Does Muratic Acid destroy chrome?

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Anonymous

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Been working with Naval Jelly and steel wool trying to clean rust on chrome,but its going slow and I'm loosing patience...

Any BETTER idea's?

Thanks
 
yes the acid will kill the chrome.

get sme "MAAS" cleaner it works great!

ps: if chrome is rusty i usually sand it down and it gets painted.
 
Oxalic acid, AKA wood bleach, works wonders for removing rust. It won't help with pitting though.

Muriatic acid, more commonly known as hydrochloric acid, is mucho corrosive.

-Mp
 
Hydrochloric acid will destroy .... near everything it touches (glass being a major exception). I read about half of a monster thread about oxalic acid on another (vintage BXM?) forum and those people had good results. I haven't tested it out, but I hear it is a really good way to remove rust. Just make sure the parts are grease free as the grease will block the acid from getting to the chrome.

I'm a fan of dry steel wool or just a little bit of WD-40 and then using metal polish called "Blue Magic" to polish. The pitting never really goes away.
 
Given enough time, virtually ANY acid, even lemon juice, will ruin chrome. That's what acids do.

however, I use muriatic acid every now and then to clean the rust off of chrome plated steel parts..... and have not had it ruin anything as long as I'm careful. BUT... I am what one would call a "Professional"... and am VERY CAREFUL when working with it. Due to the danger, I don't recommend it as a technique. It's nasty stuff. One screw-up and you'll be blind, have a permanent case of asthma, be missing the ends of your fingers, or have a big hole in your leg that takes months to heal.... or all four. It's not worth the risk.

A FAR better acid is Phosphoric Acid. You can get it at paint stores, or at the Hardware Store. It comes as a liquid in quarts or gallons, or as the main ingredient in Naval Jelly. It is the industrial standard for removing rust, and for good reason: It will do everything that Muriatic Acid will do as far as removing rust goes, and it's FAR less dangerous. For stubborn parts, get the liquid form and dunk the parts for a few minutes or even hours... while keeping a close watch.

As an added benefit, it leaves a grey phosphate coating on any bare steel it contacts which is rust resistant.... and paint loves to stick to any treated surfaces. It is also safer on chrome.
 
Re:

blackchop1 said:
MagicRat said:
Thanks black,Getting painted is Plan B.
Click to expand...


krylon rules!

paint em black ;-)
Click to expand...


will the krylon paint stick to chrome?

I have achrome fork that i'd rather have painted black.
 
1) Bar Keepers Friend and some brass wool (usually find at boat stores)
2) Wadded up aluminum foil and coke (phosphoric acid) - haven't actually tried this one, but sounds interesting
 
cman...
have you ever tried the molasses? i read about that in streetrodder about 5 years ago but never actually tried it. heard it works great but can take up to a week or so...... :|
 
yeah...i normally use wd-40 with 0000# steel wool and a brass brush..........just curious about the molasses.read it forgot about it and now i see it brought up here....so i had to ask
 
sensor said:
cman...
have you ever tried the molasses? i read about that in streetrodder about 5 years ago but never actually tried it. heard it works great but can take up to a week or so...... :|
Click to expand...

No I just read about it over at bikeforums.net . Thought it could be interesting and maybe safer than playin with acid.
 
I agree mark nothing beats a small brass brush and wd40 :)
the brass is softer than the chrome and harder than the rust
I have used oxilic acid before too but it always leaves a faint green tint on the chrome thats just as hard to get off but,,,,,, it rules on chains!
 

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