Hey all, the title says it all. I know that to strip chrome, you can use Oven cleaner, which can easily strip chrome off of most parts. I tried to strip chrome on a test piece from my AMT Shelby GT500 using Easy Off Oven Cleaner to strip it, specifically the No Fume version. I let it sit for basically 15 minutes but it did not strip it at all.
I’ve heard that AMT chrome is strong and hard to strip, so that may be the reason.
I know that you can also use Liquid Plumbr for really strong chrome parts, but have not tested it yet.
So that begs the question, how would I go about stripping AMT chrome parts?
Try SuperClean. It’s an automotive de-greaser. You can get a gallon jug of it at Walmart for around eight or nine bucks. The great thing about it is that you can use the same batch over and over, unlike oven cleaners.
I fill glass jars of different sizes, for parts of various sizes.
I’ve used it to strip chrome from chromed styrene, and to strip paint from styrene, resin, and white metal.
I have never had a failure using S-p-i-c-N-Span (Jeez net nannies, it’s a brand name for chrissakes!) for any chrome, especially AMT. It seems to be getting hard to find these days, though. One of the FSM editors did a video on different chemicals that have been used to strip chrome. It’s a good video to watch for options. He had good luck with regular chlorine bleech on the examples he used, even the one that the ‘purple magic’ stuff wouldn’t touch.
I finally got most of the chrome off the parts for my AMT Ghostbusters car build, but it left a stubborn brownish residue on the recesses of the front grille and a few other spots. Which I have not been able to get off.
I’m reluctant to use oven cleaner but that’s about all that’s left, I guess.
Yeah, I use it around the house, too. Grease buildup in the kitchen, grease stains on laundry, run a batch down the drain if it gets clogged.
On models, I used it once to strip the chrome from the chromed sprues in Monogram’s Tom Daniels Red Baron Hot Rod. I wanted to be able to clean the seams, pour gates, etc, and I knew I couldn’t do that and not damage the chrome. So, strip the chrome. In the case of Monogram’s plating, I watched it dissolve into the solution and the styrene was clean in 2 minutes. From that time, I used SuperClean for stripping chrome, paint, grease and other schmutz from kit parts.