Stripping/Refinishing chrome parts

[grannygear]

I've got some motorcycle bits and pieces that I want to refinish for the coming season - footpegs, shift lever, brake lever, etc. There are degrees of rust on all of it. Some of it is superficial, but in the worst areas the original chrome plating is flaking off.

I want to strip off the old chrome surface. I don't want to do this chemically if possible, maybe I have no choice. Can this be sandblasted or bead blasted off without too much damage to the steel underneath? The ideal is to clean off the old finish, which I will then buff down to a mirror finish (as much as possible) then clear coat. I personally am not crazy about the chrome look, and I prefer a softer, raw metal look if it's able to withstand rust.

Any advice about the best way to go about this? If it came right down to saving time and effort, I would consider powder-coating, though again I like the naked metal if possible.

[RWO]

The easiest way is to take the parts to a plating shop and have them electrolytically stripped. This will remove all the chrome and any underlying plating( copper and nickel) and will not damage the base metal. The cost is minimal since the shop doesn't have to prep the parts or supply any plating material.

RWO

[grannygear]

The easiest way is to take the parts to a plating shop and have them electrolytically stripped. This will remove all the chrome and any underlying plating( copper and nickel) and will not damage the base metal. The cost is minimal since the shop doesn't have to prep the parts or supply any plating material.

RWO

Yeah, after looking at all the alternatives I think this is the best and easiest way to go - at least for me, maybe not for them! Thanks

[davidh]

find someone that really knows their sh$%. i didn't and was shocked at what i got back. . . it was almost like they were trying to destroy the part because i was not giving them the reconditioning work, just the striping. .