johnny7 Posted January 9, 2011 Share Posted January 9, 2011 (edited) Okay guys, I have a commander that I am wanting to change. It was hard chromes about 16 years ago and has been my carry gun and home protection since then. Now I am ready to change it. How to go about hard chrome removal? Basically I want to bobtail it and do a little machining to the slide. Then have it done with Bobbys (Freedom Gunworks) finish. Should I machine it with the hard chrome on it? I work at a machine shop. thanks Edited January 9, 2011 by johnny7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GentlemanJim Posted January 9, 2011 Share Posted January 9, 2011 Plating shops can strip the chrome via the same process it was applied Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sperman Posted January 9, 2011 Share Posted January 9, 2011 You can remove hardchorme with muriatic acid, but you have to be very careful about how long you leave it in the bath. Once it gets done with the chrome, it starts eating the steel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sean Gaines Posted January 9, 2011 Share Posted January 9, 2011 You can remove hardchorme with muriatic acid, but you have to be very careful about how long you leave it in the bath. Once it gets done with the chrome, it starts eating the steel. This is correct, but you have to know what you are doing. This is not a "lets try it at home type deal" Just pay the money and have the pros do it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diehli Posted January 9, 2011 Share Posted January 9, 2011 How much will slide-frame fit be loosened? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnny7 Posted January 10, 2011 Author Share Posted January 10, 2011 I do not mind letting someone else do it. Should I machine it as is and then send it off to have the hard cchrome removed and and new finish put on or have the chrome removed and then machine and then new finish? thanks John McKenzie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vernbo Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 I don't think you need to remove the chrome to machine on the slide if you have a good carbide cutter. Plus i think Bobbys at(Freedom Gunworks)can put the new finish over chrome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aircooled6racer Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 Hello: You can machine the slide but you must use sharp carbide cutters. Also don't let the cutter rub on the chrome start cutting right away. I used to work on packaging machines and would have to redo chrome plated parts on those. Then they were sent out to be rechromed. They looked like new when they came back. Hope this helps. Thanks, Eric Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnny7 Posted January 10, 2011 Author Share Posted January 10, 2011 Thanks for the help guys, I will start machining this week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lumpygravy Posted January 11, 2011 Share Posted January 11, 2011 You can remove hardchorme with muriatic acid, but you have to be very careful about how long you leave it in the bath. Once it gets done with the chrome, it starts eating the steel. This is correct, but you have to know what you are doing. This is not a "lets try it at home type deal" Just pay the money and have the pros do it. If possible, I'd like to know a little more about the muriatic acid removal method. I have a cracked hard chromed slide that I could use for practice. I even have some muriatic acid and, yes, I know it's really nasty stuff so I will be careful. Any suggestions? I suppose I could try a diluted solution starting at 1:1 water:muriatic acid and brush it on a small test area and go from there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sperman Posted January 11, 2011 Share Posted January 11, 2011 I had a small part I needed to re-weld. I soaked it in a plastic pot of muriatic acid for 15-30 minutes and it was gone. (Muriatic acid is diluted hydrochloric acid. I didn't see the need to dilute it any further.) It seems like it bubbling reaction changed after it was through the chrome. I left it in a little longer to be sure, and the world didn't end. It's not like the slide is going to disappear if you leave it in there for an hour. It might have some slight pitting, but nothing that can't be sanded out with fine sand paper. For me, I needed to re-weld the part. I could do the acid bath in an hour after work. It would have taken me 2 weeks to send it to the chrome shop, have them strip it and send it back. I also have no idea what they would have charged, but it would have been more than the gallon of acid cost me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lumpygravy Posted January 11, 2011 Share Posted January 11, 2011 I had a small part I needed to re-weld. I soaked it in a plastic pot of muriatic acid for 15-30 minutes and it was gone. (Muriatic acid is diluted hydrochloric acid. I didn't see the need to dilute it any further.) It seems like it bubbling reaction changed after it was through the chrome. I left it in a little longer to be sure, and the world didn't end. It's not like the slide is going to disappear if you leave it in there for an hour. It might have some slight pitting, but nothing that can't be sanded out with fine sand paper. For me, I needed to re-weld the part. I could do the acid bath in an hour after work. It would have taken me 2 weeks to send it to the chrome shop, have them strip it and send it back. I also have no idea what they would have charged, but it would have been more than the gallon of acid cost me. Thanks for the info. The approximate time in the MA and what to look for (when the bubbling stops) are very helpful. At this point, the cracked slide is nothing more than a paperweight so I figured I could try it and see. The frame that it was mated to will become another gun at some point but I'd like to do a recycle/rebuild and strip off the HC from the frame before I send it off to the smith. Thanks again! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sperman Posted January 11, 2011 Share Posted January 11, 2011 The bubbling never stopped, but it changed. I don't really remember the specifics, but it was a noticeable change in the number of bubbles, or the size of the bubbles, or the color, or something. I know that's not much help, but I think you will recognize it when you see it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thirtycal Posted January 18, 2011 Share Posted January 18, 2011 I use Muriatic acid to remove rust from old tractor parts all of the time. Once the rust is gone it is really slow to attack the cast iron Does it react? Yes will it strip a noticeable amount of material if you leave a part in for an hour too long? No. Its not something you want to leave unattended over night but I would not hesitate using it on a gun part. Concrete construction companies use it to strip the concrete off of their tools. The best thing to do is get the acid wich is less than $10 in my area and just throw a piece of scrap metal in it. See how long it takes to make any visible changes and go from their. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sperman Posted November 28, 2011 Share Posted November 28, 2011 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GlennRasch Posted December 1, 2011 Share Posted December 1, 2011 A MUST see video ............ I did the same thing to a slide. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chills1994 Posted December 1, 2011 Share Posted December 1, 2011 (edited) "I like the way you talk...hmm....nnnn." Have you ever thought of doing any voice over work? Edited December 1, 2011 by Chills1994 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gunfixer Posted December 1, 2011 Share Posted December 1, 2011 You can use Carbide cutters w/ correct speed & indexing, etc.. and go for it w/ the chrome in place.. Your re-finishers should be fine to remove & re-do afterwards.. Post pics before and after, sounds like a cool project..! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sperman Posted December 1, 2011 Share Posted December 1, 2011 "I like the way you talk...hmm....nnnn." Have you ever thought of doing any voice over work? I can safely say there are 2 careers I won't be pursuing. Video editing and radio announcer. I hope I don't talk that way in normal conversations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seth Posted December 1, 2011 Share Posted December 1, 2011 "I like the way you talk...hmm....nnnn." Have you ever thought of doing any voice over work? I can safely say there are 2 careers I won't be pursuing. Video editing and radio announcer. I hope I don't talk that way in normal conversations. Your pillow talk must be a hoot! Great instruction though! I have lots of hard chrome.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chills1994 Posted December 1, 2011 Share Posted December 1, 2011 (edited) pardon the slight thread drift..... you spoke really well. I don't recall ever hearing any, "hmmn", "uhhh", or any other stammering type words. I was wondering if you were reading off a script/cue cards. You could be the next Peter Thomas: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Thomas_(announcer) good video! Edited December 1, 2011 by Chills1994 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pbosik Posted December 1, 2011 Share Posted December 1, 2011 Good vid, too funny, you do sound like the guy in the movie. yep.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sperman Posted December 1, 2011 Share Posted December 1, 2011 I tried doing the audio live while I recorded the video, and it quickly became clear that wasn't going to work, at least not with out a lot of really messed up speech. So I decided to do the video first, and then come back and add the audio. I think part of the reason my voice is so monotone is because I'm sitting at my computer reading the script I had written. Even using that method, there were lots of edits and re-takes to the audio. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnny7 Posted December 2, 2011 Author Share Posted December 2, 2011 Excellent video. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sperman Posted December 2, 2011 Share Posted December 2, 2011 Here is the gun, all cleaned up. I'm going to shoot it in the match on Saturday. If all goes well, I'll send it out for new chrome next week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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