cleaning up chrome

[65beam]

cleaning chrome

nick,

i'm quite aware of what you're saying. when i am going to clean something such as the rings that hold the headlamps in i use steel wool,among other things. when it comes to bumpers ,etc on most of my cars, i use the same wax that i use on some of my cars.i use a plating shop in middletown pa for plating work and they do whatever plating you request.so trust me ; for what it cost to get show chrome work from them i would probably be in a world of hurt if i went near the bumpers of my wife's series 5 with steel wool.but for cleaning other less noticeable parts i use the 0000.

 

[Nickodell]

Now you've got me intrigued. I'm going to get some of that stuff and try it on an old bumper that I replaced on Matilda last year. Can't hurt.

 

[alpine in calgary]

Now you've got me intrigued. I'm going to get some of that stuff and try it on an old bumper that I replaced on Matilda last year. Can't hurt.

Nick...it sounds wierd....and it makes no sense....but damn it works....the luggage rack I cleaned up sparkles ...if you have doubts use the olde bumper as a litmus test....but I bet you will be buying a flat of coke and 200 feet of foil to go over the beautifull matilda

 

[RootesRooter]

Does Diet Coke work as well? I just tried it on my rear bumper. One area is getting pretty discolored and etched from exhaust gases. After cleaning the bumper up as best as possible with regular chrome cleaner, I rubbed the magic elixer into one, small taped off area for 15 minutes with Reynolds aluminum foil. If anything, it now looks worse and more faded.

???

 

[alpine in calgary]

Does Diet Coke work as well? I just tried it on my rear bumper. One area is getting pretty discolored and etched from exhaust gases. After cleaning the bumper up as best as possible with regular chrome cleaner, I rubbed the magic elixer into one, small taped off area for 15 minutes with Reynolds aluminum foil. If anything, it now looks worse and more faded.

???

I never tried diet coke as the website I saw this on said use coke....I also did not use any chrome cleaner beforehand....I just carefully placed the bumper in the tub....poured 3 cans of warm coke into a bucket scrunched up a ball of foil and scrubbed away...wiped dry with paper towel and then went over it with mothers chrome polish

 

[jmthehermit]

cleaning chrome

Hey 65beam, is that chrome shop in middletown the one that does the show chrome for the Harley plant in York? I've been trying to get info on them since last years Good Guys show at Hershey. Name and address would be very helpful. Thanks, Jeff

 

[65beam]

chrome plating

jeff,

i use librandi's , middletown pa. 717 944 9442

bob

 

[jmthehermit]

chrome

Thanks Bob, thats the place I was looking for! ---- Jeff

 

[Q]

Aluminum oxide

I used this method to clean up the chrome top on a 1940's stove refurbish project. Just wet and rub. Worked well, but not perfectly on badly oxidized chrome plated nickle copper. Aluminum oxide electro-chemistry can be validated from various web postings. Note, the steel wool method may leave fine scratches, but aluminum method does not. Water is fine to use instead of coke. A light coat of mineral oil to keep oxygen away from the surface when completed works well. From a bike website--
Cleaning:Rust is basically oxidized metal or another words metal that has taken on extra oxygen atoms. As heat is generated by the friction of rubbing the aluminum foil on the chrome, a portion of the aluminum will oxidize to produce aluminum oxide. Aluminum has a higher reduction potential, i.e., a tendency take on electrons and in the process reduce or break itself down, than the chrome and will therefore leech oxygen atoms away from any rust on the chrome surface which changes the chemical properties of the rust and breaks it down.

Polishing: Aluminum oxide is harder than steel, and the microscopic grains of aluminum oxide produced during the cleaning process creates a fine metal polishing compound which, mixed with the water you added, creates a paste that smoothes and polishes the chrome surface.

 

[JonPiz]

re chrome

Will Pepsi do as Im more of a Pepsi man. Im also interested to see if Fanta orange will work as I like the smell

 

[DanR]

If you use the steel wool make sure it is the 4 "0000"

 

[George Coleman]

4 OOOO works the best it is also good for removing paint over spry on glass

 

[Mike Armstrong]

Just out of curiosity I might try the Coke/Foil method but I've used the steel wool followed by carnauba wax method since High School with amazing results.

 

[bmohr]

Cola drinks get their "kick" (apart from the caffein) from phosphoric acid, which is an effective rust remover. Seems like it will dissolve oxides of other metals besides iron. However, I'm not sure where the alumin(i)um foil comes into the picture.

If you can get hold of some dilute phosphoric acid it will do the same job without the sticky mess of cola.

Nick,
Any idea of what the pH is if the phosphoric acid is in Coke compared to what one typically buys at the hardware store? I bought phosphoric acid to clean/etch my gas tanks and have some left over to try a bit of experimenting on an old bumper. I was surprised that the label on the acid did not specify the pH or concentration.

 

[junkman]

Try fiberglass restorer and wax by 3M its a marine product and is a bit expensive but well worth the results, works great on any chrome. you will be amazed.

 

[junkman]

There I go giving away my secrets again. DAMN

 

[Nickodell]

Nick,
Any idea of what the pH is if the phosphoric acid is in Coke compared to what one typically buys at the hardware store? I bought phosphoric acid to clean/etch my gas tanks and have some left over to try a bit of experimenting on an old bumper. I was surprised that the label on the acid did not specify the pH or concentration.

The formula for Coke is a company secret, so I can't answer about the concentration of phosphoric acid in the soda. It will certainly be much lower, by an order of magnitude, than the stuff you buy from the hardware. You could check Coke's pH easily with a swimming pool test kit.

The pH of store-bought phos. acid will be off the charts at the bottom end of the scale, and the concentration is anyone's guess.

There, that should make everything clear.

 

[bmohr]

Thanks Nick. You're right it's clear as mud :S Actually though the comment about order of magnitude gives me some idea of the scale which is what I was looking to find.

I was just surprised in this day and age of MSDSs and extensive labeling that the store bought stuff didn't have it's concentration listed. Neither did the muriatic acid I bought.

Onward and upward

 

[Q]

pH & acids

Phosphoric acid is considered a weak acid (less willing to separate one of the H+ ions from the PO4 anion) while hydrochloric acid (trade name muriatic acid) is a strong acid-very willing to separate positive from negative ions in the presence of water.

Concentration of acid is important as well as strength (or weakness) in pH determination. Concentration is measured in terms of Molarity (M), i.e., moles/liter (mass/volume). There are other measures as well such as % (Muriatic is noted to be < or =31.45% but named "concentrated Hydrochloric acid" for higher concentrations) and Baume, provides a density measure (muriatic acid is at 20 Baume).

pH is defined as the negative logarithm of the hydrogen ion concentration. In general the pH of a solution of a weak acid depends on only two factors, the concentration of the acid and the magnitude of an equilibrium constant called the acid constant, which measures the strength of the acid.

Thus pH of a food grade weak phosphoric acid solution like coke is around 2, while a solution of strong acid like HCl would be 0.

Ugh, a bit off topic I think-but isn't inorganic chemistry and the internet a wonderful thing? I would not suggest using a strong acid to polish chrome, but weak acids are known as rust removers.
Be careful with that 007!