I got an idea from ours truly James Bella to de-chrome in chlorine. Sweet idea!!

I have several Revell Parts Paks engines and they are all badly chromed. So I thought I would test this idea.

I got out a plastic container that had a lid. Poured in some chlorine and plopped in a Chevy Small block V-8. In a matter of minutes (maybe even an hour) the sprue was wiped clean of all the chrome!! Mega Sweet!!

Feeling good I plopped a Blown Ford in and nada! I let it sit for a few hours and I could see that the underlying sprue was white. I let it sit overnight and in the morning not much more had happened. I thought the chlorine was "all used up" so I cleaned out the container and poured in some new fresh chlorine. But more happened but still there are areas that are chromed...

Now do I curse at the de-chroming deity and scrape the rest off manually or should I chill and let it sit until the cows come home?? Another thing the room I am in is a little bit cooler than the rest of the home, could heat be a factor?

Any thoughts??

Well I'm waiting until the cows come home... it seems to be working. I guess there was just a lot of plating on this particular sprue... or was it because it was a Ford motor?? The jury is still out!

I use oven cleaner - not found chrome yet that'll take more than an hour! Maybe you need to use an old toothbrush or something to help it on it's way?

Thanks Dave I knew there was something else I could use!! I've heard of the Oven Cleaner method, just forgot about it!!

Thanks!!

Just use plain old house Beach. Chlorine is just too diluted with water, and it's too expensive. For chrome that just won't come off, I use a stiff tooth brush and work the part in the beach. This has always done the trick for me.

Joel

I'm with Dave here, oven cleaner in a zip-lock bag for a few hours then have at it with a toothbrush to get rid of the residue. I have also used this method to strip old paint off parts when I have decided to rebuild an already started kit component.

Cheers, D

I thought Bleach was Chlorine...

But I'm gonna break out the old toothbrush after work today

Brian, I sometimes need to scrub a bit with a brush too. Usually the bleach works in 1/2 - 1 hour but the chrome can be a bit stubborn at times especially in the recesses

What I use for de-chroming is an Ultra Sonic Cleaner and Windex. Windex has enough ammonia in it to get rid of the chrome (straight ammonia works faster, but is some nasty stuff), and the agitation of the ultra sonic cleaner helps it along. About 3-4 8min cycles and it is down to bare plastic.

And works well for deep cleaning on your airbrushes as well!

Great idea Scott, hadn't thought of using the USC as a parts cleaner

Also, standard gel paint stripper is good, and quick. I too have used oven cleaner with ok results.

Two things: (1) careful with the toothbrush as it can leave gouge marks on plastic that has been softened with stripper/oven cleaner, which then requires face-filling and (2) all the items mentioned in this thread are seriously detrimental to your health, so ensure good ventilation and wear plastic gloves.

Hi Brian: A better choice is to go to your local auto parts store and buy a jug of Castrol Superclean. It comes in a purple container and works extremely well for dechroming and stripping paint on models. You can also use it for a household cleaner, or on your car. It is not as toxic as oven cleaner.