Stripping chrome & flat black issues. Need advice

[DPNM]

I recently stripped a chrome tree. I used Purple Power which usually strips well and fast. It left some brownish reside on some of the parts. I tried 91% IPA, oven cleaner and bleach. This took some of the residue off but some still lingers. I found I can chip it off with my hobby knife, I just need to try not to gouge the plastic.

I have another tree of the same chrome parts. So far I've soaked it for a couple days each in 91% IPA and bleach. I'm out of PP at the moment but it didn't do a complete job on the first one.

 

I also need to strip some flat black parts. Neither PP, 91% IPA, oven cleaner or bleach has touched it.

 

I've read that brake fluid works as a paint stripper but I've also read that the newer brake fluid isn't as good. I'm out of older brake fluid also or I'd have tried it.

 

What are the best options I have to strip these parts?

[StevenGuthmiller]

My first advice would be to dump the Purple Power and get some Super Clean.

I've used both, and the Purple Power is no match for Super Clean.

 

Flat black is a tough one.

One of the very few paints that I have had real difficulties removing.

I have yet to find a good solution.

 

 

Steve

[Snake45]

The "brownish residue" you speak of is just the clear-coating on the parts that the vacuum "chrome" coating sticks to. I usually don't worry about it, but if you want to take it off, Easy Off oven cleaner does it (and I suspect Super Clean will as well). 

[Ace-Garageguy]

And just an FYI...just about any stripper you use will work more effectively and faster if it's warm. That's why the makers of the toxic yellow-can Easy Off I favor for chrome and enamel removal say to warm the oven before spraying the stuff in.

After immersing a chrome tree or painted part in your stripper of choice, seal the container, and find a way to gently warm it. You'll probably notice a significant difference.

Another thing...sometimes the stripper will have softened whatever coating you're trying to remove, but it will still be too tough to just rinse off. Very often, I've found that scrubbing with Comet or some other abrasive cleanser and a toothbrush (use plenty of Comet, too) will do the rest of the job quite nicely.

AND...occasionally I've encountered paints and primers that NOTHING will remove (short of actual paint-stripper that will ruin the plastic).

Edited November 30, 2018 by Ace-Garageguy

[STYRENE-SURFER]

When the part is soon out of the stripper (Super-clean, Easy-Off) use an old tooth brush and in tight areas a sharpened tooth pic to

get the varnish out of the problem areas. It's amazing how thick this clear varnish layer can be, especially on older kits.

It does soften when soaked in these products and can be completely removed. Its just a mater of how much time and patience you

have to completely remove it. 

[Dave G.]

I recently stripped some chrome parts from the chrome tree of a kit from out of the 80's era. I used Drano gel formula ( it's in a red bottle). It took the chrome off in about 3 minutes, just dissolved it and I rinsed it down the drain. It stripped it to bare plastic and the plastic seemed untouched and took primer very well the next day.  I probably wouldn't leave it to soak over night, not sure what would be left in the morning but my experience was such that just a few minutes is all that was required anyway.

 

I'd probably just sand down and paint over the flat black personally.

Edited November 30, 2018 by Dave G.

[Bainford]

Castrol Super Clean is my 'go to' stripper and Easy-Off HD oven cleaner is my back-up for stubborn removals. When nothing else will work, the part takes a bath in brake fluid. It hasn't let me down yet. I have had hobby lacquer and chrome plating undercoating in the past that I could only strip with brake fluid. One particular Tamiya lacquer paint job required a week long soak in brake fluid to loosen the paint.

As Ace said above, temperature is important.

And remember to dispose of used stripping product properly, which even for biodegradable strippers (Purple Power, Castrol Super Clean, etc) means not down the drain.

[Snake45]

45 minutes ago, Bainford said:

And remember to dispose of used stripping product properly, which even for biodegradable strippers (Purple Power, Castrol Super Clean, etc) means not down the drain.

Ironically, I believe these are chemically similar to Drano--a drain cleaner!

[Ace-Garageguy]

4 hours ago, Bainford said:

...And remember to dispose of used stripping product properly, which even for biodegradable strippers (Purple Power, Castrol Super Clean, etc) means not down the drain.

3 hours ago, Snake45 said:

Ironically, I believe these are chemically similar to Drano--a drain cleaner!

 

Yeah, because of Snakes point, I don't agonize too much over disposal. And I'm kinda on the obsessively "green" side about many things.

Sodium hydroxide is the active ingredient, and it's used in a wide variety of products that are routinely dumped in the drain...like soap and detergent.

I tend to use mine as long as it will work, occasionally filtering out the paint flakes and chunks (which I'll allow to dry, or just pour in an old paint can that I take to the proper facility when it's eventually full...which takes a LONG time).

If the filtered, exhausted product is diluted with a lot of water, I really don't see a problem with pouring it into the sewer.

After all, it IS drain cleaner, and you're not going to be disposing of industrial quantities.

BUT: You really SHOULD keep it in a sealed container for re-use as long as possible.

AND WEAR EYE PROTECTION AND GLOVES

[StevenGuthmiller]

3 minutes ago, Ace-Garageguy said:

Yeah, because of Snakes point, I don't agonize too much over disposal. And I'm kinda on the obsessively "green" side about many things.

Sodium hydroxide is the active ingredient, and it's used in a wide variety of products that are routinely dumped in the drain...like soap and detergent.

I tend to use mine as long as it will work, occasionally filtering out the paint flakes and chunks (which I'll allow to dry, or just pour in an old paint can that I take to the proper facility when it's eventually full...which takes a LONG time).

If the filtered, exhausted product is diluted with a lot of water, I really don't see a problem with pouring it into the sewer.

After all, it IS drain cleaner, and you're not going to be disposing of industrial quantities.

BUT: You really SHOULD keep it in a sealed container for re-use as long as possible.

AND WEAR EYE PROTECTION AND GLOVES

I agree.

The product itself is not going to hurt anything.

It is the stripped material that you need to be concerned about.

in general, Super Clean used to remove lacquer will not dissolve the paint itself.

It will get in between the plastic and the paint causing it to lift off in sheets.

This material is pretty easily strained out.

There will always be some primer or enamel particles left in the Super Clean, but I would not be particularly worried about disposing of it.

I personally dump mine back into the empty jug and dispose of it at a waste disposal site, but I will not hesitate to dump it in an inconspicuous area behind my garage if need be.

A gallon jug of Super Clean will easily last me a year or more, so disposal is normally not forefront in my mind.

Now brake fluid is another matter.

 

Steve

[Force]

The best thing I have used for removing chrome plating is (Castrol) Super Clean, the plating dissappears in a few minutes and the undercoat in a couple of hours, quick and easy.

Edited December 2, 2018 by Force

[SfanGoch]

Testors ELO Paint & Decal Remover gets rid of that undercoat in around twenty minutes. Plain chlorine bleach will also dissolve chrome plating in a few minutes.

[Oldcarfan27]

After using my favorite paint remover, I've used mineral spirits, brushed into the cracks and crevices where tough paint won't come out. Let it soak for a little while and use a toothpick or stiff toothbrush to scrub it out. 

[Snake45]

39 minutes ago, SfanGoch said:

Plain chlorine bleach will also dissolve chrome plating in a few minutes.

So will common household ammonia, though of course it doesn't touch the underlying varnish. 

[SfanGoch]

True; but, ammonia does have a pretty strong aroma compared to chlorine bleach.

[Snake45]

9 minutes ago, SfanGoch said:

True; but, ammonia does have a pretty strong aroma compared to chlorine bleach.

They both have strong aromas, but whatever you do, NEVER MIX THE TWO or it will be the last thing you ever smell! 

[DPNM]

I picked up a gallon of Super Clean and a can of Comet. I'll see what results I get and post them.

Any ideas on stripping flat black? There's a good chance of losing detail sanding it off. I have a couple HO train items I'd like to strip. One being a tender. They have rivets, I'd hate to sand them off.

[SfanGoch]

I already mentioned the Testors ELO. Brush it on the parts (no need to soak the parts) and use a Q-Tip or old toothbrush to scrub the mess. When the paint has loosened and can be easily scrubbed, rinse under warm to moderately hot water, using Comet, Ajax or similar cleaners, and scrub with the toothbrush. The flat black paint will be gone and the parts squeaky clean.

[DPNM]

Thanks Joe, I misunderstood the undercoat, I took it as the chrome residue. I will need to get some ELO but I will definitely give it a try.

[peteski]

And to set the record straight, the "chrome" is not really Chromium metal - it is a very, very thin layer of aluminum applied over that glossy clear lacquer which produces that chrome-like surface.  The process is called vacuum metalizing.

[Casey]

On 12/2/2018 at 11:38 AM, DPNM said:

Any ideas on stripping flat black? There's a good chance of losing detail sanding it off. I have a couple HO train items I'd like to strip. One being a tender. They have rivets, I'd hate to sand them off.

I just tried 91% isopropyl alcohol on two bucket seats which had been painted flat black, and on which I already tried Easy-Off (with minimal effect). I used a rag soaked with the isopropyl alcohol and wiped it against the seats, rather than submerging the seats in a container, and it does remove the black paint. There will probably be a bit of paint left in the crevices, and some staining of the white plastic, too, but overall, it gets them mostly clean, ready for re-painting and preserves the details.

[DPNM]

9 hours ago, Casey said:

I just tried 91% isopropyl alcohol on two bucket seats which had been painted flat black, and on which I already tried Easy-Off (with minimal effect). I used a rag soaked with the isopropyl alcohol and wiped it against the seats, rather than submerging the seats in a container, and it does remove the black paint. There will probably be a bit of paint left in the crevices, and some staining of the white plastic, too, but overall, it gets them mostly clean, ready for re-painting and preserves the details.

Thank you for the tip Casey. I will try it. I was soaking the parts which didn't work.

[Casey]

2 hours ago, DPNM said:

Thank you for the tip Casey. I will try it. I was soaking the parts which didn't work.

Just want to reiterate that I first blasted the seats with Easy Off oven cleaner, which did remove 75% of the paint, so maybe that made it easier for the alcohol to remove the rest? Either way, flat black is the most stubborn of paints it seems.

[DPNM]

19 hours ago, Casey said:

flat black is the most stubborn of paints

I'll agree with that. I used some EZ Off, it didn't do much of anything either.