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Removing chrome from golf club...how to make a "rust stick"?





Q. I'm Robert Peterson a hobbyist looking to strip nickel chrome plating from a set of investment cast-heat treated 8620 carbon steel golf clubs. I am having them refurbished. Any recommendations on acids or chemicals I can use to strip this coating? Preparation ideas?

Robert R. Peterson
- Thunder Bay, ON and Minneapolis, Minnesota
2000



2000

A. Who is doing the refurbishing? Why not let them do the stripping since the clubs will probably need to be replated?

jerry smith
Jerry Smith
- Bloomingdale New Jersey USA



Raw finish wedge
on
Amazon

(affil links)

Q. I am looking to remove the chrome nickel combination to get a clean raw finish so I can cold blue the clubheads...its quite a popular trend in clubs today for increased feel, and the rust that accumulates on the face imparts more spin on the ball without damaging the cover as much as a 'carbite' coating.

Robert R.Peterson [returning]
- Thunder Bay, ON and Minneapolis, Minnesota
2000



Q. Robert, I am trying to do the same thing to my sand wedge. If you have any luck, please let me know how you went about stripping the chrome. Thanks.

David Sall
- Omaha, Nebraska
2000


A. Hi David. It may be best to ask a plating shop to strip them because it is a difficult and dangerous process if you are not trained and equipped. Hydrochloric acid (muriatic acid [affil links]) will strip the chrome, but decorative 'chrome plating' involves a much thicker layer of nickel and you'll need a proprietary stripper for the nickel -- but sandblasting may do what you want; have the blaster try a scrap club first though. Good luck.

Ted Mooney, finishing.com
Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
2000




Multiple threads were merged: please forgive repetition, chronology errors, or disrespect towards other postings [they weren't on the same page] :-)



Q. I have a putter (golf) that is chrome plated or maybe nickel-chrome plated. I would like to remove that plating and then blue (as on rifle barrels) the remaining metal. Open to suggestions on how one might go about this.

Bob Vazsonyi
- Charlottesville, Virginia
2002



2002

A. Bob,

After reading your entry, I looked at my putter. Then I imagined what it would take to "neatly" remove the chrome deposit from the shaft. Once you masked the grip and the hozzle (using either electrical tape or Vaseline), you would have to brush hydrochloric acid onto the shaft, several times, to remove the chrome deposit. Then you would have to rinse the shaft with deionized water many times. Then you would have to deal with getting rid of the waste material. Once the shaft was "completely free" of the chrome deposit, it (the shaft) would have to be drenched in a solution of ammonium hydroxide/ammonium chloride. You sure you want to do this?

randy fowler
Randall Fowler - Fowler Industrial Plating, LLC
Cleveland, Tennessee, USA



Q. Hello, I have a chrome putter that reflects too much sun. I would like to dull the finish and stain it, if that is possible. Any advice other than leave the putter the way it is would be helpful. Thanks Corey

Corey T. Brannum
Hobbyist - Benbrook, Texas
2004



2004

A. You can't do much while the chrome is there because not much sticks to chrome very well. So you could follow Randy's directions about stripping the chrome with hydrochloric acid (carefully and with rubber gloves [on eBay or Amazon], goggles [on eBay or Amazon], etc.)

Then you could leave the nickel instead of removing it with the ammonium compounds. The nickel will look rather like the chrome at first, just a faintly yellow tinge to it and not quite as shiny. But it should tarnish to a substantially less brilliant, slightly yellow metallic color with a little time.

Ted Mooney, finishing.com
Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey



Q. How's it going. Ny name is Tim. I just wanted to know what the most efficient process would be to remove the chrome and any other layers of finishes on my golf club heads. I want to achieve the raw finish of the club head. Also the places to find the chemicals or materials I might need would be helpful. Thanks a lot.

Tim Ramos
amateur - Scottsdale, Arizona, USA
April 30, 2008



April 30, 2008

A. Hi, Tim. As you are reading, the chemical approach isn't easy. You could either take it to a plating shop for stripping, or to a sandblaster. Good luck.

Regards,

Ted Mooney, finishing.com
Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey




Multiple threads were merged: please forgive repetition, chronology errors, or disrespect towards other postings [they weren't on the same page] :-)



Q. How would I remove chrome from a golf club while maintaining the integrity of grooves and other markings?

Harry Daw
- Eureka, Missouri
2001



2001

A. I don't understand why you want to do such a thing! Not only would your club end up a rust stick, you would be left with the chrome. Chrome is regulated by the EPA, and is not something you can dump in the trash or wash down the drain.

If you want your golf clubs replated, then I suggest you call the store you bought it from, the manufacturer, or a local professional plater.

tim neveau
Tim Neveau
Rochester Hills, Michigan



2001

Raw finish wedge
on
Amazon

(affil links)

Q. I want it to be a rust stick...hence RTG...raw tour grind. Chrome makes the club feel more crisp...it also makes you hit the ball farther. Rust enables the ball to spin more. Fully 80% of all PGA pro's prefer wedges without chrome.

So how do you get rid of it?

Harry Daw [returning]
- Eureka, Missouri



A. Hi Harry. You can remove the chrome yourself with muriatic acid [affil links], but this is strong acid, so there are dangers if you haven't been trained and don't have the correct PPE. I strongly doubt that you'd actually get into trouble with the sewer authority for flushing the neutralized acid (if you are talking about one or two clubs rather than making a practice of it), but it's poor environmental practice to flush chrome.

So it might be a better idea, as Tim suggested, to take it to a plating shop who can strip it and handle the wastes safely and responsibly. And another thing is, most "chrome" plating is actually a heavy layer of nickel plating followed by a thin layer of chrome. After you remove the chrome it won't look much different (just slightly less blue) -- unless you also remove the nickel plating which requires specialty chemicals which you might not be able to get shipped to a residence.

I'm not a golfer, so I may be burned as a heretic for the suggestion -- but can't you just buy a putter with the finish you want? Best of luck!

Regards,

Ted Mooney, finishing.com
Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
2001



! I suggest that you have simply bought a raw wedge instead of having to go through all this hassle just to take off the chrome.

JJ Spaun
- San Dimas, California, USA
2006



thumbs up sign Oh goody, I'll have company at the stake :-)

Ted Mooney, finishing.com
Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey


A. Take it to a company that does automotive gold plating in your community. They have means to remove chrome safely. However you will be left with nickel plating.

Alfonso Hernandez
- Aurora, Colorado
 




Q. Hello,

I am a golfer, and I was wondering, what is the fastest way to rust a wedge? How long does it take?

Thank you for your help.

Jim Waldron
student - Fairbury, Nebraska
 



Q. How can I rust my golf clubs in a short amount of time?

Eric Adams
hobbyist - Aberdeen, Scotland
 



 

A. Jim, Eric:

We appended your inquiries to a similar earlier thread. But upon reconsidering what you want to do and why, I think you could sandblast the chrome and nickel off, leaving an active raw steel surface which will rust very quickly. Although there is the issue of not damaging the groves, I think this would probably be easier and cheaper than chemical stripping. Good luck.

Ted Mooney, finishing.com
Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey


A. I'm am trying right now to rust my old Tom Watson sand wedge 55 degree. Sand the top layer of chrome off. Then let it sit in salt water. Then let it set out a day. It will rust over the nickel.

Garrett [last name deleted for privacy by Editor]
- Peru, Indiana
2006




Q. How to rust a wedge? I tried to sit it in water over night and it worked a little bit but is there a different or quicker way?

Bobby Thomas
student - Tecumseh, Michigan, United States
2007


A. Had you chemically removed the chrome, or sandblasted the club first, Bobby? Chrome plated auto and truck bumpers last decades out in the weather; while the plating on golf clubs may not be as high quality, a good chrome finish certainly won't fail from a day in water --

Ted Mooney, finishing.com
Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
2007


A. I do plating removal on golf clubs. Some clubs have finishes other that chrome/nickel and require different methods of removal. I always advise caution in regards to sanding on the face of a club. Improper sanding could damage the flatness of the face or the grooves creating unwanted angles on the club and resulting in unreliable direction of the shots. I can strip the heads without removing the shafts, but it is easier and cheaper to do when the shaft is removed. I usually re-groove the clubs after they have been stripped. I hope this helps.

Dave G [last name deleted for privacy by Editor]
plating & polishing - Sarasota, Florida, USA
November 29, 2012




Q. Hello, What are the charges for removing the finish to the raw metal on forged golf irons. The shafts will be removed. What method do you use?

Thanks
Don

Don Mitchell
Golf Instructor - Troy, Texas
November 22, 2013




Q. Can anyone inform me on how to remove the chrome plating on golf irons?

Andrew Song
- Toronto, ON, Canada
September 23, 2018



September 2018

DVD / Blu-Ray:
"Erin Brockovich"


on eBay or

Amazon

(affil links)

A. Hi Andrew. As you see, this is a very common question which has been answered here many times. The 'chrome plating' is actually heavy nickel plating followed by a flash of chrome plating. So your first question to yourself will be what are you trying to accomplish in the end.

The one thing I would most urge you not to do is to attempt to electrolytically strip the chrome as you may read on other sites because that generates hexavalent chrome, the toxic stuff that made Erin Brockovich famous. Good luck.

Regards,

pic of Ted Mooney
Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey


adv.
Metalx nickel stripper



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