Letter 24058

Thick hard chrome removal from steel liner in aluminum body  

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Hello, I'm trying to remove approx 6-8 thou of hard chrome from a cylinder ID with an area of approx 80 in ^2. The chrome is plated to a thin steel liner which in turn is pressed into an aluminum body. I would like information on the most "cost effective" way of stripping the chrome with the intent of re-plating. I would also like to minimize any damage to the part in terms of etching or other.

Marc Couture
an engineering company - Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

If you are going to replate it, let the plater do the job. There are at least four alternatives and a conventional chrome shop normally has two. Honing the part in a machine or reverse the cycle in the chrome bath. Also immersion in HCl or anodic treatment in NaOH will strip the chrome, but exposed aluminum will also suffer in both cases and the waste produced will require regulated disposal.

Guillermo Marrufo
Monterrey, NL, Mexico