Removing chrome...what works for you?
07-01-13, 02:14 PM
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Removing chrome...what works for you?
Got a frame with chrome socks that need the mostly toast chrome removed for painting. I have read several methods to remove it (barring media blasting). Methods include a baking soda or household cleanser paste, brake fluid, cola, oven cleaner, bleach and of course the acids. If I can, I want to avoid the acids. Who has stripped chrome here and how did it go for you? BTW I did search the forums. The search engine on here leaves something to be desired IMO.
07-01-13, 02:25 PM
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Take it to a powdercoater and get it dipped. Strips it to bare metal.
07-01-13, 02:35 PM
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Wire wheel.
07-01-13, 02:59 PM
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Where did you read that those methods will remove chrome? The only methods I know of are reverse electrolysis and grinding.
07-01-13, 03:51 PM
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If figured knowing how ingenious this bunch is, someone had tried them or had a better mousetrap.AFA powdercoater to strip, most of the shops around here use media to prep. They tell me they want a rough surface for the PC to adhere to once the chrome is gone. That's okay to a point, but I have seen how they leave the surface and it is IMO too rough for a good home paint job.
07-01-13, 03:58 PM
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I've roughed up the chrome fork & chainstay on my Motta with steel wool and/or sandpaper, prepped with phosphoric acid, and painted. Held up so far.
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07-01-13, 05:28 PM
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Why the ever famous Wiki How. If figured knowing how ingenious this bunch is, someone had tried them or had a better mousetrap.
AFA powdercoater to strip, most of the shops around here use media to prep. They tell me they want a rough surface for the PC to adhere to once the chrome is gone. That's okay to a point, but I have seen how they leave the surface and it is IMO too rough for a good home paint job.
If figured knowing how ingenious this bunch is, someone had tried them or had a better mousetrap.AFA powdercoater to strip, most of the shops around here use media to prep. They tell me they want a rough surface for the PC to adhere to once the chrome is gone. That's okay to a point, but I have seen how they leave the surface and it is IMO too rough for a good home paint job.
07-01-13, 05:37 PM
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Troo, GB. Baking soda? Cola? Baking soda and cola! Yeah haw. Maybe someone meant caustic soda. But still. I think you're going to have to sand or grind it or blast it off CV-6. Which doesn't sound like much fun at all.
07-01-13, 06:20 PM
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Just goes to prove that you can't believe everything you read on the internet. Most of that is completely false. If oven cleaner dissolves chrome, why doesn't it dissolve the can it comes in? Brake fluid? Same question, and what about those steel brake lines? Chrome is pretty much impervious to household chemicals. Any acid strong enough to dissolve it will also dissolve your frame.
07-01-13, 08:57 PM
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The plater I use made an uncharacteristic mistake on a couple of forks by chroming the entire fork. The threads required media blasting and the crown had to be hand sanded with emery cloth. I'm taking the other one back to be redone.
07-01-13, 09:24 PM
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Bench grinder with a wire brush wheel.
07-01-13, 09:35 PM
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Apparently two years of exposure to the elements in the Kansas environment. It worked wonders on a recent Apollo that was giving to me as a basket case. The process uses rust to flake the chrome off. No scrubbing required. You know, except for the rust later.
