
Curated with aloha by
Ted Mooney, P.E. RET

The authoritative public forum
for Metal Finishing 1989-2025

-----
Removing Chrome Plating from Magnetic Parts
I own a hard chrome plating shop in Pennsylvania. I'm trying to strip chrome plating from magnetic parts. I usually use hydrochloric acid to strip parts. However, I've found it starts to attack magnetic parts. I seem to remember there is an electric stripping compound that will work on magnetic parts, but I'm not sure. Does anyone know how I can do this without attacking the parts?
Sharon Libertometal finishing shop. - Greensburg, Pennsylvania, USA
2005
If you do not have a metal finishing process salesperson calling on you regularly who can offer a proprietary alkaline stripper for chrome, and hands-on advice, you can probably get by with the same formulation you use in your mildest alkaline electrocleaner. The work is made anodic and the chrome is oxidized to hexavalent form; don't do it in-line in your electrocleaner tank because the chrome contamination can mess up other processes; and because the wastewater from the rinses after the treatment will require chrome reduction.

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
2005
caustic soda ⇦liquid caustic soda in bulk on Amazon [affil link] , 6 oz/gal, room temp, 4-6 volts, will do the job.

Jeffrey Holmes, CEF
Spartanburg, South Carolina
2005
Q, A, or Comment on THIS thread -or- Start a NEW Thread