De - Chroming

[tundratrekers@mtaonline.n]

I have 2 Bradley Capos for dobro i need to engrave on the flat tops.
They are hard chromed.
Whats the safest way to get the chrome off,This stuff is hard.
Thanks ,
God Bless
michael

 

[mtgraver]

Mike, I think the safest would be to send them off to a plater. In the old days of my printing background I worked in a rotogravure plant, the process would be difficult to do at home safely in my opinion.
Good luck
Mark

 

[scott99]

Hi, this is just to agree with mtgraver, take then to a plater and they will toss them into a stripper bath and that will be that. They can be told what finish you want and if they are any good at all you will get the stuff back with the finish you need.

scott99

 

[tundratrekers@mtaonline.n]

I guess its sanding,then.
michael

 

[Tira]

A chrome plater will have them stripped and polished back up in very little time. The plating will come off equally. It will beat the frustration of sanding. Have them re-polish the pieces so they won't take you time to do it.

 

[kaloy]

I have been a plater for many years (in the past) In a 5 gal bucket put 4 gal of very hot water then mix in 3 oz per gal of potassium hydroxide (potash). Then put 6" by 12" thin sheet of stainless steel inside the edge of the bucket and connect a positive lead of 6 to 12 vdc and hang your part with bare copper wire with the negative lead and submerge the part in the solution with out touching the stainless plate. It will boil in short order and you will notice a yellow foam appear (that is the chrome coming off). Pull the part up from time to time to see if all the chrome is off. This is crude but works....good luck, Karl

 

[tundratrekers@mtaonline.n]

Karl,
Yea that info is all over the web.
I appreciate it
But from what I've read,that makes hexavalent chromium toxic solution.
Think Erin Brokovich, PGE.
There is no SAFE way to dispose of the stuff.

On another note;
Does the chrome migrate into the nickel?
I have sanded and sanded,til the brass shows through in places,but the graver or file still wont bite.
michael

 

[kaloy]

It is a bond that shares electron from outer circle (valent bond) Also will make the substrate hard and brittle since nickel is plated in a sulfuric acid base bath. I understood from the post it was hard chrome but nothing was said about nickle under it. Its a different animal to remove nickel. After the nickel is removed you could anneal it to make it soft again.

 

[tundratrekers@mtaonline.n]

Are you saying I should anneal the brass?
I only removed the plating from the areas to engrave.
I dont know if the rest of the plating will withstand annealing.
I really screwed up taking this job.
But I have to make it right now.
michael

 

[kaloy]

I meant to anneal the brass after all plating is remove. You will probably have to have a plating shop remove the nickel for you. Sorry I can't be of any help. Karl

 

[tundratrekers@mtaonline.n]

Well, got tired of screwing with it.
I took it to the bench grinder,down to the brass in a few minutes.
Finished it by hand with papers and paste polish.
Now I can finally get on with the engraving.
Wish I would have done it right off,would have saved me a LOT of time and wasted sand papers.
Live and learn.
Thanks all for replies.
michael

 

[CJ Allan]

I send all my parts that needs the chrome removed & Polished to Browns Plating in Paducah KY.............
Anyone that deals with top quality plating on MC parts knows about Browns......