A Quick Question

[rob]

I have the 1/6th Scale Tamiya Honda CB750F kit, but I want to make it as a slightly later variant which has a satin black finished engine, the kits engine has a lot of chrome plated parts,

I want to remove the chrome plate, is there a safe method of doing this?

 

TIA

 

Rob

[cmatthewbacon]

If you’re comfortable with using domestic chemicals safely, then caustic soda will take the chrome off in seconds. But it needs to be used carefully. You can buy crystals in any hardware or cleaning shop (or Wilko). Wear rubber gloves and eye protection. Add the crystals to cold water in a plastic bowl or ice cream tub, not the other way round — it will heat up as they dissolve. When the milkiness clears, put the parts in — I cut the tree into several parts, making sure to leave the parts attached so you can see the numbers. The chrome will dissolve in a minute or two. If you want to strip any varnish underneath, leave it longer. Carefully lift the stripped trees out with stainless steel tweezers and drop into a washing up bowl or sinkfull of cold water. Rinse and put on to paper towels to dry. When you’re done, carefully pour the caustic solution down the plug hole (it’ll clean your drains, which is what it’s meant for) and rinse down with more cold water. If the caustic soda is too intimidating, oven cleaner or cheap bleach will do the same, but rather slower. Either one also needs to be treated with respect and the instructions followed carefully.

best,

M.

[Spiny]

If you do go down the bleach route, one thing I've noticed is that if it doesn't seem to do anything after a few hours it's worth putting the container into a tub of hot water as heat seems to speed up the reaction.

 

I can't speak for the other methods Matt has recommended, but would second his advice to take care with whichever method you use - if it's stripping chrome finish you can bet it's not going to be too good for you either!

[galaxyg]

Mr Muscle spray-on oven cleaner will probably do the job - test on a bit of sprue first. This is what I use - takes about 20 minutes. Use the same precautions you'd use when cleaning your oven.

 

Edited January 26, 2022 by galaxyg

[HoolioPaulio]

I use Aldi thick bleach, strips Revell chrome in about 5-10 minutes usually.  Had a few sprues take an hour or so but generally works very well, very cheap, and no more dangerous than cleaning the toilet.  Wear gloves, don't splash it on clothes, rinse thoroughly with cold water.

[dnl42]

Do make sure to remove the clear varnish that's beneath the chrome. It can obscure a fair amount of detail.

[veg]

Oven cleaner for me, I remove all chrome from my bike kits. Put the sprues in a bag spray then seal after 20 minutes or so it’ll all be off. 
you’ll then need to thoroughly clean any residue.