I have a set of 56 ford wheels that were widened and chromed back in the day. The chrome on one is 90% gone. The other one has just bunch of rust pits in it. I am wanting to paint them and i have been told blasting them wont remove the chrome. What am I to do?
Does anyone know what they dip them in? I will take them in if I have to, but I was hoping for a do it myself way of gettin it done.
I've tried muriatic acid, works OK, but I was using it on new chrome, so you mught be a little better off. I wonder if you could use the reverse electrolosis like for removing rust?
i think you can get them blasted by somebody that sand blasts cemetery head stones, had a friend that had a bumber done that way
10/4 Dadio thats definatley the easier softer way the other way is to grind it off which is easier on a bumper than a wheel. LTR Dave
The chrome shop will dip them in a tank an electically remove the chrome. But the nickel and copper are still there. Tripple plating does not mean 3 layers of chrome. It means copper, nickel and them chrome.
You don't have to remove the chrome to paint them blasting then primer and paint will work just fine. You only need to remove the chrome if you want to rechrome them and the chrome shop will do that for the price.
I have a set of wheels in the same shape that I plan to paint, the Chrome Shop wanted $30.00ea. to dechrome them,will be sand blasting at home as soon as Spring comes. Everyone thinks I'm rich except me.
Blast them. The chrome is so thin it will be off before your beer is empty. Snap-On sells a really neat red hand-held blaster. Just fill the insides of it with sand, and hook to the compressor. BAM! $30 a wheel is fine if you are going to re-chrome, but if that isn't the plan, you only have one choice (cost-wise): blast it.
Find a blast shop that doesn't just do sandblasting but also does steel shot blasting. One of the foundries I used to work in had a wheelabrator steel shot cabinet. Stripped my chrome truck bumper bare in minutes.
A chrome shop will put steel wheels into a very, very strong concentraion of sulphuric acid and then blow the chrome, nickel, and copper if you want it all off by hitting it with a lot of amps. Aluminum they put into nitric acid. Of course they have the means to dispose of their waste. It's around $550 to $600 to have a drum of acid removed by clean harbors. doesn't matter if you have 1 gallon or 55. cost is the same. If you plan to paint them, just blast them, that will give the surface enough roughness for the paint to grip.
A tub of warm water with caustic soda x 2 table spoons + some washing up liquid One wire from the positive 12v battery then to the submerged wheel One wire to a nail to the negative 12v battery - nail goes in the tub 12v battery attached to a battery charger
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