How do I de-chrome these bad boys?

A 283 I bought a couple of years ago had a nice pair of finned aluminum corvette valve covers that somebody had chromed at some point in the past. No holes or broken fins but quite a bit of the chrome is bubbled and/or flaking. What's the best way to de-chrome them without screwing things up? Ideas?

 

You can take them to a chrome shop and they can do a reverse chrome process. That is unless the tree huggers have made the process environmentally unfriendly.

 

Chrome shop owner told me years ago to strip the chrome from my bumpers before I welded up and ground down the bolt holes. He said to wash them with muriatic acid using a rag and some heavy rubber gloves and eye/breathing protection and lots of ventilation. They use this stuff to clean masonary like bricks and stuff. It's pretty strong acid so be careful but it washed the chrome right off my 47 Ford bumpers. Might want to check with someone who know chemicals a lot more than I do before doing this.

 

Yyyy yes they have... I cant find a chrome shop close by, here in Northern Cali ... From my understanding Cali has forced many chrome shops out-of-state with the super strict EPA laws... SOCAL still has quite a few good places from what i hear...

As for the posted topic... I think you could get them blasted at a local powder coating place... I could be wrong... but im pretty sure they"ll do it

 

Don't use muratic (sp) or hydrochloric acid, it will eat the aluminum. The reverse current is done in sulfuric acid. Got a 5 gal bucket of battery acid & a battery charger? Attach the positive to the valve cover & the neg to a stainless plate. Nitric will also eat the nickel off the alum with out much etching.

 

Thanks for the replys. I called a local chrome shop today and they wanted $100 to strip them of the old chrome. Hell, for that much I could almost find another set.

I'll keep in mind the other suggestions. I'm not sure I want to get involved in dealing with buckets of acid for just a couple of valve covers so I guess I'll hang them on the wall for now. Damn! Maybe I could become best friends with a plating shop owner.

Thanks again for your help.

 

I bought a set with a similar finish, the chrome was peeling and flaking, I sandbalsted mine with my portable blaster.....it took all of the chrome off. If your are going to polish them you will need to sand the sand blast finish and then polish. I painted mine and polished the names and the fin tops for a different look. Dale

 

Send them out or blast and epoxy ,I dont know if epoxy will hold up ,Muriatic acid is to nasty even for me ......

 

The muriatic acid will only remove the very thin chrome layer. The nickel layer is very thick and will be the difficult part to remove. Oh, yeah, as stated already, muriatic acid will destroy aluminum.

The sulfuric acid with current works, and will remove the chrome and nickel, but not any copper if there is any. Nitric will remove everything but the aluminum, even without electricity, but it is really nasty stuff.

I would strip your valve covers for $40 (and not harm the aluminum underneath like blasting will) if you can get them over here.

Let me know if you are interested.

 

I'm very interested! Thank you for the offer. I'll send you a PM.

 

7 or 9 fins?

 

Muriatic acid is what my friend in the industrial chrome business told me to do with my axle. You can get it at most pool places and dillute it with water.

 

The muriatic acid will definitely eat aluminum. I remember dropping an aluminum part in a muriatic acid solution about 30 years ago and that thing started bubbling and fizzing like an Alka-Seltzer. I pulled it out and it was so hot I could have fried an egg.

 

I would bead blast them and then re-polish until desired effect is achieved.

 

most chrome shops should be able to strip off the chrome. be very cautious of any kind of blasting process.

 

redo32 has the right idea. Not expensive or difficult, and not unreasonably dangerous.

 

Find a local soda-blaster..its better than bead-blasting & Forget Muriatic Acid

 

...just a quick word on muriatic acid mixing with water (if anybody wants to do it)....put the bad stuff in the pail last so the water will quietly dilute it. Adding water to muriatic acid makes the water boil instantly, and the splash and splatter can ruin your good looks, eyesight, and sex life forever....remember 'bad' stuff in last....

 

trying to remove old chrome with media blasting sux, even more so on aluminum, you can very easily deform and erode the aluminum while doing it.
use reverse chrome methods for removal, electrlytical removal is mo' better.

 

Good point!!!!..................We learned it as:

"Add acid to water, just like you ought-er".

 

For all the trouble you're going to have to go through (and expense), why not throw them on evilbay and use the money to get a pair that aren't chromed?

 

For all the trouble you're going to have to go through (and expense), why not throw them on evilbay and use the money to get a pair that aren't chromed?

X2

 

Breathing strong muratic acid fumes WILL WITHOUT DOUBT cause permanent irreversable lung damage. Unless you have a good open space AND use a mask,,,leave the stuff alone. JMO

 

Take them to Terry at Equality Plating in La Mesa...he does all my potmetal and knows how to deal with removing chrome from soft metals.

 

Muriatic acid will eat the chrome and will give off a very explosive gas. What ever you decide to do test with a junk aluminum first.

 

I know one thing for sure if you try to dump Jello into boiling Vodka it fucking explodes.

 

LOL, why would you do that........

 

I have to agree X3

 

My first attempt at jello shooters

 

Jello shooters on firm titties..............YUM!.......................