Hey guys, back in science class tonight! Haha. I looked up on the internet the other day how to remove chrome by yourself. I found on a couple of sites that using Hydrocholic (Muratic) Acid, along with an electric current, removes chrome. So, of course I tried it! I put 3 gallons of water in a 5 gallon plastic pail. I then put 1 cup of acid in the pail. (Always put acid into water, NOT the other way around!) I then put four copper wire probes hanging over the edge. I hooked up the negative from the battery charger to those probes. I then hung a rod across the pail, and hung my chrome piece from it. The positive connects to that. At first I tried it on 6 volts. Thats when, after a minute or so, that yellowish film came off. I have no idea what that came from. After a few minutes I could see it was working. The close ups, where it looks pitted, is after about a half an hour. I dont really know the total time it took, it will depend on amperage and size of the piece, concentration of acid, etc. I would guess about 2.5 hours for this piece on a 12 volt 10 amp charge. Here's the crazy thing. I ran it for a while one day, and decided to turn it off at night. But I did leave the piece in there. I ran it the next day, it only took about 30 minutes to finish it off. But the acid, I'm guessing overnight, ate away quite a bit of the metal. Not a big deal, luckily it was a decently thick piece to begin with. Turned out pretty good, and I'll definitely try it again, but will keep a closer eye on it, and do it all at one time.
Warning, do this in a well ventilated area!
Hope this helps somebody save a few bucks. Also, I've read that this does not work on potmetal. It actaully really messes it up I guess, so only do this on steel.
