Where the
world gathers for metal finishing
Q&As since 1989


-----

Cleaning Chrome-Plated Steel Swords for Display

My name is David Jamerson. I am a college student at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas. I have a Chrome-plated steel sword, which I inherited from my great-grandfather, who picked it up when he was stationed in Germany in WWII. I was wondering, is it possible to remove the oxidized chrome plating, without destroying the sword. I was wanting to be able to display the sword above my family's mantle piece for posterity and preservation.

David Jamerson
Consumer - Ralls, Texas
January 3, 2009

---

Try WD-40 [on eBay or Amazon] or Balistol (or any other oil based rust remover).Hope it helps and good luck!

Goran Budija
- Cerovski vrh Croatia
January 7, 2009

---

Good Day David,

Restoration shouldn't be a problem. Take it to any reputable restoration plater. Look for someone who specializes in car/motorcycle part restoration with copper nickel chrome and they should be able to make it look like it did when it was new. They will probably want it disassembled though. I always preferred the customer to do that as it can't be my fault when the ages old piece breaks. I imagine the pommel is leather or something non-metallic.

Actually sounds like a cool project. Good luck and ask to see some examples of their work before committing to anything. Word of mouth is a very good thing ... you might want to go visit an antique car show or two and ask a few people about plating. They are the experts.

Trent Kaufman
electroplater - Galva, Illinois
January 7, 2009