Inexpensive de-chrome process.
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Elder User
Joined: Mar 2003
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From: Hendersonville, TN
Inexpensive de-chrome process.
Several years ago I had some bumpers and a grille de-chromed at the platers so I could paint them. I'm going to have to do the same again soon, and as I recall, they charged nearly as much as it would have been to chrome them. I'm on a tight budget, and was wondering if anyone knew a cheaper way to get them down to bare metal. One of them already has chrome peeling, and I'd thought about Roloc disks on a die grinder, but probably couldn't get into the recessed areas with that. Also thought about commercial sandblasting (like at a tombstone seller) but haven't investigated that one yet (suggestion by my brother). Any ideas?
Post Fiend
Joined: Oct 2003
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From: New Jersey
Sandblasting works fine, but it takes a little longer than blasting through paint - since Chrome adheres to the metal better than primer/paint would. Start off with a medium sized sand, then jump down to a finer sand for a smoother surface to have replated.
If you have a decent sized air compressor in your garage (something in the 60 gallon and up range), you can do it yourself with a pail of dry play sand, and a $13 home depot sandblasting kit.
If you have a decent sized air compressor in your garage (something in the 60 gallon and up range), you can do it yourself with a pail of dry play sand, and a $13 home depot sandblasting kit.
Post Fiend
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 6,214
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From: New Jersey
Originally Posted by ha2400
can you get away with a 8 gal compressor for sandblasting?
Something like an air ratchet you zap a bolt on or off, then put the tool down for a moment giving the air compressor time to "catch up".
Anyway, to answer your question, yes, you can use a smaller compressor, this is how I sandblasted my frame of my F350 crewcab... but within 20 seconds of pulling the trigger... the toy air compressor I have would fall so far behind, no more sand would come out and the gun would clog. So, I increased the tank volume by plumbing in another tank, like so:
And it worked fine for about 60 seconds... if I kept blasting after that, without giving the compressor a chance to catch up, the sandblaster gun would clog. So I got pretty good at blasting for a minute, then stopping for a minute, then blasting for a minute, etc.
Took a long time, but it did work.
Post Fiend
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 6,214
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From: New Jersey
Well, keep in mind doubling the tank volume, doubles the work time. But it also doubles the "catch up" time as well.
But I find it less irritating to work for a few minutes, then wait a few minutes, then start and stop every 30 seconds.
But I find it less irritating to work for a few minutes, then wait a few minutes, then start and stop every 30 seconds.
Junior User
Joined: Feb 2005
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From: Waynesville,NC
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Post Fiend
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 6,214
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From: New Jersey
Originally Posted by ha2400
yeah but its a lot cheaper than buying a 2000 dollar air compressor
Though I have a late 50's 120 gallon quincy to pick up from a friend
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Post Fiend
Joined: Oct 2003
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From: New Jersey
I picked up my 120 gallon 1958 Quincy this morning out in Long Island NY. Was a long haul from NJ with traffic, but worth every minute of it.
I paid $400 for the compressor, the tank, all the attached gauges, the automatic water release thing, the solenoid, two spare belts, and a "rebuild" kit which contains two head gaskets, two piston rings, and what looks like a honing tool for the cylinders.
Anyway, it's been rebuilt so I'll tuck the spares away.
While there is nothing wrong with the home depot stuff, I prefer used, much older equipment because it lasts much longer, as it's designed for commercial applications, thus I can't hurt it with the work that I do. It came out of a six bay service station that has a serious amount of customer work - air tools I imagine were run continuously in multiple bays at the same time.
Anyway, also look for used stuff. I bragged about my purchase beacuse it's another avenue to explore, and sometimes there are good deals to be had.
I paid $400 for the compressor, the tank, all the attached gauges, the automatic water release thing, the solenoid, two spare belts, and a "rebuild" kit which contains two head gaskets, two piston rings, and what looks like a honing tool for the cylinders.
Anyway, it's been rebuilt so I'll tuck the spares away.
While there is nothing wrong with the home depot stuff, I prefer used, much older equipment because it lasts much longer, as it's designed for commercial applications, thus I can't hurt it with the work that I do. It came out of a six bay service station that has a serious amount of customer work - air tools I imagine were run continuously in multiple bays at the same time.
Anyway, also look for used stuff. I bragged about my purchase beacuse it's another avenue to explore, and sometimes there are good deals to be had.
Senior User
Joined: Feb 2005
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From: New Jersey Shore
Just a point of interest. Battery acid removes chrome rather quickly. Very important that you wear protective gear when working with this stuff. It's extremely corrosive and dangerous to inhale. Also try to reclaim as much as possible and discard correctly. When finished you can nuetralize with baking soda.
Elder User
Joined: May 2004
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From: MN - NW of Twin Cities
Originally Posted by 88svt
Just a point of interest. Battery acid removes chrome rather quickly. Very important that you wear protective gear when working with this stuff. It's extremely corrosive and dangerous to inhale. Also try to reclaim as much as possible and discard correctly. When finished you can nuetralize with baking soda.
What would be a typical baking soda to water ratio?
Bruce
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