Rechroming question?..

I'm looking to experiment and learn some metal work on some spare bumpers. What is the best way to go about this? What is the best method for dechroming? Is there a chemical process or media blast to do this? I'd like to fab my own bumpers by sectioning and so on as well as other parts.

Thanks for the help

dino

 

ask the chrome shop if they'll dechrome them for you, I had some parts done like that when I was getting some other Tbird parts rechromed.

sand blasting will eventually take off the chrome, but it will leave pits that will need to be polished out.

 

yea, what squirrel said. The best way to remove the chrome is to have the chrome shop do it. You will spend forever doing it any other way if you plan on dechroming an entire bumper, and the results can be less than favorable.

 

Agree with squirrell, let the plater remove the old plating.
As for cutting and welding, be sure your plater can handle your weld seams. I can't tell you how many platers I've gone to will say they can do it, but wind up with pinholes and a visible seam where my welds were. AND I was careful to grind and polish the welds so they would be acceptable. Problem is, the come back if the guy puts it back in the strip tank, or has a careless polisher goes crazy regrinding the welds, bringing up new imperfections.
Get an agreement with him, if there are imperfections, he will repair them, or give the parts back to you in copper...and you can solder (95-5) them to fix it. Then back to the platers for final plating. Just be sure the polisher knows there's solder there...or he can overheat it when polishing it, and reflow the solder, ruining your repair.

 

Yep, dechroming is done with amps and acids.
A chrome shop will strip it and then let you do the prep.
If you can do a good body job for paint, you can do the same with your chrome work.
Stripping should be cheap.
Certainly alot less than your time is worth if you try to blast or sand it off, and that can create a lot more work.
I charge $25 to strip a rim, aluminum or steel.
Don't do bumpers, ( too long for me) but they should be about the same.