Will walnut shell blasting hurt chrome?

I have a chrome plated part I want to clean up (50some years of crud) without dulling the chrome... I have walnut shells in my blast cabinet.

Has anyone blasted chrome with walnut shells?

thanks

 

doug..I dont know but wouldn't do it...maybe find something laying around chromed that you could try. I think the walnuts will mess it up

 

+1 on a test piece, are you sure its chrome and not stainless?

 

Don't do it.

 

It will cause some dulling of the chrome for sure.
Anything pressurized enough can and will cut anything.
Think about waterjet cutting where water can be used to cut steel. Sure they do add some media to the water but you get my point.
Better use some good ol soap and water with a rag. Just add elbow grease!
You could try a test piece as recommended to see how much damage is caused and make the determination as to whether you still want to proceed.
Best of luck!

 

Thanks everyone...

I will try it on a test piece and see how that goes...

as for the piece I wanna clean up -it'll be old fashioned elbow grease...

 

I have first-hand knowledge and experience on this subject. That's why I said, "Don't do it." This is why I said that:

Media blasting is sometimes used to STRIP plating. Not only does it wear away the plating(damage the surface finish), stresses are created in the plating that cause it to separate from the base metal and flake off. Blast a little and you'll only get a little damage, blast more and get more damage. Since NO damage means the chrome will last the longest, that means don't blast. If the chrome is already deteriorated and failing, maybe you do want to blast it. If you are just trying to clean up a a good surface, blasting isn't a good plan.

 

How about soda blasting?
http://www.aircooledtech.com/tools-on-the-cheap/soda_blaster/

 

I think I would try a long term soak in some simple green and try rubbing on it with a soft non abrasive, if it's an iron residue you may want to test a piece of it with an iron out or similar chemical.

 

I'm not sure how bad your rust is, but I've had pretty good luck with various "grits" of steel wool in the past. Go to your nearest Lowes/Home Depot. They sell steel wool in varying grit sizes. Go rough to smooth.

 

Steel wool will ruin the chrome, it'll shine up, but plain steel will shine up if you scratch steel against it. Bad idea.

If it's got rust stains on it, try some buffing compound on a rag, the same stuff you'd use on a freshly wetsanded paintjob. I like Wizards Turbo Cut because it smells good and is relatively mild. I've brought some really rough looking chrome back from the brink with it, without damaging it.

If you can spare the coin, get Simichrome polish. It's really expensive (last tube I got was $12 and it's the size of a travel toothpaste) but it's excellent stuff. The idea is, you want to polish it with something that is harder than the crust and stains but still softer than the plated surface. The steel in steel wool is harder than the chrome, so it'll wear it off.

 

Benefits of Walnut Shells

• 
  "No Damage To Glass, Rubber Or Chrome!"

http://www.billingsblasting.com/applications\auto.shtml

 

That would also depend on many things such as PSI, quality of chrome, as well as if the statement refers to visable damage or damage in general. As Al mentioned the pressure of the media being blasted on it could cause the plating to separate from the base metal. This is old plating we are talking about thats dirty. The statment could also refer to overspray when trying to remove paint from a surface next to the chrome. Never a good idea to trust a statement made by someone trying to sell the product. Words can mean so many differant things to differant people.
Best to try a sample piece anyday.

 

Remember that when blasting crud off a part with any blasting material the crud itself is now moving at high pressure and can damage the part.

 

Having done this before, the walnut shells don't do visible surface damage. BUT the impact of the media can break the bond of chrome/nickle to base metal causing the chrome to "blister" off the part. Also, any impurities, or left over media in the mix (sand, rust, glass beads etc) will hammer the chrome.

 

blast it at a lower psi, try 60psi. walnuts will be fine so is soda. i can blast a decal off a non tempered window with either media. your chrome will be fine.