Topic: Removing Chrome from aluminum parts

[Dusthawk]

Any ideas on how to get this flaking mess of chrome off?

[smack doogle]

Mine looks the same way and I would like to know also.  I was just going to sand it down but maybe there is a better route?

[tbone]

The big problem with sanding it off is that the chrome is much harder than the aluminum.

The best route is to find a local plater in your area. Many of them have a tank set up for stripping old chrome off parts to be re-plated.

[bryanj]

The reason platers hate alluminium is that when you plate it it wrecks the chemicals so they only tend to do it when they need changing anyway
And removing it is more of a pain that plating it

[kirkn]

Hmmm.....  is that CHROME?

I always thought that OEM coating on the various aluminum parts was some kind of paint / clear coat combo?

I've heard that a product, available at WalMart, call Aircraft Stripper, will take that OEM coating off, leaving the aluminum ready for sanding/prep/polish/paint/whatever.

I picked up an aerosol can of the stuff yesterday, coincidentally, and tested it on some old Honda XL parts on one of my project bikes.  Seems to do the job!  This one didn't have much of the OEM finish left, and had been repainted by someone, but this stuff did a good job!  I'll also be doing the engine case covers for that project, and that will be a better test.

Spray it on, it bubbles and thickens, let it sit for half an hour, then rinse & scrub with an old sponge.

Good luck with yours.

Kirk

[Bob Wessner]

I'm guessing it is chrome, done after the fact by the PO likely. I have a spare engine with some chrome plated alum. parts and I'd like to find some way to strip them also.

[Tim.]

Not to derail the discussion on how to remove chrome (which I'm interested in as well), but if this is the only peice you need to have done, it's a small and common enough piece that I'd suggest just replacing it.

Surely someone here has a spare they'd offer up.  I'd mail you one but I just recently got rid of all my old 750 stuff.

[eurban]

Yes replacement might be a wise option.  Seems pretty common now on Ebay to see just about all of the various engine covers to be offered up in supposedly nice fully polished shape.  Prices vary but if you have ever made the attempt to do a full out polish job on some of these parts, the prices don't seem too outrageous.

[Bodain]

If you've ever used Muratic acid to get rid of rust. You know it will eat chrome almost immediately.

[Patrick]

It'll eat aluminum very quickly, too.

[Roach Carver]

i would think that you could un-plate it in a manner similar to plating but reverse the positive and negative ?

[Dusthawk]

Not to derail the discussion on how to remove chrome (which I'm interested in as well), but if this is the only peice you need to have done, it's a small and common enough piece that I'd suggest just replacing it.

Surely someone here has a spare they'd offer up.  I'd mail you one but I just recently got rid of all my old 750 stuff.

Yes, well, there you found the rub in that idea, I only posted picks of the breather to save space but to give an idea of what I want to do. Most of the covers on Rita have been chromed like this, Stator cover, Trans cover, Valve cover etc. That is a lot of parts to replace. I already have a new valve cover and breather cover to replace these chromed ones but would like to see if I can remove the chrome so I can polish them before returning them to Scondon, who provided the replacements. I have a bench grinder and polishing wheels on the way, and plenty of time to polish, so I thought it the least I could do for Scondon.

Plus, since I will soon be tearing the engine down for the rebuild of the top end, it is a good time to figure out how to remove the chrome and polish up these other parts as well.

Oh, Kirkn, it is for sure chrome, I used a brass brush to remove a lot of the flaky crap and it isn't the clearcoats a lot of people use, but thanks for the thought.

"Unplating" won't work either as the chrome is already bonded to the aluminum.

[Tim.]

I'd go to the experts.  Know a local plater?

[Caferacingparts]

The reason platers hate alluminium is that when you plate it it wrecks the chemicals so they only tend to do it when they need changing anyway
And removing it is more of a pain that plating it

   I think you are thinking of carbon. Most platers won't touch used mufflers or pipes for this reason. Any carbon in the solution will cause problems with any future chrome jobs.  Of the 3 chrome shops I have used, none have had a problem with removing old chrome from aluminum parts. And each has told me that the reverse procedure they use is the only way to remove the chrome without destroying the aluminum.
             Cheers, Bret @ Glass from the Past

[754]

after a few decades of being around bikes,


I have only heard that reversing will remove the chrome.. BUT NOT THE NICKEL.. which is fairly hard..

Usually you are faced with sanding/polishing it off.. buy another set and save these for powdercoat.. or the valve cover for a smoothed look..

[tbone]

Nickel requires a different solution so you are right that the reversed chrome solution won't remove it but a reversed nickel solution will.

Also, Caswell Plating sells an electroless nickel stripper.

http://www.caswellplating.com/kits/metalx.html

[bathcollector]

Platers can remove the chrome for you, i had a set of Donovan Hemi valve covers done. They come out quite dark in appearance but rebuff nicely

[Jerry Rxman Griffin aka MuthaF'er]

My vote is to rechrome them or pitch them and replace them. I would think it would be cheaper to have replacements chromed than to attempt to rechrome those and have them come out badly. 

[Dusthawk]

My vote is to rechrome them or pitch them and replace them. I would think it would be cheaper to have replacements chromed than to attempt to rechrome those and have them come out badly. 

That is all well and good for the breather cover, but what about the valve cover, stator, clutch covers, all the chromed aluminum pieces are chromed and pitted and corroded. The nearest Chromer is a couple hours away by car, I will find an Email to contact them to find out what they think they can do.

[eurban]

Not that I love ebay or anything but . . .Just did a search on ebaymotors for "cb750 polished"  . There are a good number of pieces listed most of which are offered at buy it now.  Looks like at this very moment you could buy all the covers (didn't see the breather) in a polished state for between $200 and $300.  Search for non polished stuff under "cb750 cover" . . .Put a request on this site for a complete cover set and see what happens?  Abrasive blast your covers and have them chrome like powdercoated? Seems like any of these options would be easier than finding a plater to dechrome unless you have a good connection in the industry.  Even after the process you will still need to do a bit of work to get the parts looking close to stock or a lot of work to get them polished or rechromed. . . .

[cleveland]

A local plater (Wisconsin Plating) offered to chem dip 2 tanks and a crap load of smaller parts for $50.  That being the case, I'd rather have them dipped and polish them myself.  I am a cheap skate and look to go the most economical route. 

[eurban]

A local plater (Wisconsin Plating) offered to chem dip 2 tanks and a crap load of smaller parts for $50.  That being the case, I'd rather have them dipped and polish them myself.  I am a cheap skate and look to go the most economical route. 

Chem dip to remove real chrome plate?  Is this an acid dip (if so see the destructive effect of acid on aluminum parts warning earlier in this thread)?  The process for deplating chrome would typically not be called a "chem dip" and might run you a good bit more than $50, but who knows . . . .

[736cc]

 My plater charged $20 to de-chrome an alternator cover that had really flaky chrome. Came back kinda dark but smooth and fresh,and ez to refinish.

[Terry in Australia]

Yeah, I've had some aluminum parts "de-plated" and a complete RC drag bike exhaust too, with no problems at all.

There's no "acid bath" technique that I know of that'll remove chrome/nickel/copper plating without dissolving the aluminum, (well, "pot metal" is probably more accurate) these parts of mine were all "reverse plated" to successfully remove the old chrome.

I've also had old chrome sand blasted off, that works quite well too, and can still be polished, but it'll take some work to get the pitting out. In this case Jeff, you might be better off buying good used non-plated parts though, used CB750 covers are cheap, and the removal process can get expensive. Cheers, Terry.

[Patrick]

A few weeks ago while working on my K0 I was using muriatic acid to derust some steel parts. I accidentally (?) dropped an old carb body into the acid. Wow, like Mentos into Pepsi. The acid immediately boiled up and the carb body sizzled.

It was pretty cool.

Patrick

[Terry in Australia]

Isn't that Mentos and Diet Coke? I saw it on Mythbusters again a couple of weeks ago, does it work with Pepsi too? Cheers, Terry.

[Patrick]

I think it works with carbonated beverages in general....

[Helo229]

I think it works with carbonated beverages in general....

Indeed - it's not so much the chemicals in the pop (soda for those of you outside of PA) as it is the carbonation. The rough surface of the mentos aggitates the carbonation in the liquid and draws them into the dimples on it's surface, and makes a sort of snowball effect (little dimples attract little bubbles, little bubbles add to surface area of the mentos while retaining it's coarse surface, aggitate and draw more tiny bubbles, etc, etc).

The more carbonated a soda is, the better, I think it was either diet coke or pepsi that gave off the best results.

Not to, you know, take this topic off point or anything....

[squirley]

This is along the lines of the topic of removing chrome.  I recently purchased a rim on ebay that is brand new, chrome plated aluminum.  However, my project requires the rims to be powder coated.  I have been told that they do not like to do powder coat over chrome, but this chrome is brand new with absolutely no defects, so does this make a difference?

[mystic_1]

Anyone know of a plating shop near the northwest suburbs of Chicago that handles small jobs for chrome removal from aluminum?

Thanks

mystic_1

[Patrick]

I think the fact that the chrome is brand new will work even more against powder coat, Squirley. Powdercoating, which was invented by an Australian, is really a coating of melted plastic. The powdercoat needs a rough surface to cling to. You would be better off with an old rim you could sand down if you are going to powder coat.

I have powderoated many of the small parts on all my bikes. The older, rougher stuff holds much better, The new shiny stuff chips easily because the powder coat is sticking only to itself. Powder coat is actually very good at filling in pitting and rough areas because it melts and cools smooth.

Patrick

[squirley]

I was looking at it more as the idea that it has a uniform finish that has no gouges or dings, and that I would just sand it down a little before coating.  Does it need to be totally removed before?

[Patrick]

If not removed, at least roughed up. The smoothness of the finish is the culprit, plus the fact that chrome is non adhesive in the first place. A smooth shiny surface offers little purchase. Before I powder coat a part I like to soak it for a little while in an acid bath to rough up the surface and give the powder good footing.

[Terry in Australia]

Don't try to powder coat over chrome mate, and sanding it will have little effect as far as adhesion is concerned.

Take it to a platers and have them remove the chrome in a reversing bath, so the aluminum rim is not damaged, then have it coated, or, like Patrick suggests, get rid of that rim, and just get an old rim blasted and coated, the powder will fill the pits and make it like new. Cheers, Terry.