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I Forge Iron

chrome plating


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Just wondering if there would be dangers involved in useing steels that had a chrome plating on them for forging. Dangers along the same lines as galvanized metals.


Unequivocally I would not muck with it. Really, there is no piece of metal on earth that is chrome plated that is worth forging as is to get to. If for some reason this piece(s) of metal is just something you have to use then your going to have to use a very caustic pickle (a bath of acid) to strip the plate from it. Or you'll have to use abrasives to completely sand it. There are also de-plating process. Again, you really gotta ask yourself why? Ask anyone on here, fume hazards are serious business.
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Do yourself a favor.. look up the elements nickel and chromium. See what the facts are about melting point, burning point, toxicity, nature.

I say nickel,. because it is often plated before chrome, to make the chrome stick better.

Hex Chrome or Hexavalent chrome, chromium (VI) is a whole different animal. Search that as well.

I asked this same question about 2 years ago. I have a 7 foot long 1 1/2 " diameter hydraulic piston I wanted to make things out of.

The long and the short is, the answers I got were mixed, mostly "I wouldn't mess with it, but I don't really know.."

I cut a piece, heated to yellow, gave it 2 flat sides, annealed it, gave it a grinding and filing, (WITH RATED RESPIRATOR!! AND SAFeTY GEAR!) and now have straight pein I been wanting for a long time.

Not a recomentdation, just what I did.

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