Stripping chrome?

[rose jackets67]

I'm about to order a black-oxide coating kit from Caswell Plating to fancy-up some old tools, and some car parts that I think would look cool in corrosion-resistant black.

Problem is, it looks like the black oxide coating won't adhere to chrome. Stripping the majority of the chrome off an item shouldn't be hard, but I'm worried that I won't be able to get it off of knurled areas (handle of an old SK ratchet) and the insides of stamped letters (old Mac and Crafstman wrenches).

Any tips? Anyone know how a plating shop does it? I'd rather not have to pay someone to do it, as all I'm doing is trying to make my set of 'truck' tools look a little nicer.

Thanks,
adam

 

[Dodgepu360]

got a bead blaster?

 

[-lecroix-]

You will need to send them to a plater to have the chrome plating fully removed. Bead blasting will only "etch" the outside layer, not remove it as chrome plating is usually several layers of copper, nickel and chromium.

 

[wilbilt]

You might try immersing them in C-L-R or Lime-A-Way. I was de-rusting some sockets using this method and left them in too long. The chrome was in the process of being removed when I pulled them out.

 

[Junkman]

Soak them in toiled bowl cleaner and it will remove all the plating to the base metal. Depending on how thick the plating is, will depend on how long it will take. Just don't leave them soaking for a long time, because when you take them out, you will find that they are badly eaten apart. Also remember that the chrome plating on wrenches is considered in the total dimensions when it is being designed. If you remove the plating and it is .005 thick on each side of the jaw, that the wrench will now be .010 wider than originally. Plating is figured into the total dimensions of all tools...

 

[rose jackets67]

Good point, Junkman... I hadn't thought of that. At the same time though, all the wrenches I'll be doing are older than 20 years old, so I have to think even a full hundredth isn't going to make a big difference.

I'll call the local plating shop tomorrow and see what they have to say and post back up then.

Adam

 

[...dave]

i would definitely be interested to see how that black oxide coating comes out... have spent a lot of time looking at the Caswell stuff, and some of it seems too good to be true... if it works, i'm all over it.