Chrome Removal - Golf Club

[Choopi]

Hi all. I had been reading the threads in regard to muriatic acid and chrome removal.

This is my issue.

I have a forged wedge that has been sitting in a 50/50 muriatic acid/water solution for the better part of 3 hours. I have been pulling it out with pliars to check the progress every hour or so. It appears to still have the shiny chrome finish on it.

I did not use the battery-charger method, however.

Does anyone have any insight here?

Thanks!!!

[lcaswell]

You've probably got the chrome off and are looking at the nickel plate that is under it. They look very similar.

[Choopi]

That would be great if that is the case!!

Typically, how long would it take to remove the chrome if the part is just sitting in the muriatic? Will leaving it in the acid too long cause the metal to be eaten away?

Is there and home-remedy way to remove the nickel underlay? I know you guys sell MetalX, but I have heard BAttery Acid also works.

I am sorry about all the questions, but I tried to purchase the Caswell Manual but the wonderful guys from the Canadian Caswell site are on vacation. No book for me until they get back

Thanks SO much for the information!!

[moto-chrome]

When you place a chromed part in muriatic acid there is a short delay and then the chrome starts to bubble quite a bit so you can't miss it. It normally takes 5 to 45 minutes to remove chrome. When a nickeled part is placed into battery acid (pickle number 3) it turns very yellowish after 50 seconds. Get used to recognizing this color because you will very often have to re-activate nickel and this is the sign. Longer periods make it turn almost a copper color.

[Choopi]

Thanks for your response. Excuse my ignorance, but in what cases would I have to "re-activate" the nickel? Can you please elaborate more on this?

Thanks again!
Matt

[68commando]

Matt,

Re-activate means to get the nickel ready for re-chroming, at least that is my take on it. Please note that the last post mentioned that if you put the club that now has only nickel on it in battery acid, in 50 seconds it will turn yellow and finally a green color. This is to let you know that the nickel is ready for plating and the chrome is gone. But you will have to make sure that the polish is to your liking and all the chrome is removed or it will appear as it is after chroming. I am not sure you are re-chroming this club or not? If you inspect it carefully under a magnifying glass you may be able to see if all the chrome is gone, there is a slight color difference in chrome and nickel. You will have to polish it to see the difference. I haven't had good luck removing chrome with the muriatic acid alone, but then I am trying to get down to the base metal. I like to use the muriatic acid with current, put the + on the item to de-plate and the - on a piece of stainless and feed it all the current you have available. The stainless will bubble like crazy and the plated item will eventually turn black and the chrome and nickel will come off easily in just a few minutes if you can supply several amps per sq inch of plating. I use 5 amps for small items like 2 or 3 nuts, or maybe 1 1/4-30 bolt.

Dave

[Choopi]

Thanks for the response. I am not looking to rechrome after I pull everything off the head. I am also trying to get to the base metal so the club will Rust.

I looked today at Home Depot for a decent size Stainless Rod, but the largest diameter I could find was a 1/2" threaded rod. Would this work for battery charger method? Would you suggest using an actual automotive battery for this method? If not, how large of a battery charger would you suggest?

I left the wedge in the muriatic acid for a decent while, and the acid turned this green colour you speak of.

An I reading this correctly when I see that muriatic will remove the Nickel underlay under the chrome as well? I had been under the understanding that muriatic will remove the chrome, and battery acid will remove the nickel.

Lay this out for me from start to finish, if you don't mind. Just so we are on even ground here..

Thanks again for your time!
Matt

[moto-chrome]

Wow it's the first time I hear of a person wanting a part to RUST ! OK I think 68commando's reverse current method will de-plate any metal. In theory the metal ions leave the part and flow towards the the stripping plate so we don't really care what it is made of. Stainless - sure but you could use anything really. I use a lead sheet personally but when i started I used one of my wife's tin cookie sheets. I use 1 amp per sq. in. so if your club is about 10 sq. inches, the quick solution is a 10 amp battery charger. If you're only going to use one stripping plate then rotate the part regularly.

By the way grab something that's Chromed in the house and take it outside with your club. If your club is on nickel it will be yellowish compared to the bluish hue of chrome.

[Choopi]

One more quick question here...

Will a car battery suffice for a power source rather than a battery charger?