Pr3ssure Posted November 23, 2017 Share Posted November 23, 2017 So my dad brought me some copper that's chrome plated. I'll post some pictures here soon but I'm wondering how to remove the chrome. Would forging it remove it? Would forging with the chrome on it be a bad idea? I'm not sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted November 23, 2017 Share Posted November 23, 2017 3 minutes ago, Pr3ssure said: Would forging it remove it? Yes, but: 4 minutes ago, Pr3ssure said: Would forging with the chrome on it be a bad idea? I'm not sure. A HORRIBLE idea. Hexavalent chrome vapor is highly toxic and will make you very, very sick. DON’T DO IT. The only completely safe way to remove chrome plating is to have it done professionally, which will probably be prohibitively expensive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daswulf Posted November 23, 2017 Share Posted November 23, 2017 What JHCC said. Don't forge anything chromed. Don't try to burn it off either. I have a bunch of chromed wrenches that id love to use in scrap art but I just toss them in a pile until I find a good ( affordable) way to get the chrome removed ( if ever). So far the only safe way I have heard is taking them somewhere that does chrome plating to remove it. Like he said, cost prohibited. What type of stock is it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted November 23, 2017 Share Posted November 23, 2017 Remember, even if you can’t use it yourself, you can probably turn it into cash at the scrapyard and use the proceeds to buy tools and materials. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pr3ssure Posted November 24, 2017 Author Share Posted November 24, 2017 all of that is chrome plated copper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pr3ssure Posted November 24, 2017 Author Share Posted November 24, 2017 I eventually want to make some knives so this will be some good accent metal for guards and what not. I just want to get the chrome off of it. There's probably like 10-15 pounds of it there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will W. Posted November 24, 2017 Share Posted November 24, 2017 Maybe you could use acid to remove it? You would want a relatively strong acid so it doesnt take a very long time to do it. Just a thought. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pr3ssure Posted November 24, 2017 Author Share Posted November 24, 2017 Yeah, that's one thing I was reading online. Like hydrochloric acid I think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daswulf Posted November 24, 2017 Share Posted November 24, 2017 I tried muriatic acid cut with water that I use for zinc removal and even after a Long soak ( might have been days), no luck Removing it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted November 24, 2017 Share Posted November 24, 2017 The problem with removing the chrome with acid is, what do you do with the acid after? All you’ve done is move the chrome from the copper to the acid. It’s still toxic — how are you going to dispose of it safely? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SLAG Posted November 24, 2017 Share Posted November 24, 2017 I.F.I. citizens, Acids will not attack the surface of chrome (Cr.). This is because the outer surface is passivated. That is, the Cr, on the surface is oxidized (i.e. passivated). Chrome oxide is highly resistant to acids and many other chemicals. But that passivated layer is very thin. About four atoms thick. ( if my memory serves me). So the Cr oxide must be attacked by a strong reducing agent. For example potassium permanganate. Once the layer is trashed, the underlying Cr metal will be attacked by even dilute acid. Muriatic acid, (HCl), will work. Please note that HCl gas will attack the metal surfaces of tools in your smithy. 'Sooo' do the procedure outside, away from children, adults and pets. Use a chemical respirator while doing the process, and stand upwind. Dissolved chrome-acid residue can be disposed of according to local restrictions. Or, if necessary, you can let the acid evaporate and the chrome salts, that are left behind, can be mixed into the water of curing cement, or as an additive in discarding paint which will dry. The cement brick would make a charming Christmas president for your brother in law or ex. Warn them NOT to suck on it, in times of stress. I hope this information is of some use to some members of I.F.I. SLAG. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pr3ssure Posted November 24, 2017 Author Share Posted November 24, 2017 Thanks for the info. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daswulf Posted November 24, 2017 Share Posted November 24, 2017 I'm very tempted to try this. If so I'll post results. Thanks for the info. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted November 24, 2017 Share Posted November 24, 2017 Gosh I LOVE you Slag! We used a similar technique to get gold out of mercury back in the day. My question for the chrome removal process is this. Is there a way to precipitate the chrome out of solution? We dissolved gold bearing mercury in acid then recovered the mercury from the acid with zinc. The zinc replaced the mercury in the acid and we reused it in the separators. I don't know what was done with the zinc nitrate, or how dangerous it is. This was the '60s when folk didn't think anything of dumping motor oil in the ally, heck the gvt sprayed waste oil on dirt roads for dust control. Often PCB oils from transformers and such. ANY time I see or hear about metal acid solution I think about precipitating it out. Maybe just plate it onto something instead? I like encapsulating the salts in concrete idea, maybe a cast troll bridge abutment? Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daswulf Posted November 24, 2017 Share Posted November 24, 2017 I ordered some potassium permanganate on Amazon. I'll give this a shot and see how it works. It would open up a Lot more wrenches to use in art and forging. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SLAG Posted November 24, 2017 Share Posted November 24, 2017 Frosty, I'm glad you enjoyed the post. Your zinc plus hydrochloric acid analogy will, also, work to reduce chrome chloride. But please be careful trying that reaction. Finely divided chrome metal powder can get into all manner of places. Including our lungs. So using a chemical respirator is almost mandatory. (and NOT the useless paper masks, which are illegal on job sites, in many jurisdictions). The resultant chrome would be of the safer trivalent form, but the poisonous hexavalent salts usually are present in lesser amounts. The paint in cement trick is an old idea that works a charm. I bumped into that concept many years ago. (So I cannot take credit for the idea, sigh). Herr Frost your bridge abutment idea is an excellent one, (he said, supra "I like encapsulating the salts in concrete idea, maybe a cast troll bridge abutment?") SLAG Industries Inc. is looking into the concept as we speak. Regards to all the IFI hot metal bangers, and have a happy prosperous black Friday. SLAG. p,s, The use of zinc dust comes to mind because of its use in the MacArthur-Dinggus (& Merrill-Crowe improvement) gold cyanide extraction process where zinc dust reacts with the gold cyanide to free that gold. p. p.s. the use of acids can be very helpful, but can cause grievous injuries. So please read up on the required methods of use and mandatory safety procedures. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted November 24, 2017 Share Posted November 24, 2017 13 hours ago, Frosty said: I like encapsulating the salts in concrete idea, maybe a cast troll bridge abutment? Use your clinker as aggregate: kill two disposal birds with one stone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted November 24, 2017 Share Posted November 24, 2017 44 minutes ago, JHCC said: Use your clinker as aggregate: kill two disposal birds with one stone. If you do any investment casting you can add the busted up molds to the mix and call the troll Grog. Put a motion sensor on the bridge and a recording saying something like, "This Grog troll bridge, pay the troll." Ooh, the background music could be someone thumping a slow heart beat on a log with a club. B BUM b BUM b BUM. I'll get back when I've thought about how much detail to go into Slag. We used to do things routinely that'd get you thrown in jail in a heart beat or at least on a watch list. I was mixing anfo when I was 11. Dad or Wally wouldn't let me push the button, they wanted the fun. Count downs seemed silly when there wasn't another soul within 20 miles of table top flat desert. Oh well, we all have our rituals. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted November 25, 2017 Share Posted November 25, 2017 This reminds me of a classic story: An explorer and his guide are going through the jungle. Suddenly, they start hearing faint but steady drumbeats. The explorer says, “I say, old chap, should we be worried about those drumbeats?” The guide replies, “Drums no problem. Drums stop: big problem.” They go on for a while, and the drumbeats gradually get louder and louder. The explorer is getting rather nervous and says, “Look here, old bean, you say that we shouldn’t be worried about those drumbeats, but they are growing in intensity. Are you certain that this is truly a matter of no concern?“ The guide replies, “Drums no problem. Drums stop: big problem.” They continue on, and the drumbeats get louder, faster, and more intense. The explorer is now quite agitated and says, “Look here, old mangle-wurzle, these drumbeats are really most disturbing. Are you — beyond the merest shadow of a doubt — utterly convinced of their innocuousness?” The guide replies, “Drums no problem. Drums stop: big problem.” The explorer says, “So you keep saying, my dear old gumboot, but you have neglected one vital piece of information: when the drums stop, WHAT HAPPENS?!?” The guide stops in the middle of the path, turns to the explorer, and with a look mingling profound sadness and utter despair, replies, “Drums stop: guitar solo.” Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Sells Posted November 25, 2017 Share Posted November 25, 2017 who decided it was chrome plated anyway? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIGGUNDOCTOR Posted November 25, 2017 Share Posted November 25, 2017 I'm with Steve. I am thinking that since it is copper that it is either nickel or silver plated buss bar out of an electrical panel. The CNC machines I worked on had nickel plated buss bars on the Fanuc drives. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pr3ssure Posted November 26, 2017 Author Share Posted November 26, 2017 On 11/24/2017 at 7:58 PM, Steve Sells said: who decided it was chrome plated anyway? My dad said he thinks that what it is, I guess it could be nickel or something else. It looks shiny like chrome though but I'm not sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Sells Posted November 26, 2017 Share Posted November 26, 2017 did you know that chrome plate is actually clear Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pr3ssure Posted November 26, 2017 Author Share Posted November 26, 2017 No I did not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted November 26, 2017 Share Posted November 26, 2017 42 minutes ago, Steve Sells said: did you know that chrome plate is actually clear True; most decorative chrome plated items first get a coat of nickel for color, and then one of chrome to make it shiny. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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