Removing 'chrome' ?

[stevep944]

Can anyone recommend a way to remove the 'chrome' plating on plastic please.
I'm trying soaking in brake fluid, nothing happening yet, is this the way to go?
Thanks

[dr_gn]

stevep944 said:

Can anyone recommend a way to remove the 'chrome' plating on plastic please.
I'm trying soaking in brake fluid, nothing happening yet, is this the way to go?
Thanks

It's usually called vacuum plating. I read somewhere you can remove it by soaking in strong bleach.

This may or may not work/destroy the part/explode.

[Red Firecracker]

Oven cleaner. Place parts in a zip lock bag, spray in oven cleaner (I prefer Mr Muscle) and wait. after a while you can wash all the chrome effect off and be left with bare plastic.

[Skii]

/\ What he said - Mr Muscle.

[stevep944]

Thanks for the replies; tried Mr Muscle but didn't have any effect at all.
Resorted to good old fashioned sandpaper in the end.

[dr_gn]

stevep944 said:

Thanks for the replies; tried Mr Muscle but didn't have any effect at all.
Resorted to good old fashioned sandpaper in the end.

You have to soak the part for days...

[Civpilot]

Try Coke (or Pepsi).


Did that before (ages ago when I was a nipper) on some chrome plated plastic and it did work after a couple of days. From memory i don't think there was any damage to the plastic but I only did it to test (afterall it cleaned coins so well I wanted to see what else it could 'clean' )

[Rick_1138]

Tesco thick bleach, thin stuff doesn't work.

I was using it to remove chrome plate from a protar 1:9 MV agusta wheel, the chrome must have been about 1mm thick!!! took about 4 days soaking, and i found you need to swap the bleach out after a couple of days.

I have also used it for a tamiya chrome plated mustang, though it took the chrome off in about an hour that time.

You sometimes get a clearcoat under the chrome which can effect painting, brake fluid can takje this off too, again soak for a day or 2.

Doesn't harm the plastic at all!

[Anthony Micallef]

Another vote for bleach here. Used this method lots of times and works a treat. Need to leave it to soak for an hour or so though.