What chemical to strip gold plating?

I got a large amount of gold plated machine head screws that are plated, and I am getting tired of working the heads on 600 grit paper to get the plating off. Who know the answer? Thanks Folks!

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Permalink Reply by Frank Ford on March 4, 2014 at 2:09pm

Get a semi-hard cotton buff, and some stainless steel compound - it'll buzz off gold plating about as fast as you can pick one up, present it to the wheel rotate it once and drop it in a bucket, but it will leave some in the screwdriver slot or socket.

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Permalink Reply by J R Emmett on March 4, 2014 at 3:06pm

If you have a large number, you might check with your local metal finishing (plating) shop. There are various chemical methods to strip gold but nearly all of them are very toxic and require proper handling and a lot of ventilation. It's not all that labor intensive so you may find the cost pretty affordable.