by model murdering » Mon Feb 05, 2018 2:57 pm
Cool Todd, thanx for taking the time to show how easy it is to strip chrome. "How To's" are my fav! Please allow me to add a related old school tid bit.
Early Aurora "vacu-plating" also included a base layer of lacquer; that the ammonia will not touch. You'll find it on bumpers, brick-a-brack like the Hot Rod bits, and of course whole bodies. Modern plating does not use the poopy looking lacquer undercoat.
Typically it will appear as a smooth dirty brown coating. This is where the Easy Off comes into play. You can often see the lacquer underneath the body, where the plating is thin. You can do a test scrape to see the original plastic's color lurking beneath, then you can decide to go Ammonia or Easy Off. IMHO, it's always best to use the least invasive product. Easy Off is highly ammoniated, so it blows the chrome off instantly anyway.
I let the Easy Off work on the ancient lacquer base for half a day, and rinse off what I can using a stiff toothbrush, that the bristles have been trimmed down. Then let it dry thoroughly so the lacquer gets dry and will flake off. Once the lacquer is crazed or crispy, I start poking at it with my nail, or a scraper made from PTEG blister pack. A round toothpick like they hold your sandwich together with works good for digging and picking. You can also cut the toothpick on the bias, say 45 degrees or so. It makes a good non-gouging scraper too. When it dulls or breaks.... just cut it again.
Sometimes you have to repeat the process for stubborn areas. Ideally I like to minimize the exposure, because Easy Off is highly caustic. I try not to walk away and leave the process unattended once I start. The secret for re-application is to make sure the body is dry prior to re-application. Any water will mute the effectiveness.
Bill