DIY way of stripping chrome?
Thread Starter
Joined: Jun 2014
Posts: 1,241
Likes: 47
From: Noblesville, IN
DIY way of stripping chrome? About to pick up a set of c5z wheels that were chromed, and the chrome is pitted and flaking.
Anyone know of a good way to strip the chrome without damaging the aluminum underneath at home? Or am i going to need to take it to a shop?
Anyone know of a good way to strip the chrome without damaging the aluminum underneath at home? Or am i going to need to take it to a shop?
Thread Starter
Joined: Jun 2014
Posts: 1,241
Likes: 47
From: Noblesville, IN
TECH Fanatic
Joined: Oct 2022
Posts: 1,802
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From: Louisiana
No. My plan was to strip and then paint them either black (with the front face of the spokes machined) or paint them the factory silver. Unfortunately after talking with some chrome shops around here, none in my state (washington) are willing to electrochemically strip them or sandblast due to environmental laws.
Yeah Unfortunately it doesnt look like thatll happen unless I take a several hundred mile trip
Yeah Unfortunately it doesnt look like thatll happen unless I take a several hundred mile trip
Thread Starter
Joined: Jun 2014
Posts: 1,241
Likes: 47
From: Noblesville, IN
wow that seems a bit ridiculous, I could literally take something to work and ask the painters to blast it for me and they would do that with no hesitation for free. There has got to be a shop somewhere that will blast them for you. Unless its that much different where you live then here
TECH Fanatic
Joined: Oct 2022
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From: Louisiana
wow that sucks, yeh here in Louisiana there is some many companies and people that wouldn't hesitate to do that. Hell my company even has trucks setup as mobile blasters. Good luck man
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Yes, chrome dust is cancerous. So much so, that some States have been looking to outlaw authentic/metallic decorative chrome treatments on metal. Removing it by chemical or mechanical means creates a ton liability for service providers. (More headaches than the profit of the job is worth.) Its not regulated yet like asbestos but companies have been successfully sued for their handling of it, so people with money aren't going to want to touch it.
Last edited by wssix99; Oct 4, 2023 at 08:05 PM. Reason: clarified decorative chrome
TECH Enthusiast
Joined: Sep 2019
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Yes, chrome dust is cancerous. So much so, that some States have been looking to outlaw authentic/metallic chrome treatments on metal. Removing it by chemical or mechanical means creates a ton liability for service providers. (More headaches than the profit of the job is worth.) Its not regulated yet like asbestos but companies have been successfully sued for their handling of it, so people with money aren't going to want to touch it.
Chrome treatments and plating are not going anywhere, ever. It would literally bring industry to a halt. So many things that go in water need chrome plating that it's not even funny. You can't build a roller bearing without chrome.
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From: AZ
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From: Nebraska, The Good Life
Actually, to the OP, if the chrome is pitted and flaking off it is not an issue with the chrome but the underlying metal. If the underlying metal is that bad you might be better off finding a different set of wheels. By the time you remove the chrome, and you'd have to have a mighty powerful sand blaster to remove chrome, and then remove the corrosion in the underlying metal the wheels themselves might both look like ***** and be mechanically compromised.
I'd suggest not buying those wheels in the first place.
I'd suggest not buying those wheels in the first place.