Hi
Whats the best way of getting chrome plating off of plastic.
I have the 1/20 Tamiya 312T3 and want to get rid of the chrome and use Alclad instead.
Any help much appreciated.
Brian

Household bleach works pretty well...just put the parts in a container of water and add some bleach.
Swirl the parts around every so often and eventually the chrome just disappears. On fine detail try using an old toothbrush to get into all the crevices.
I normally leave the parts soaking overnight...some chrome shifts quicker than others.
I have read that Coca Cola has the same effect.

Hi Brian,

Like Lain says above, bleach does work and i've used that method. These days i use Caustic Soda. Mixed to the instructions (very important to add it to water and not the other way around), i find it takes most chrome off in 15 minutes.

The 312T3 is still a nice kit too. I built it a few years back with Studio 27 etched bits. Have you got the older version with the old style decals, or the newer one with Cartograph decals? The new decals are excellent, the old ones not so good.

Andrew

Hey, I just went through this with my Deora....I initially used the "bleach method" and it didn't do anything for me....wrong type of bleach? Don't know.... You being on the "other side of the pond" from me, I'm not sure if you can get this, but I wound up using Easy-Off oven cleaner...the stuff you spray in your oven that cleans up/loosens the built up gunk....and it worked like a charm! There's a little bit of commentary and a pic here about 2/3's of the way down. IIRC the parts sat in the bleach overnight and they were not affected one bit. However, within a very short time, the Easy-Off removed a majority of the chrome with no effect to the plastic. When I do my Ranchero, I'll use the EO again....worked great for me.

Mike

Hi there

My mate who builds 1/24 cars swears by Mr Muscle oven cleaner (the spray can foam type). Have tried it myself on the1/24 chevy blazer and it worked a treat. Spray on, leave to react, use a little more on stubborn bits brushed in with an old tooth brush.

Remember to wash well with soapy liquid and rinse off thouroughly before priming and painting.

Hope this helps

Nige

Thanks for the quick reply everyone.
I am going shopping today so will get some Mr Muscle and give that a go.
The decals look very rough so have ordered a new set from Indycals.

I was bought the kit as a present a couple of years ago and have only just got round to building it, I think it came from ebay so could be very old, the white decals have turned nice and yellow

Brian

Hi there

Try taping the decals to a window (decal outwards) on the sunny side of your house to see if they bleach out the yellow. I heard that can help in some cases. Worth a try. Don't know how long you should leave it, but I would think it is not an instant process.

Anyone able to say how long roughly?

Nige

In the current weather we're having I think leaving it till August should just about do it...

I know there is a big aftermarket supply of decals for autos so if the sunlight doesn't help you may be in luck finding new versions on line.

Freds Resin