best way to remove paint from chrome?

I have an old chrome plated 33-34 dash that has some sprayed on paint on it. I want to remove it without harming the chrome, whats the bets thing to use? Oven cleaner??

 

I was going to say oven cleaner, but spray can Graffiti remover also works real well.

 

Good old lacquer thinner...most spray-on stuff is enamel...oven cleaner is harsh...!!!

R-

 

I to would try lacquer thinner. I've never had much success with graffiti remover products such as Krud cutter. In fact i have a whole bottle I will give you if you want to wait till the swap meet....it sucks that much. I agree oven cleaner is really harsh stuff.

 

Acetone will probably take it right off.

 

Chris,
I think I saw that dash in one of your threads..neat. Anyhow, I would try lacquer thinner or acetone as suggested above..I think that would be the least aggressive. I use stripper stuff in a can on most of my large body panels like piero posted above. I'm a worrier and would be afraid that something too harsh might hurt the old chrome..who knows.

It be worth spending a Saturday afternoon doing it slow by hand just to be sure. That sounded gay.

 

Second that!

 

The best stuff I've found that will do that job is MEK.

 

000 steel wool, you would be surprised at what it takes off. i would suppose depending on the chrome condition. check a small area first. i have used it on many chrome wheels with no problems

 

Also, along with the stripper or lacquer thinnner, use some 000 or 0000 steel wool. just abrasive enough to get the paint off but not enough to hurt the chrome. I did this with and old chrome grille and it turned out nice!

 

Use a rag and a good solvent like acetone, lacquer thinner or enamel paint reducer.
DON'T USE OVEN CLEANER OR STEEL WOOL. If the paint is a cheap spray can enamel gasolene on a rag maight work.

 

That can of paint remover above is the best answer. It's cheap, you can buy it at any hardware store, and the paint will come off chrome quickly and easily without using any abrasive steel wool.

 

reducer would work great

 

Lacquer thinner and a rag should work if its old school materials. if it a newer catalyzed product most likely you will have to use stripper. I like Jasco with a genni on the can. Dab on the stripper with a brush let sit, recoat, let sit a few minutes and wipe off and or scrub litely with a rag. do not use a scrapper or brush. MESSY process but effective. MAKE SURE TO WASH IT WITH HOT SOAPY WATER WHEN YOUR DONE. Paint strippers are neutralized with water!! what ever you do take the time to do a small area first to make sure it won't F*#k anything up!! when your done rub it out abit with some mag wheel polish?

 

I used nail polish remover to remove some laquer paint off my dash in the 60's. Worked good.

 

X2 on nail polish remover

 

Thanks guys!! I will give these some thought and go for it!!!

 

I have had great success with the old Drano crystals. Not the liquid crap. Just dump a bottle of Drano into 5 gallons and let is soak. Wont touch chrome or rust, but will remove grease, paint etc. Other option is to boil it. Only problem with either on of these solutions is getting a large tank to dunk it all in.

 

Lacquer thinners or steel wool works good.

 

i've used old brake fluid on hubcaps before, it works a treat, even makes the chrome shiny

 

Hi ... I agree with 19Fordy...."Use a rag and a good solvent like acetone, lacquer thinner or enamel paint reducer.DON'T USE OVEN CLEANER OR STEEL WOOL"...cant over emphasize .. DONT USE STEEL WOOL EVER ON CHROME....Dont believe me...ask a plater.....

 

Lay a rag or paper towel soaked in laq. thinner on the painted surface. Keep it moist, in time it will lift off. Sometime the steel wool (even #0000) will blemish the chrome.

 

metholated spirits (metho),,,,,, but my favourite is thinners which is what i use ,works a treat, clean of paint, wash with water and polish always looks great after and doesnt hurt chrome, citrus cleaner works ok but is a little slow which most graffiti remover is made of here in oz but will do the trick, ive even used glass cleaner before ,which also makes chrome look good

 

Really, you must have some crap chrome over the ditch, never marked any of the chrome Ive buffed paint off with the fine stuff.

 

Hi nailhead29A .. We dont do crap chrome here...And you have buffed the chrome off....You cant see chrome..chrome is a clear acid ...chromic acid (CrO3)<SUP> </SUP>solution...its job is the protect the polished nickle from rusting....use any thing abraisve on it and you will break through the coating and expose the nickle and it will go rusty eventully..Platers advertise tripple chrome..that means it gone through the chromic acid process 3 times..it makes the coating a little thicker ..but its still less than 1/10 of a mm...dosent take much to scratch through it with an abrasive.....dont belive me...ask a plater....

 

OK, I'm doing a little reverse thinking... What if you were going to paint a chromed piece. Wouldn't you scuff the chrome to get the paint to stick?

 

Good question

 

I have used Acetone and MEK with similar results to remove overspray from the chrome from my old '52 Buick. No issues, worked great and the chrome polished up nicely afterwards.

I usually sandblast chrome parts if I need to paint them, never had any adhesion issues.

 

SMART STRIP it is soy bean based and completely biodegradable and eats paint without damaging metal or wood. spread it on wait for paint to bubble up and wipe away, give it like an hour.