removing plating

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FTO_dude

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Jun 30, 2009
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Hey folks. Im in the middle of restoring my uncles sword, the blade itself has actually been chrome plated. so far as i can tell the base metal is stainless, 1 layer of brass and then the chrome. i want to take it back to just the stainless, can someone tell me the quickest way to do this?
so far ive been trying 180 grit sandpaper but progress is slow so far. is it possible to just soak it in vinegar or some other acid and soften it up a bit?

thanks
 
We do it 2 ways, one is hydrochloric acid dip for about an hour the second is a sodium hydroxide electro chemical process with positive to the chromed piece and negative to the tank.

well, the third option would be grinding or sanding but as you've probably realized, chrome doesn't sand very easily.

See if there's a chrome plater near you, they may do it for a few bucks. Just be advised that they will only strip chrome, any other metals underneath the chrome you will have to deal with yourself, such as brass, nickel, etc.
 
well, ive already done some of the handle end.
im having the fittings from it rechromed, after i get a quote.
i think the Hydrochloric acid would be the best solution
can i use a length of pvc as a container?
 
hmmm, after a little more reading HCl is probably not the way to go.
I can probably get the whole thing sanded in a day.
Thanks for the suggestions
 
No problem.

One thing most people don't realize is that when something gets chrome plated for decoration, the chrome is very, very thin - in the range of .00002" - .00007" but underneath that will be the filler metal such as nickel which is typically fairly thick and it is quite hard to grind or sand. I've seen some instances of chrome plating directly onto copper or brass without a layer of nickel but only 2 or 3 times I've seen this in 20 years.
 
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