Strippers?

[Eric Cole]

No, not that kind of strippers... I'm talking about chrome here.

I know how to strip chrome from kit parts. The purple stuff does a great job of it but what about the clear lacquer carrier. In the past after I stripped the chrome in Castrol Super Clean (takes about an hour or so), I used Polly Scale ELO to remove the clear carrier but in this case I have several small parts and a few larger ones that I would prefer to just soak in something all at one time. The last time I use 91% Alchohol for the clear, it didn't work.

Any suggestions for mass stripping of the clear carrier after the chrome is gone?

[Zoom Zoom]

It's difficult to impossible to know if any one stripper will work on kit chrome all in one "soak". Different clear carriers respond differently.

Easy Off heavy-duty oven cleaner may do it all. Sometimes. It takes the chrome away in seconds, the clear takes longer. Some comes right off, other isn't as successful. Polly S may be necessary to take the more difficult clear carrier off. Or Scale Coat paint remover. Results may vary.

[BobC]

Eric,

In most cases, I've found that if I wait long enough, up to a week sometimes, CSC will remove the lacquer. I'm talking about R-M & AMT. I don't have any experience with Japanese kits.

Strangely though, the older the part, the worse the success rate.

[Eric Cole]

Thanks guys, I was concerned with what the effect may be if I left it in the CSC for too long, afterall it's pretty potent stuff.

I may go the ELO route, It's more trouble because you can't just soak the parts but I feel a little safer with it. I don't want to have to replace a set of 1/12 scale 934 wheels. ;)

[Zoom Zoom]

Don't rule out stripping just the chrome plating and leaving the clear carrier. I often do that and if the clear is smooth/thin, it really doesn't matter that it's still there. Often it helps smooth any irregularities in the plastic part itself.

Most often I strip plating from wheels, just a minute or two w/Easy Off to get the plating to evaporate (pretty much before your eyes), I then use a polishing stick to dress the outer edge of the rim, and airbrush one of my favorite metalizer type paints.

Spray cleaners like 409 and regular bleach will also remove just the plating.

[BobC]

I've found that it's the lacquer's (uneven) thickness that ruins the detail in small 1/24 parts, not the microscopically thin aluminum "chrome". I don't know how the lacquer applied (I assume by spraying), but it's pretty apparent how much detail will potentially be lost by examining the build-up of lacquer in the recesses, corners, etc. of the part immediately after the chrome is removed.

But, Bob is right (of course), if you're happy with the part's condition after the chrome is removed then, by all means, there's no reason to remove the lacquer.

BTW - I saw a clip on TV about how commercial vacuum metalizing is done. The system is comprised of a sandwich of lacquer/metal (vaporized aluminum)/lacquer over the part. Which begs the question - why will the commonly used "chrome" removers remove the top coat of lacquer but not the bottom? :confused: Answer: It must bond much better to the plastic then to the metal.

[Zoom Zoom]

The layer of clear underneath the chrome is much thicker than the layer on top of it. Aftermarket chrome platers usually have enough clear over the chrome that you can lightly polish it; you cannot do that with kit chrome, you'll take the chrome right off with some polish. I have seen too much clear on top of the chrome to the point it yellowed.

[Firehawk]

Fantastic spray cleaner takes chrome off in about 30 seconds, with no harsh chemicals or solvents. For the clear, I usually leave it on unless it's really clogging the detail, in which case I'll soak the parts in a small cup of ELO. I've even used brake fluid, though that's harsh stuff and you don't want to soak parts in it cause it leeches out the plasticizers. I don't like EZ-Off cause of the residue.

[Eric Cole]

Thanks for the info guys. After looking at the parts tonight after I got home from work I decided that the chrome stripped off the 1/12th scale 934 wheels is good enough for respraying without stripping the clear.

However, the clear will have to be stripped from the Tamiya 1/20th scale front and rear wings of the 312t3 before they get repainted with metalizer. Gotta make those rivets show up...

[Eric Cole]

Guess what??? Model Masters Aluminum Metalizer will craze the clear lacquer leftover on Tamiya chrome striped parts... Oh well, live and learn!

[BRE350Z]

Yikes - is it recoverable?

Wayne

P.S. Owe you a call.

[dragfan]

I use Clorox Clean-Up to strip chrome from parts-it removes the chrome and underlying clear , usually within a few minutes. I then wash the parts in dish soap and let them air dry overnight. I just used this technique on a set of Tamiya Enzo wheels so I could paint them with gunmetal metallizer as well as some engine parts for a Boss 429 engine that I am working on.

[BobC]

I use Clorox Clean-Up to strip chrome from parts-it removes the chrome and underlying clear , usually within a few minutes. I then wash the parts in dish soap and let them air dry overnight. I just used this technique on a set of Tamiya Enzo wheels so I could paint them with gunmetal metallizer as well as some engine parts for a Boss 429 engine that I am working on.

Ever used it on paint?

[dragfan]

It does not work on enamel or lacquer paint; however, for stripping paint, I use a cleaner called Greased Lightning. I immerse whatever I am stripping the paint from overnight and then clean with an old toothbrush under running cool water. After rinsing with more cool water, I let it air dry overnight. Hope this helps.

[BRE350Z]

Thanks for the tips.