Removing chrome from plastic with oven cleaner

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Scheivlak
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Removing chrome from plastic with oven cleaner

Post by Scheivlak »

Hi,

I have read sometimes how to remove chrome from plastic parts and to get them ready for a more realistic look.

Never tried it but now I took the shot on the chrome parts of my Tamiya 1/12 Lotus 72D. First of course testing on a piece of sprue ;-) .

I sprayed some Mr. Muscle oven cleaner on the parts and let the foam do its work. Within minutes the chrome is gone leaving the brown/grey plastic underneath untouched. Just a rinse with some handwarm water and mild soap and the parts are ready for their gloss black primer and the Alclad finish.

The picture speaks for itself! I'm very happy with the results.
DSCF9729k.JPG
I don't know how other oven cleaners work or how agressive they are so always first run a test on a piece of sprue or spare part.

Cheers, Ronald
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CK
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Re: Removing chrome from plastic with oven cleaner

Post by CK »

It also works with household bleach. Soak the parts in a jar of bleach and wait about an hour, all the aluminum will disappear. If the parts are shaken, the reaction can be faster.

I prefer bleach over oven cleaner as it is less corrosive to skin if spilled on skin. Oven cleaner contains sodium hydroxide (caustic soda) which can literally dissolve your skin away. It happened to me before. Sodium hydroxide reacts with fat in skin to make it into soap.
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Eagle50
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Re: Removing chrome from plastic with oven cleaner

Post by Eagle50 »

CK wrote:... Oven cleaner contains sodium hydroxide (caustic soda) which can literally dissolve your skin away. It happened to me before. Sodium hydroxide reacts with fat in skin to make it into soap.
Yeech! That's scary!!

I prefer bleach too. It's safer and works pretty fast. Although, I'd warn anyone who uses bleach to wash their hands thoroughly afterwards, or any place you've touched your clothes will develop holes, the next time you wash those clothes. (Don't ask me how I know that.)

Hasegawa also came out with their "Plating Remover for Model" earlier this year -- although, I know it's difficult for people to get liquids shipped from Japan... Anyways, I saw "Plating Remover for Model" at a hobby show, and was well impressed. It not only removes chrome plating, but that smooth clearcoat underneath (that helps give chrome its shine) too. It has no noxious fumes (I gave if a test whiff). And as the Hasegawa guy showed me, the chrome undercoat peels off easily with tweezers after a good soak, leaving clean bare plastic.

Here's a picture of the product:
https://www.1999.co.jp/10384222
And a description of its use (in Japanese) with photos of how it works:
http://www.hasegawa-model.co.jp/tool_blog/?p=5388
(Interestingly, the description also mentions how "We used to have to scrub and scrub with tobacco stain-removing toothpaste, in the old days". Hmm.., is that another, albeit labour intensive way, to get chrome undercoat off one's parts..?)

Cheers, Chris
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Re: Removing chrome from plastic with oven cleaner

Post by PeteJ »

91% alcohol does the same thing and is much more friendly to you skin than either bleach or oven cleaner.
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Re: Removing chrome from plastic with oven cleaner

Post by imatt88 »

Is your 72D and old kit or reissue?

Easy Off works great for chrome on the older kits and bleach works great for both old and reissue kits.

Just went thru this with my 49B. :D
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Re: Removing chrome from plastic with oven cleaner

Post by Corpsegrinder »

I got rid of chrome on plastic off my stack all at once, 4 or 5 models. I soaked them in bleach and I was astounded to find out how effective it was, I did not have to scrub anything, the plating was gone in less than 20 minutes!!!
Before that I tried with some other products but did not work.
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Re: Removing chrome from plastic with oven cleaner

Post by Brooklin1 »

My choice for chrome removal is Castrol Super Clean degreaser. For Zero Paint 2K clear I use 99% isopropyl alcohol and Testors Easy Lift off for Tamiya sprays and other lacquers. I have quite a bit of experience in removing paint. :(

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Re: Removing chrome from plastic with oven cleaner

Post by Careless »

Cola also works if rather slowly.
I have used cola (i think it was pepsi) before and it took at least 48 hours for the chrome to come off the parts but it worked.
It has the advantage of having no smell as well as being non-toxic and non-corrosive to the model parts or your skin/clothes/carpet etc.
The one thing that bothers me is if Cola can strip chrome plate off plastic what does it do to ones stomach?
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Re: Removing chrome from plastic with oven cleaner

Post by Jerryv »

I am surprised nobody has mentioned the Tamiya paint remover. Is a new product and supposedly removes paint and chrome. I was told there are safety issues for releasing it to the US but not sure if that is true.

http://www.tamiya.com/english/products/87183/index.htm

Last week I used household blench to remove chrome with great results. Left the parts for a couple of days soaked in blench and all chrome disappear without damaging the plastic.
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Scheivlak
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Re: Removing chrome from plastic with oven cleaner

Post by Scheivlak »

imatt88 wrote:Is your 72D and old kit or reissue?

Easy Off works great for chrome on the older kits and bleach works great for both old and reissue kits.

Just went thru this with my 49B. :D

Hi this is the reissue with PE parts!

Ronald
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