Removing chrome from aluminum

Any one done it? Im trying to un harley my valve cover and case covers, some say sulfuric some say muriatic some blast... Id like to just get it off ugh

i have had good luck bead blasting and painting.


leon

Mariatic acid will attack and dissolve Aluminum, so avoid using that. You might have better luck at a plating shop, have them strip the chrome in a reverse plating process, or sandblasting.

If you want a good black paint job, after the parts are stripped/blasted, throughly clean them, let air dry, and then spray them with PJ-1 "Fast Black" paint. Let the parts dry for about an hour, and then bake themat 300 F in an oven. The smell is not too bad, just open up windows for air circulation. The parts will have a durable finish when cooled.

I use small hangers and hooks made from wire clothes hangers inside our oven, suspending the parts on the racks.

Chrome is one of the hardest materials. It is only .002-.003" thick. You can strip it with a vat of sulfuric acid, but the parts have to be hanging off of a common bus bar into the solution with a low voltage, reverse current 6-9 volts dc. It takes awhile.

If you blast it, you better have industrial air pressure with aggressive media. Like the side of the road contrsruction crews use with a 3" nozzle.

If they are nice and you want to save and polish them.
Take them to a chrome shop. This process takes a couple of days. Have them strip it.
I now a small shop that will do it for me. Then again other places might laugh at you
and tell you to leave. Chrome work is so expensive with the DEC, DOT regulations. The chromatic acid leftover after each chrome dip contains arsenic and has to be treated first, filtered then stored in barrels for removal. The small shop I know, the City comes buy twice a week and checks the sewer drains for any trace
Then again you might not live near any chroming shop??

Good Luck

Further options --

If the chromed covers are presentable, sell them and purchase unchromed ones.

Or consider powder coating the chromed covers on hand.

Good Fortune!

Ha what a pain in the ace...

Id try trading them. I love aluminium aswell, but some guys go for that "get yo shine on" look. Post it in the for sale section as a trade, wouldnt be as painful as getting done (less down time too).

honestly wish someone would come up with knowing how to get aluminium fenders. that would be awesome (doing an aluminium/ satin black bike)

call john Madison custom plating 1 608 273 1929 ONLY WAY DO RITE REVERSE THE PROCESS N IT BLOWS IT OFF DONT FORGET TO TELL HIM REFEREED FROM HIS BROTHER JEFF good luck

jeff12345 wrote: call john Madison custom plating 1 608 273 1929 ONLY WAY DO RITE REVERSE THE PROCESS N IT BLOWS IT OFF DONT FORGET TO TELL HIM REFEREED FROM HIS BROTHER JEFF good luck

Exactly! They reverse the electrical process and the chrome melts right off. Far cheaper too than the chroming process, only takes one step.