How To Remove CHROME From PLASTIC Grill, Strip dechrome car grille

[@CycloneCyd]

We need to clear something up here: ... most shiny plastic parts (such as model car wheels or headlight reflectors) ARE NOT CHROME plated. They are coated with ALUMINIUM which is applied by a process called vapour deposition (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Physical_vapor_deposition). Easy Off oven cleaner will remove this aluminium layer easily (because aluminium is extremely chemically active) but WILL NOT remove CHROME. Chrome is extremely hard and is virtually chemically inert, hence it's suitability as a decorative finish on exterior car parts. Chrome being extremely hard (with a very very smooth surface) is why paint will not stick to chrome (but will stick to [properly prepared] aluminium). A 10+% alloy of chrome in steel is what turns steel (which rusts easily) into stainless steel (which does not).

[@GoForGold256]

Thanks for the clarity. I’ve found many videos saying “remove chrome easily” and I doubted that oven cleaner or degreaser would touch my Mercedes emblem. 2 days into the bleach soak and it’s starting to pick up pace but the chrome is very very thick.

[@davidconnelly3305]

Thank you for this clarification - exactly what I needed to know. My gear-knob is flaking a fine layer of metal, which I assumed was some sort of chrome veneer, but reading this seems more likely an aluminium veneer/overlay. Greatly appreciate the videos and tips.

[@davidconnelly3305]

Update on this. Oven Cleaner (Easy Off) didn't work at all, after 24 hours no change. My trim might actually be a matte chrome-plated, I sanded the piece slightly and exposed a layer of copper, and then it seems like a layer of graphite is underneath. So I'm using your bleach bath method and happily it's working really well so far (after 12 hours).

[@davidconnelly3305]

4 days later after starting the bleach bath, just on 50% of the plating has been removed from my parts. I used bleach liquid from the supermarket 47g/L.. I have refreshed the bleach twice. It’s very slow going. Have been keeping the solution warm. Today I decided to try a heavier/thicker type of bleach and it’s kicked off hard. Has stripped more in 3 hours than in the last 2 days. Agitation seems to help as well. I’d be tempted to use an ultrasonic cleaner if I was going to do this more regularly.

[@CC-tl3rr]

I recently starting surfing the web for various ways to remove the chrome adhesive plating to the grill on my truck. As I figured, there are many ideas and concepts that work. Although I didn’t use any of these, I tried a different approach. I used a 3200 psi Honda pressure washer with the yellow and red tips. I primarily used the yellow tip. I used the red tip for the stubborn and hard to reach places. I did not fully disassemble the grill from the truck but plan on it during days to come. It took me about 45 minutes to completely get all of it off. I’m telling you it works with no chemicals so far. Make sure you wear glasses. This stuff is like sharp shards of thick aluminum foil coming off the parts at this psi and will easily put your eye out. A long sleeve shirt maybe advisable to wear as well. I had a couple pieces stick me in the arm. I’m trying to attach some pictures to show you how well and easy this is. Apologize I can not figure out a way to attach photos.

[@CycloneCyd]

Interesting. You could use a picture hosting site and simply link to them. Are you sure it's chrome and not aluminium?

[@oldowl4290]

A pressure washer will erode the plastic (if not also crack it with enough PSI). The same would go for a sandblasting / mediablasting. It's cutting / abrating it off, not melting it off. I would 100% not use a pressure washer, nor media blast. On steel sure, but plastic... NO! And no, you can't attach photos on KZbin.

[@ytwos1]

Thank you! This did the trick on the airfix Bentley 1/12 scale model (new edition, grey plastic). All else failed but hot water mixed with bleach does indeed work. The same bleach undiluted did absolutely nothing, even after 48 hours of soaking in it. Thank you for this tip, really!!

[@CycloneCyd]

Great to know, thanks. Such a pity you can't attach photos to comments, I'd love to see the model you're doing.

[@megahound]

What was the ratio you used?

[@wasabicars]

Thanks for the info is this vid (and your pinned comment). Appreciated.

[@CycloneCyd]

Glad it was helpful!

[@NinjaRelic1]

Very useful, trying to repaint the plastic grille on the front of my volvo 850 since the chrome paint is peeling like crazy and has chips and such. This will make thing much easier 👍thanks

[@CycloneCyd]

Thanks Ninja. Do let us know how you get on. 🤘

[@bladder1010]

Great advice! I've been trying several things -- Zep purple cleaner (very alkaline) and spray on oven cleaner. Early days yet, and I expect it will take some time soaking to see results. If I don't have any luck with those, I will definitely try your bleach approach. Bleach is cheap. I'm doing the "chrome" plastic centre caps for my Mazda pickup truck. I'll try to remember to follow up here to say which technique worked (or didn't work).

[@CycloneCyd]

Which works or doesn't work, very much depends on whether it really is chrome you are removing or aluminium. Oven cleaner will work very quickly on aluminium, but not at all on chrome. Dunno about Zep. Yes, it will take a while if it is chrome, a week maybe more. Keep it warm if you can - speeds it up no end.

[@oldowl4290]

"I'll try to remember"... I guess you didn't remember.

[@bladder1010]

@@oldowl4290 Okay, you reminded me. I ended up using concentrated muriatic acid. Took over a week. The plastic centre caps on my truck turned out to be real chrome plating over top a layer of copper. Do NOT use this stuff indoors. The fumes will damage all metal in the area not to mention your lungs. Eventually managed to get it down to bare plastic.

[@oldowl4290]

@@bladder1010 wow, Im really surprised it would take that long. I need to build a dip tray for large stuff but I use muriatic in a 4” ABS tube cut to 24” with cap glued on bottom and then insert it into a 5 gallon plastic bucket with 4” hole cut in the lid.. (so the bucket just acts as a support base). I use it regularly for cleaning steel prior to welding. It cleans the slag off hot rolled steel in 30 minutes. The tube also works well to keep the fumes down. I’ve also had the same acid in there for the last year. Im surprised it still works as well as it does. You can’t put a car grill in there though.

[@lfreck6]

Does muriatic acid have any effect on the plastic? I’m going through gallons and gallons of bleach and the process is too slow.

[@jimmyjams9048]

cheers mate! thought that was how its done. great editing, love the text, filming in portrature rater than landscape usually shits me up the wall! fuck i thought my shed was cold, we only get below zero about half a dozen times a year; if its zero out side must be like -6 in the shed!

[@johnt.3799]

I haven't read through all the comments yet but have you used or do you recommend a plastic adhesion promotor in place of primer before you top coat?

[@njmaniaci]

I've got a grill from a hummer h3. I'm assuming the bleach will eat any of the threaded studs on the inside of the grill if I were to immerse them? Also, is it chrome on this grill if it is lifting in such a way that I can peel it off?

[@CycloneCyd]

If you can peel it off in hard little flakes then it will be chrome. Yes, protect those studs from the bleach. Use a waterproof duct tape, or give them a thick coat of paint.

[@BubbaGerald]

What is your bleach to water ratio? I want to do the grill of my other nine Mercedes-Benz 300

[@catmanarms]

What will do to plastic that also has automotive paint on it?

[@CoopTroop78]

Does the domestic bleach need to be mixed with water or can it be used neat?

[@CycloneCyd]

It can be used neat. Adding hot water helps the reaction get going though. Also makes it easier to stir about.

[@CoopTroop78]

Cyclone Cyd ok cool. Ill give it a go and see how i get on. Thank you

[@MVVR30]

Is it possible to use straight bleach with no water to speed up the process? It seems like diluting it with water may take weeks longer. Not too sure if anyone has tried that or if it melts the plastic? Thanks

[@CycloneCyd]

Yes, if you can get it.

[@DobbsyLondon]

Cheers cyd

[@Luuuugn]

Thanks for this vid! Anyone did this to a audi a4 b8 grille? Did it work?

[@jasonshalt3925]

Thanks!

[@esmudgethedog]

Hi Cyd So do you know, or anyone know of the out come of using neat bleach ? As has been said in posts, it seems to take its time abit. Am going to do my Saab grill/bumper and paint it all. Couple of days preparing the the bumper ( sanding, filling, priming and drying ) So really one doesn't want to wait more then a couple days..... Or the opposite, and end up with a lump of melted plastc !!! Saying that what about the plastic container its soaking in ! I think am over writing and thinking this ? Lol.

[@CycloneCyd]

Bleach has no effect on plastic. It is a slow process but can be sped up considerably if you keep the mixTure warm. By neat bleach I presume you mean a bleach product straight out of the bottle? Yes, no problem. The water is to reduce the gel consistency and warm the mix

[@esmudgethedog]

@@CycloneCyd Yes neat bleach the thick type .. also will add some very hot water and leave in my garage. Give it the odd stur in the day. Doing this next week. I will see how it goes and let all know.

[@davidrossmiller8349]

I was told easy off oven cleaner works! But we're gloves mask and disposal in the proper way.

[@CycloneCyd]

Hi David, thanks for interacting and watching. We need to clear something up here: ... most shiny plastic parts (such as model car wheels or headlight reflectors) ARE NOT CHROME plated. They are coated with ALUMINIUM which is applied by a process called vapour deposition (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Physical_vapor_deposition). Easy Off oven cleaner will remove this aluminium layer easily (because aluminium is extremely chemically active) but WILL NOT remove CHROME. Chrome is extremely hard and is virtually chemically inert, hence it's suitability as a decorative finish on exterior car parts. Chrome being extremely hard (with a very very smooth surface) is why paint will not stick to chrome (but will stick to [properly prepared] aluminium). A 10+% alloy of chrome in steel is what turns steel (which rusts easily) into stainless steel (which does not).

[@patrik5892]

so Easy Off will remove the "chrome" from car parts not just model car parts? I've got a few on my GMC Terrain that I want to strip that off of. Is that the same process they use for auto trim parts?

[@blackwaterlotus8124]

@@patrik5892 clarification Easy Off will remove the aluminum that looks like chrome from plastic car parts, not actual chrome from metal such as bumpers.

[@CycloneCyd]

@@blackwaterlotus8124 yes, correct. And Thank you.

[@CycloneCyd]

@@patrik5892 NO Easy Off (or other similar stuff) WILL NOT remove chrome. Won't even touch it.

[@spencerschreffler4]

How well will it work on stripping chrome from Car Rims?

[@CycloneCyd]

Spencer Schreffler Ha ha. It would work brilliantly. It would also dissolve and destroy the alloy brilliantly too. But seriously ... don't try it. It will dissolve the alloy. You need to remove the chrome electrolytic-ally or mechanically. Probably best to get it done by a chrome platers. They can recover the chrome then too. The chemicals aren't pleasant and are very environmentally unfriendly. The reason this method works well on trims (like grilles) is that the sodium hypochlorite doesn't attack the base plastic part.

[@CycloneCyd]

SUGGESTION: In the video I caution about putting the waste chemicals down the toilet, not into a surface drain. If you have a sewerage drain cover on your property (I'm "lucky" enough to have three!!), you could pour it directly down the sewer without having to risk carrying it through the house

[@derekverville1125]

Have you ever tried " the works " toilet bowl cleaner? Highly corrosive and I bet it would strip that in minutes considering it eats tin foil in under 10 mins.

[@CycloneCyd]

Thanks for the suggestion Derek. Unfortunately I don't think that 'The Works' is available outside the US (defo not in UK), so I had to use something that anyone, anywhere can obtain. It might be that 'The Works' simply has a higher concentration of sodium hypochlorite. Here in the UK bleach products are limited to 5% by law, although you can buy sodium hypochlorite from chemicals suppliers. Thanks for watching and for interacting.

[@joshualester2735]

@@CycloneCyd Hydrochloric Acid. Though from what I read is that works switched to sulfamic acid which isn’t nearly as effective. But some brands still use it and it’s common in industrial cleaners.

[@oldowl4290]

@@joshualester2735 Muriatic Acid may also work and is just ~$10 US per gallon. It is a reduced concentration of HCL (Hydrochloric Acid). I use it 50/50 with water to strip rust off metal for welding and it easily does so within 20-30 minutes. It also makes an exceptional toilet cleaner if the toilet is slow flushing -which is most often due to hard water deposit build ups and lime scale- There are a few videos on KZbin about it. You empty the toilet of water (turn off valve and the flush) and then pour it in the bowl and tank and then cover both securely with plastic and 2" masking tape or duct tape and let sit for 30-45 minutes, then repeat again if needed. I think we did 45 minutes and my god, the toilet went from barely flushing to like new. It was amazing. if I was to use it on plastic, I would do a 10 minute test with the 50/50 mix, then rinse, then another 10 minutes if needed. Interestingly it does not react or melt ABS pipe. I use a few 4" tubes with glued on caps as dunk tanks. As with all this stuff, wear goggles, gloves, respirator and the fumes from both are extremely noxious.

[@keith7689]

Does it matter if the Chlorine is Sodium Hypochlorite or Calcium Hypochlorite?

[@CycloneCyd]

Now you're asking❗ It's 40 years since I did my chemistry O level, lol. I'm not entirely certain, but I think it should work okay. My reasoning is that it's the 'hypoclorite' bit that reacts with the chromium to produce chromium oxide (the black stuff). You'll also get calcium chloride, a solid, instead of sodium chloride, a gas, so be prepared to see extra pecipitation. Try it and do please report back on how it goes. Top tip: keep the mixture warm if you can.

[@keith7689]

@@CycloneCyd Thank you for responding. I've been using household 5% bleach on a small grill part and the reaction doesn't last very long before the bleach becomes inert. I could probably go through a gallon for this small part. The pool supply place has Calcium Hypochlorite powder for pool shock available cheaply. Then you can also customize your solution %. Would you have a solution rate % in mind? Thank you

[@oldowl4290]

Just want to point out that anything that may convert to Sodium Chloride gas is incredibly dangerous. Best to do all this stuff outdoors!

[@keith7689]

about a two months ago I had some spa shock to get rid of, so my first container to try was a Potassium Peroxymonosulfate Oxidizer 32.8% . I mixed this in until the solution became saturated. It actually worked to a small degree, as it worked - I would add a little more of the Oxidizer, I let this run for about a week. I noticed one time how Muriatic acid dissolved aluminum foil. Not knowing what I was doing and being aware I didn't know what I was doing, I did add some Muriatic acid to the solution and left it outside overnight. The plating was gone the next day. The part I was cleaning was a small grill trim about 10" x 5" L-shaped. I don't know what I created and it bothered me greatly not knowing the outcome of what I mixed. I almost lost a sibling in a pool accident when the wrong chemicals were added to the pool together, probably creating Chlorine gas.

[@rodneythomas6517]

Thank you

[@CycloneCyd]

Thank you too. Welcome aboard

[@1slogoat]

I'm following this process, however I'm going on 3 weeks now of changing out the bleach/water mixture every other day and leaving my containers in the sun outside and progress is slowing. Sodium Hydroxide (lye) is more basic than bleach. Has anyone tried this without damaging the plastic? I need to get the parts I have soaked painted soon and they are roughly 50% stripped at this point.

[@CycloneCyd]

Oh, for sure, this is not a fast process!! A lot depends on the sodium hypochlorite content of the bleach you're buying and also how thick the chrome is. If your object is chromed on both sides, you could try masking the back side with tape or paint. Those Saab grilles took about 6 weeks to strip.

[@Grinto00]

@@CycloneCyd why did you said "a couple of days" ?

[@35140giuseppe]

I can only find on the market at 14/15%, can it be fine anyway? I can't find it at 5%

[@CycloneCyd]

Oh yes. Higher concentrated is better if you can get it.

[@35140giuseppe]

@@CycloneCyd ok thank you

[@rodknoc3122]

Do you have measurements of how many ounces of each you used?

[@CycloneCyd]

No, I didn't measure. It's gonna depend on both the concentration of the bleach and the thickness of the chrome. I've got another set to do, but this time I'm going to try rough painting the reverse side to reduce the amount of chrome that needs to come off and thus speed up the process

[@unified95]

What are the ones that have the most sodium hypochloride % ?

[@CycloneCyd]

Hi Alex, thanks for watching and welcome aboard. As discussed in the video the concentration is limited by law to 5% here in the UK (and probably EU wide), can't vouch for other countries. Look on the label for the concentration level. Anything with 4.5%+ is good.

[@VoidAeon]

In the US I’ve seen it as high as 12% but I can’t remember exactly where

[@CycloneCyd]

@@VoidAeon do let us know if it comes to you

[@unified95]

@@CycloneCyd Use ferric chloride..it works perfect and you can find it in 40% concentration

[@CycloneCyd]

@@unified95 Hi Alex, thanks for watching and commenting. Ferric chloride is used for PCB etching and yes it will remove the aluminium from plastic parts (such as models or headlamp reflectors) but I wasn't aware it would remove chrome. I have another grille I need to strip soon, so I'll give it a try. Thanks for the suggestion. 👍

[@gdub14]

Wouldn't this make the plastic very brittle?

[@CycloneCyd]

If they were PP or nylon it would, but I doubt anything chromed would be. The silver finish on headlights and model cars and stuff is aluminium, not chrome.

[@modlifecrisis3875]

Will that black plastic face if left "unpainted/stripped"?

[@modlifecrisis3875]

Fade...typo. I kind of like the black gloss look under the aluminum finish and considered leaving it.

[@CycloneCyd]

Yes. Most plastics 'bleach' in sunlight as a result of UV attack, so best off painting them. Clean thoroughly with cellulose thinners first and use an adhesion aid.

[@hansvonstetten3236]

will this work on metal parts?

[@CycloneCyd]

No, the hypochlorite will dissolve the part as well as the chrome.

[@hansvonstetten3236]

@@CycloneCyd thanks CC

[@deathtotaxes]

How can you tell if you have real chrome on plastic or the other method of chrome? Mine is on a MINI Cooper headlight trim ring and it is starting to peel off in one thick layer and then you have just an off white plastic underneath. Thanks.

[@CycloneCyd]

If the layer that peels off is quite hard and has a sort of copper colour on the reverse side, then almost certainly it is chrome. Also try rubbing with 800 grit - if nothing comes off onto the paper then defo chrome. It does 'sound' like it is chrome and that there's some issue with adhesion which probably goes back to a part quality issue. Once you've got the chrome off, thoroughly clean and degrease the parts (cellulose thinners is good) and allow to dry. A good quality plastic primer like this one: amzn.to/2vwPXs1 is essential - two or three coats, then your finish coats. Hope this helps and do let us know how you get on

[@deathtotaxes]

@@CycloneCyd The backing is black. I took a small piece of it and soaked it in pure bleach for a few days. Most of the backing came off and dissolved leaving black bleach. The chrome part remained intact. Don't have any 800 grit paper so I went at it with a dremel and it scuffed it up a bit. It has become more of an experiment at this point since I found some new replacement parts on sale. Well I solved my issue with the first thing I tried from my beer brewing days leftover supplies. Something call Acid #5 cleaner has Phosphoric Acid (CAS 7664-38-2) 6 1 mg/m3 (ACGIH) & Nitric Acid (CAS 7697-37-2) 38 2 ppm (ACGIH). Used that full strength and a few hours later the piece of chrome was gone, completely gone. Wow Chemicals!

[@dovydasvilcinskas3834]

what if i want to remove chrome from my car while its still ON the car?

[@CycloneCyd]

Hi Dovydas, thanks for watching and interacting. Soory, I don't know any way you could do that.

[@Lifted-Horns-4x4]

I can’t understand you man

[@CycloneCyd]

🖖