De-chroming plastic parts

Undiluted Simple Green worked for me, but it took about 24 hours, and it was a Tamiya model.   It also didn't remove the clear carrier film.  That took a 30 minute soak in oven cleaner...the nasty kind with the yellow cap.  But, the good thing is that the plastic's exposure to lye was shortened to 30 minutes, instead of several hours as it would have been with the oven cleaner-only method.  Keep in mind that 24 hours was the amount of time the parts were actually in the Simple Green...so it isn't necessarily how long it actually would take for it to do its job.  A cheap electric toothbrush helps with the stripping process too.

Pure Clorox or or any other brand bleach.

Let it soak while you work on other areas.

fotoguy

I tried stripping chrome from Airfix 1930 4.5 Litre Blower Bentley 1/12 scale model with no success. First I tried Windex with ammonia, I soaked them for two days, no success. Next I tried straight ammonia, soaked for three days, no success. Then I tried straight sulfuric acid (N9 buffer), soaked for two days, no success. I tried L.A. Totally Awesome, no success, I tried a couple of cleaners/strippers in my wife's collection, all with no success. Then i saw this episode on stripping chrome and said finally. So I tried it and yes it will strip the chrome off, but I soaked it for four hours and it just started stripping the chrome. I would say to fully strip the chrome off would take a day of soaking! I tried a chrome piece from an AMT corvette model, and it stripped the chrome off in 20 seconds! I don't know what the difference is between AMT and Airfix Chrome, but the Airfix is one tought plating. I'd love to hear from other people and from the guys at Fine Scale. I'd also love it if someone would try to duplicate my stripping problem. Thanks in advance. 

I used SuperClean, an automotive de-greaser, to strip the chrome from the chromed sprues in the Monogram Red Baron Hot Rod.  I poured the cleaner into a glass dish big enough to fit the sprues, and watched the chrome dissolve into the solution. In about 2 minutes, the layer of plating was completely removed.

I got the idea on the Agape forum from a member who used SuperClean to strip the chrome from Tamiya's chromed P-51D kit.  He had the same kind of experience.

After that, I use SuperClean to strip paint from pieces I want to repaint.

You can get a gallon of it for eight bucks and change at WalMart. It's also available at automotive supply stores.  And it comes in smaller bottles, and a spray bottle, too.

You can use a batch of it over and over, too. I use glass jars of various sizes to make baths to soak pieces.  I use a batch till the liquid fades in color and the bottom of the jar has a layer of gunk.

The active ingredient is lye, just as in many oven cleaners.  But it doesn't seem as caustic as say, EasyOff.  It's still a good idea to work in a well-ventilated area, and to use gloves. Though I concede, I don't use gloves when I work with it.  I do use a work sink and faucet, though, so I rinse constantly.

fotoguy, I use common household bleach to strip chrome from plastic car parts. It may take a few minutes, but the bleach works just fine.

BTW: Do not pour the bleach into a bar metal pan! You'll get a chemical reaction from the bleach and bare metal surface of the pan. Pour the bleach into a plastic tub to be safe.

on the household bleach. Been using it for years.

Stay Safe.

Jim 

I use household oven cleaner with no odour or fumes.

PatW

I use household oven cleaner with no odour or fumes. 

Another oven cleaner user. No special brand, generic or whatever's on sale. I don't think it's ever taken me more than 3 sprays -- say, 15 minutes setting, each, at most -- to remove even the thickest plating. One usually does it, then a good clean/rinse with warm water and a drop of dish soap, and all is copacetic.

La's Totally awesome all purpose cleaner.

I used to use oven cleaner before I discovered La's. Also, my local Dollar Tree always has it in stock.

PatW

I use household oven cleaner with no odour or fumes.

 

Likewise, I use Fume Free Easy Off oven cleaner. often put little parts in a zip lock bag, spray liberally and let sit over night.

I'll also use one of those Glad reusable containers to let some parts soak in it.

I dont bother to remove it.  I repair any problems, like sprue area, use a good metal primer, and either use Alclad chrome or one of the newer Chrome paints.

missileman2000

I dont bother to remove it.  I repair any problems, like sprue area, use a good metal primer, and either use Alclad chrome or one of the newer Chrome paints.

 

I used oven cleaner before I switched to SuperClean.  Oven cleaner has the disadvantage that you really can't reuse a batch, once you spray it out of the can.  That's one big advantage of SuperClean, for me.  I can use batches of it over and over.  That means it's cheaper.

Plus, it's a degreaser, and I use it for some cleaning tasks around the house.

I use Purple Power. Works great.

Very true. I de-plated the Tamiya F-84 ThunderJet with basic bleach and it took every speck of chrome off the plastic in less than a half hour. Same with the engine parts for the Aoshima Mad Max 2 V-8 Interceptor. Then I tried the exact same bleach on the Mobius Iron Man Mk. 1 suit and it barely even discolored the chrome thanks to the paint being so thick. I guess it depends on the company because Mobius must have used some sort of industrial-grade paint to make it adhere like that. 

Funny you should bring this up!

I just wrote an FSM Snapshot about de-chroming parts using the old standby Liquid-Plumr (an technique that has been around forever). You can read it here.

In this FineScale Modeler Weekly, I also went over the technique.

Since the video and the Snapshot, we received a lot of other suggestions that we're covering in a future FSMW video, but (spoilers!) bleach all on its own works really well. 

Hi!

      I seem to remember somewhere that it was said(Model Cars or Scale Auto) that there is a sturdy undercoating for chrome parts. Now that said, maybe that is why Monogram's Chrome faded away after being displayed for a while. On "Maliblu" ( a Model car made by Monogram) the Chrome started that stuff in less than a year. So off to Chrome-Tech they went, after careful dis-assembly and re-assembly they still shine to this day wherever she is. I have seen on AMT Models when you strip the chrome a waxy lacquery layer in the grooves and tight corners.