically used for cleaning concrete for patches and such. Put it in a plastic bucket (NO, don't use metal) and dip your chromed parts in. It'll take five minutes to an hour to strip the chrome off. Rinse with clean water, then rinse with a baking soda/water solution and then soapy water. Be sure to put some oil on it to stop it from rusting....'cause that'll happen in about five minutes otherwise.

I ussually just have pieces sandblasted, but old (read good) chrome can be stubborn to blast.  Local chrome shop can dip and strip real easy.
Eric

[stroker800]

  I believe Eric means for you to use muriattic acid,,this is the one to mix with water to clean cement...With gloves and a mask it will desolve rust off of bolts and nuts,,it is often used when you scuff a piston bad in a cylinder,,,it will melt away aluminum but not harm paint...yes it will eat chrome just like battery acid.
Dave

[Snuff™]

Deye79 is right!

I've tried Easy-off oven cleaner it did not work. I've tried Clorox bleach, that took some of the chrome off so I left it in another day and did a nice job of antiquing.  (pitted the sh@* out of it!).
But the best way is to have it done by a professional.  I had a local chroming guy dechrome a tin primary, oil tank and 6 -7 other small misc. parts for $60.

-Snuff

[CraigArizona85248]

Muriatic acid and hydrocloric acid (HCl) are the same thing (some times also called "spirits of salt").  It's real easy to come by here in Arizona.  Any grocery store will have it in the isle with the swimming pool chemicals.  Be careful pouring it, it will burn a hole in your cloths from the tinyest of droplets.  It will also burn your skin so wear the appropriate protective gear (including safety glasses).  And if you are going to dilute it, pour water into a bucket and then add the acid.  Never, never, never put the acid in the bucket and add water.  If you pour water on top of acid, it can sit on the top (because it's lighter) start a violet reaction and spatter you with the concentrated acid below.

-Craig

[Pzokes]

One of the problems with getting chrome off a piece of metal is that it was polished before the copper and chrome, or copper, nickel and chrome coats were put on.  If you are trying to end up with an original finished part, it ain't gonna happen.  If you just want to paint the part, scuff it, and sand it, and paint it.

I have had chrome platers strip chrome and polish a part.  The polishing is the expensive part.

[fourthgear]

They have a paint system that you can paint right over chrome & I think its made by duplicolor . You can get it at autozone . I did it to the chrome oil tank on my 65 ( went back to black )and it came out fine . You scuff up the chrome and spray it with there prep and then what ever of there paints you want to put on there . go to there sight and check it out .

Yes, Dupli-Color® Adhesion Promoter (CP199) is recommended when spraying over chrome. In addition, scuff the surface with a red scuff pad before applying the Adhesion Promoter. Allow 15 minutes for the Adhesion Promoter to dry before applying two coats of METALCASTâ,,¢.

That above is from there websight and is talking about using another of there paints over chrome ,but any of there paints work . I watched one of those car shows on TV and they said you can paint over any thing with the adhesion promoter . It worked for me . I can post some photos in the am .

[Pynzo]

I've tried reverse electro plating with decent results. Setup you acid bath, and using a 12 volt battery charger and a clean piece of steel, hook the positve lead to the piece you want to strip, the negative lead to the clean steel, put them both in your acid bath, DON'T let them touch each other! Plug in your battery charger and kick back. You'll have to turn the piece occasionally, but all traces of chrome and nickel and copper will plant themselves on the steel.

[triumphbruce]

sand blast and paint it black

[bikerider58]

If the chrome is cracked or flaking you don't want to just paint over it.  when the next flake peels off you get to paint it again.

You don't want to sand blast aluminum and bead blasting won't take off chrome.

I used the professional route to de-chrome the inner primary on my EVO.  Worked fine.

[fourthgear]

Well he never did say what condition it was in , nor did he say what type of metal it was on . Just giving options .

[250 rpm]

I Would be real careful if doing the home dechrome on aluminum if there are any steel parts attached. I took a knuckle cam cover to a chrome shop to dechrome and was informed that I had to get ALL the steel parts off or they would start leaving as well. The baffle, pins, breather tube, plug, and pull the bushings [?] all had to go.

[panheaddreamer58]

Sorry for not telling more-- I have a pair of buddy seat foot peg brackets for my 50 fl and some one has chromed one of them. They are steel and I thought they were supposed to be finished in Parkerize but now I think they are to be painted black ,the bestr I can tell in Palmers  book. Thanks for all the info !!!

[Pynzo]

It actually works better to parkerize even if it 's gonna be painted black. Any cracks in the paint will not rust if it has been parkerized first. HD parkerized cylinders and iron heads at the factory prior to painting silver.

[monty101]

I ruined a wide glide torque bar brace that was aluminum and flaking the chrome when  I put it in muratic acid and hooked a battery up to it. The acid ate big chunks of aluminum out of the brace. I would take it to a chrome shop if I had to do it again for sure.

[CraigArizona85248]

Yeah... you definitely don't want to use HCl to strip aluminum!  Good point and thanks for bringing that up.  It's great for stripping steel and leaving a nice clean etched surface ready for primer and paint.  But as monty101 pointed out, it can pit aluminum badly.  It's common to use HCl to clean steel.  I believe they call the process "pickling".

-Craig

[Pynzo]

Bronze bushings also get eaten away- if you're doing a cam gear or kicker cover the bushings will get wasted.

[harleytoprock]

Muriatic acid will only remove the layer of chrome leaving the nickle and copper still on the piece. Muriatic acid will violently eat and react with aluminum and is not recommended. Nitric acid works very good to remove nickle and copper and will not harm aluminum but will eat steel and brass/bronze bushings. Safest bet, bring it to a chrome shop for stripping.

[Pynzo]

I sent a kicker cover to a professional to get stripped- came back clean but I still had to replace the bushings.