Plating Removal

I was watching the premier of Texas Metal on Velocity last night. They were going to paint some of the chromed plastic trim parts and they had this team come in with some kind of schmoo that removed the plating from the plastic. Anybody got any idea what that stuff was?

Edit - Just watched the episode again and it was an aerosol that produced some kind of foam on the parts. They then rinsed it in water and the chrome was gone. I tried to read something off the can but you only see it for a few seconds and I couldn't make anything out.

I know for model car stuff, just soak it down with easy off oven cleaner. chrome is gone in minutes

Could it be that easy? What I thought was some kind of high-tech schmoo was nothing more than aerosol oven cleaner? Guess I'll try some and see! Thanks for the reply.

The Lye in oven cleaner also eats plastic! It just does it slower than it removes the electroplating. I wouldn't recommend using it. If you use it on plastic you'll often lose the fine details on sharp edges, etc.

Alternative?

Ive never noticed that.
And Ive been stripping model bodies with the stuff for years.

Even it it does, spray them down soak in a plastic bag for a the most 5 or 10 minutes and plating is gone. (as well as the clear undercoat )

Pull them out and wash them down with a spray degreaser or dish washing detergent. Then plain water. Whole process takes 15 - 20 minutes TOPS.

Another modelers trick is use Westleys bleach white. LA Awsome degreaser, or try Purple Power.

All work in various speeds and effectiveness. To remove paint faster or slower.
Me personally I like Easy off. It seems to work better for the lacquers I typically use.
Ive tried the Purple Power for paint and it hardly touched it,,even after sitting in it for several days.
After that I pulled it out, cleaned it off and sprayed it down with easy off. Let it sit overnight ( sealed in a plastic oven bag ) and scrubbed it down the next day with an old toothbrush and paint was gone.


NOW, That said, Will it work on a 1/1 car part? I have no idea. So take it for what you paid for it

Thanks for all the comments.

Not sure about plastic, but I've used a 30/70 solution of Zep citrus degreaser/water to remove cad plating from wiper barrels, booster housings, and such. Might be worth a shot, shouldn't harm the plastic.