Removing chrome from golf club...how to make a "rust stick"?

A. Who is doing the refurbishing? Why not let them do the stripping since the clubs will probably need to be replated?

A. Hi David. It may be best to ask a plating shop to strip them because it is a difficult and dangerous process if you are not trained and equipped. Hydrochloric acid (muriatic acid ⇦ this on eBay or Amazon [affil links] ) will strip the chrome, but decorative 'chrome plating' involves a much thicker layer of nickel and you'll need a proprietary stripper for the nickel -- but sandblasting may do what you want; have the blaster try a scrap club first though. Good luck.

A. Bob,

After reading your entry, I looked at my putter. Then I imagined what it would take to "neatly" remove the chrome deposit from the shaft. Once you masked the grip and the hozzle (using either electrical tape or Vaseline), you would have to brush hydrochloric acid onto the shaft, several times, to remove the chrome deposit. Then you would have to rinse the shaft with deionized water many times. Then you would have to deal with getting rid of the waste material. Once the shaft was "completely free" of the chrome deposit, it (the shaft) would have to be drenched in a solution of ammonium hydroxide/ammonium chloride. You sure you want to do this?

A. You can't do much while the chrome is there because not much sticks to chrome very well. So you could follow Randy's directions about stripping the chrome with hydrochloric acid (carefully and with rubber gloves ⇦ this on eBay or Amazon [affil links] , goggles ⇦ this on eBay or Amazon [affil links] , etc.)

Then you could leave the nickel instead of removing it with the ammonium compounds. The nickel will look rather like the chrome at first, just a faintly yellow tinge to it and not quite as shiny. But it should tarnish to a substantially less brilliant, slightly yellow metallic color with a little time.

A. Hi, Tim. As you are reading, the chemical approach isn't easy. You could either take it to a plating shop for stripping, or to a sandblaster. Good luck.

Regards,

A. I don't understand why you want to do such a thing! Not only would your club end up a rust stick, you would be left with the chrome. Chrome is regulated by the EPA, and is not something you can dump in the trash or wash down the drain.

If you want your golf clubs replated, then I suggest you call the store you bought it from, the manufacturer, or a local professional plater.

Q. I want it to be a rust stick...hence RTG...raw tour grind. Chrome makes the club feel more crisp...it also makes you hit the ball farther. Rust enables the ball to spin more. Fully 80% of all PGA pro's prefer wedges without chrome.

So how do you get rid of it?

A. Hi Harry. You can remove the chrome yourself with muriatic acid ⇦ this on eBay or Amazon [affil links] , but this is strong acid, so there are dangers if you haven't been trained and don't have the correct PPE. I strongly doubt that you'd actually get into trouble with the sewer authority for flushing the neutralized acid (if you are talking about one or two clubs rather than making a practice of it), but it's poor environmental practice to flush chrome.

So it might be a better idea, as Tim suggested, to take it to a plating shop who can strip it and handle the wastes safely and responsibly. And another thing is, most "chrome" plating is actually a heavy layer of nickel plating followed by a thin layer of chrome. After you remove the chrome it won't look much different (just slightly less blue) -- unless you also remove the nickel plating which requires specialty chemicals which you might not be able to get shipped to a residence.

I'm not a golfer, so I may be burned as a heretic for the suggestion -- but can't you just buy a putter with the finish you want? Best of luck!

Regards,

! I suggest that you have simply bought a raw wedge instead of having to go through all this hassle just to take off the chrome.

---

Oh goody, I'll have company at the stake :-)

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey

A. Take it to a company that does automotive gold plating in your community. They have means to remove chrome safely. However you will be left with nickel plating.

A. Jim, Eric:

We appended your inquiries to a similar earlier thread. But upon reconsidering what you want to do and why, I think you could sandblast the chrome and nickel off, leaving an active raw steel surface which will rust very quickly. Although there is the issue of not damaging the groves, I think this would probably be easier and cheaper than chemical stripping. Good luck.

A. I'm am trying right now to rust my old Tom Watson sand wedge 55 degree. Sand the top layer of chrome off. Then let it sit in salt water. Then let it set out a day. It will rust over the nickel.

A. Had you chemically removed the chrome, or sandblasted the club first, Bobby? Chrome plated auto and truck bumpers last decades out in the weather; while the plating on golf clubs may not be as high quality, a good chrome finish certainly won't fail from a day in water --

A. I do plating removal on golf clubs. Some clubs have finishes other that chrome/nickel and require different methods of removal. I always advise caution in regards to sanding on the face of a club. Improper sanding could damage the flatness of the face or the grooves creating unwanted angles on the club and resulting in unreliable direction of the shots. I can strip the heads without removing the shafts, but it is easier and cheaper to do when the shaft is removed. I usually re-groove the clubs after they have been stripped. I hope this helps.

DVD / Blu-Ray:
"Erin Brockovich"

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Amazon

(affil links)

A. Hi Andrew. As you see, this is a very common question which has been answered here many times. The 'chrome plating' is actually heavy nickel plating followed by a flash of chrome plating. So your first question to yourself will be what are you trying to accomplish in the end.

The one thing I would most urge you not to do is to attempt to electrolytically strip the chrome as you may read on other sites because that generates hexavalent chrome, the toxic stuff that made Erin Brockovich famous. Good luck.

Regards,