How to remove Chrome

[daparrothead]

I have a set of Matco wrenches that the chrome has started coming off, some worse than others and I want to strip it all off. I've tried Evaporust for a two day soak and no go, it removed the rust and started flaking some of the chrome but what's left is tuff. I also tried draino drain cleaner, no go either. Tried buffing with a wire wheel, still no go. Also tried blasting them in my blast cabinet, using glass bead and still no luck getting the remaining chrome off.

Anyone have a good method using chemicals ?

 

[metaleltr]

They do have a warranty for a reason, defects in chrome is a warranty issue.

 

[cranejon]

Soak for two hours in Muriatic acid. Chrome will just lift off. Cheap stuff but dangerous..Buy it at any masonry yard.

 

[daparrothead]

The chrome defects are where the wrenches have been dinged and from where a previous owner engraved his name on them so I doubt they will warranty them. Plus I haven't dealt with the local Matco guy before, haven't bought anything off the truck for over 10 yrs.

 

[BD1]

Try regular vinegar. I use that to clean up rusted tools. Had a 6'' CHROME adjustable with some rust on it. Left it in the vinegar too long, NO CHROME
left. It was a old Crescent brand.

 

[Dave455]

Assuming you are going to chuck'em in for re chroming just leave it! Your chromer will strip it all off as part of the prep process!

 

[daparrothead]

Actually I plan to strip them, polish them with my buffer and blue them with gun bluing.

 

[SuzukiGS750EZ]

Actually I plan to strip them, polish them with my buffer and blue them with gun bluing.

I want pictures!

 

[daparrothead]

Soak for two hours in Muriatic acid. Chrome will just lift off. Cheap stuff but dangerous..Buy it at any masonry yard.

I do not recommend this, yes I tried it. Within a 30 minute soak it ate the teeth out of my boxed end 5/16 and didn't even hardly touch the chrome. Only place it really did anything is where the chrome was already peeling, but it eats the base metal of the wrench must faster than the chrome. Guess I should have tried this on a junk wrench first.

 

[dogmir]

I went to high school with a girl they say could remove the chrome off trailer hitch....

All joking aside http://www.caswellplating.com/ is said to have an alkaline solution to remove old plating with electrolysis.

 

[77thor]

Vinegar sounds the safest... if it works.

 

[Stuart in MN]

I'd find a local chrome shop and ask about having them stripped in their tanks. The expensive part of a chrome shop is all the polishing and hand work required to get something ready to be chromed, having them stripped should be pretty inexpensive.

 

[FJ 432]

I'd find a local chrome shop and ask about having them stripped in their tanks. The expensive part of a chrome shop is all the polishing and hand work required to get something ready to be chromed, having them stripped should be pretty inexpensive.

This would be my suggestion as well.

 

[warmpancakes]

if the driver wont swap them, drop them in a flat rate for 11.00 and matco will swap them all

 

[zkling]

This has been discussed multiples times on here. But again, just for posterity....

The most efficient method of chrome removal is done electro chemically, downside is that the used solution is considered toxic waste and has to be disposed of properly. Do you have the means and will to do that? Even just chemically stripping the plating with a strong acid will produce a nasty waste solution.

In the home shop, chrome plating is usually best removed via mechanical action either media blasting if the underlying part can tolerate blasting or by wire wheel/carding.

And just a suggestion for the bluing, if you actually plan on using the wrenches use a good wearing bluing method such as a hot dip or true rust bluing.

 

[4BT]

Ive used vinegar on pitted wrenches and it removed the chrome.