Metal finishing Q&As since 1989

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Removing plating from aluminum

I have aluminum motorcycle engine rocker covers that are chrome plated and peeling badly, however, in some places the plating is stuck fast. Is there a way to chemically remove the chrome without harming the aluminum? I've tried sandblasting but it doesn't help. would I be better off just taking them to a plater and having them do it for me? thanks

Ben Press
bike buff - Doylestown, Pennsylvania
2005

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2005

The best method for stripping aluminum is the follow:

1.- for chrome immerse the part in hydrochloric acid 30% vol.
2.- for nickel and copper immerse the part in nitric acid 50% vol

I hope this help you.

Gabriel Ramirez
- Puebla Mexico

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Take your parts to a plater for stripping. Don't mess with those acids they will stink,fume and release thick orange clouds. And all these fumes can ruin a lot of the things they come in contact with. By the time you get the acids and proper containers to work in you will have wasted much more time and money than its worth.
Good luck,

Frank DeGuire
- St. Louis, Missouri, USA
2005

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Frank is right. Not only are the chemicals released during the stripping of nickel in nitric acid ugly, they can cause serious injury to the lungs, and can cause death. Nitric is nasty stuff. Leave it to someone who is properly trained and equipped to handle this project.

The aluminum can be stripped and polished, or stripped, polished and re-chromed.

Daryl Spindler, CEF
decorative nickel-chrome plating - Greenbrier, Tennessee
2005