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DIY Spray On Chrome

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by nicamarvin, Feb 24, 2012.

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  1. MUNDSTER
    Joined: May 11, 2011
    Posts: 292

    MUNDSTER
    Member

    White paint works good for tailights, headlights are a whole different deal.
     
  2. bobj49f2
    Joined: Jun 1, 2008
    Posts: 1,926

    bobj49f2
    Member

    Do you know how close the products you're experimenting with are to silver plating like originally used on the reflectors? I do understand it's not the same, the silver plating process, I'm assuming, is like chrome plating. I talked to a couple of places that do the silver plating, $80-100 a piece, and they've told me there is no coating that can be applied that won't diminish the reflective properties of silver. There is a place that is mentioned quite often, Uvira in OR, who applies an aluminum coating and covers it with a glass coating, this is the only procedure I've read about that a protective coating is applied.

    Caswell has a couple of products they say are good to use on reflectors, have you checked them out?
     
  3. nicamarvin
    Joined: Jan 29, 2010
    Posts: 611

    nicamarvin
    Member
    from nicaragua

    well its silver plating(not electroplating but catalized plating instead, it maight work, don´t know untill I try it)

    I have not tried Caswell reflector products, but I bought their Super Chrome powder coat and a ceramic chrome like coating for hight temp items..

    here check the Final Video of me Spray On Chroming with my DIY kit..

    <iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/-PKJsZX1Lt4" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
     
  4. GaryB
    Joined: Dec 19, 2008
    Posts: 3,529

    GaryB
    Member
    from Reno,nv

    looks pretty good,your up close and touchy,feely. what do you think?
     
  5. nicamarvin
    Joined: Jan 29, 2010
    Posts: 611

    nicamarvin
    Member
    from nicaragua

    thanks.. :cool:
     
  6. Jalopy Journalist
    Joined: Nov 4, 2011
    Posts: 255

    Jalopy Journalist
    Member
    from Austin, TX

    That Hydro Chrome system is pretty cool. I have to agree that it looks better than the systems that use paint guns and air compressors, but that is a tiny little matchbox car, not a very good show and tell.
     
  7. nicamarvin
    Joined: Jan 29, 2010
    Posts: 611

    nicamarvin
    Member
    from nicaragua

    that´s why I had to step up the game... :cool:

    I am sure I can do a wheel rim using one bottle on each hand... :D
     
  8. nicamarvin
    Joined: Jan 29, 2010
    Posts: 611

    nicamarvin
    Member
    from nicaragua

    I´m not using the Hydro Chrome system, but its a very similar one. the Hydro Chrome System is from the UK I think..

    this is how it looks after dry time..
    <iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Kmd_LLVliMQ" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
     
  9. bobj49f2
    Joined: Jun 1, 2008
    Posts: 1,926

    bobj49f2
    Member

    I hoping this works out. I have a few inside trim pieces that I could use this on.
     
  10. nicamarvin
    Joined: Jan 29, 2010
    Posts: 611

    nicamarvin
    Member
    from nicaragua

    Practice makes perfect.. I used Plastic spoons and used them till I had the perfect mirror. believe me you will not do this right the first time heck it could take you a while, but don´t give up. I never did, and I´ve been wanting this for such a long time(since 2009).. at first I wasted all of chemicals and I obtained nothing but a heartache. but I never gave up, I started again knowing it could be done.

    below quote its from 2009 ( http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1164293 )
    heck I built a hand crafted dual headed Spray gun to spray the Silver. it works but the Hand trigger bottles are so much better I have yet to dust out my old gun... :p
     
  11. bobj49f2
    Joined: Jun 1, 2008
    Posts: 1,926

    bobj49f2
    Member

    I really appreciate what you have done and the money you've spent trying to perfect this system. It is saving all of us a fortune.

    Thanks
     
  12. nicamarvin
    Joined: Jan 29, 2010
    Posts: 611

    nicamarvin
    Member
    from nicaragua

    no problemo.! I just know somebody will try this and fail a few times and get a hearache like I did, tha´ts why I´m here, I´ll help you out as I have learn the hardway untill I got that perfect mirror you see in that plastic bike headlight cover.

    my cousing will be racing that motorbike and it will have a few other items chromed and people will see them and love them(I already have my first sell)
     
  13. nicamarvin
    Joined: Jan 29, 2010
    Posts: 611

    nicamarvin
    Member
    from nicaragua

    just a few update
    pics..

    [​IMG]

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    [​IMG]

    I´ll post pics of this bike in a few months to see how it has held up to the road..
     
    Last edited: Mar 16, 2012
  14. bobj49f2
    Joined: Jun 1, 2008
    Posts: 1,926

    bobj49f2
    Member

    The front of the bike looks like the perfect test enviroment for it. If it can hold up in that location it should hold up almost anywhere on a car.

    If it works out you're gonna get BIG chrome really pissed off :D
     
  15. nicamarvin
    Joined: Jan 29, 2010
    Posts: 611

    nicamarvin
    Member
    from nicaragua

    True. that´s why it has 2 tinted coats(purple to nullify the natural yellowish color silver has) and and 2 none tinted 2k Urethane clear coat. I know it will get small scratches like all paints do, but with a light buff and it should be fine, and after a few years another light coat of clear should be fine.

    well I´m glad I am in Nicaragua where there is only one Big chrome shop and it belongs to my dad, and we are working together as of now, I will be "Chroming" the plastic parts and he will do the metal parts(except for old pot metal)...


    just to clarify: I received the Alsa Spray On Chrome Fx Pump system, but I got two part B(one labeled as Part A) so I could not test how good their system, but from the few experiments I have done with what I have from them(top coat, sensitizer) their system seems to be of the highest quality, their tinted(right tone of purple) top coat is spot on, and is tinted using kandy tones instead of color paint which is what I do, infact the one I did before getting my packages was not the right tone but thanks to their clear I got the right tone and I can mix my onw clear now. their sensitizer seems to work faster and leaves a whiter tone instead of the natural silver tone you will find in mirrors(the chemicals I use are to spray silver mirrors), one issue I have with them is the amount you have to pay for so little coverage, out of all of their system(including their $8,000 one) this is the most expencive money Sq/f whise...I´m just sad I could not fully test their system.. the last I heard was that they were going to send me another package but I haven´t heard back from them in a few days.. I´ll keep you posted if I get the chance to test them out.
     
    Last edited: Mar 17, 2012
  16. nicamarvin
    Joined: Jan 29, 2010
    Posts: 611

    nicamarvin
    Member
    from nicaragua

    how about that bike´s shock absorber covers.. :cool:

    [​IMG]

    Blue Chrome.. :D
     
  17. Johnunit
    Joined: Dec 31, 2010
    Posts: 93

    Johnunit
    Member
    from Toronto

    Million dollar question:


    As someone who works in plating, do YOU think this is a process that a patient and thorough amateur/semi-pro could make convincing (say from 5-10 feet away) chrome with? How big a piece could one get a convincing chrome replication on? A chrome mirror? Door handle? bumper? A set of chrome letters (think 1960s F-O-R-D on hood)?
     
  18. bobj49f2
    Joined: Jun 1, 2008
    Posts: 1,926

    bobj49f2
    Member

    Unless there is durable clear finish proved I don't think this process would work for exterior parts, especially a part that is on the front of a vehicle where it's exposed to a rough environment. I think for interior parts this could be the answer.

    I'm really interested in seeing how this holds up on the motorcycle. It would be great if it holds up. If it can take a beating and can be used on a bumper or grill that would be great. It may not have the exact appearance as real chrome but for a non show car it just might be the ticket. I think it would look a lot better than painted trim.
     
  19. nicamarvin
    Joined: Jan 29, 2010
    Posts: 611

    nicamarvin
    Member
    from nicaragua

    Yes ofcourse, it takes practice to get the right tone, as Silver is not chrome and does not share its bluish tone, Silver is a softer warmer tone, so how you tint the clear coat its how its going to look


    let me tell you something, the spray on Chrome(Silver) its a great alternative to real chrome, but that´s only when you want to reproduce chrome, now it does not have the same limitations as real chrome so the sky its the limit when you go out of the box, say somebody wants green chrome in his 12 feet tall statue? no prob, say somebody wants to chrome his wood chair? no prob, somebody wants to chrome his entire car in pink chrome? No problemo.. you see this process can go anywhere and size does not matter, just how deep is the customer´s pocket...

    so it may come second to chrome but its socond to none in things chrome can´t be done...
     
  20. nicamarvin
    Joined: Jan 29, 2010
    Posts: 611

    nicamarvin
    Member
    from nicaragua

    I only use 2K urethane clear coat, this is an automotive grade coating..

    how about a bike shock absorber covers?

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    let see how it holds up in a few months... :)
     
  21. bobj49f2
    Joined: Jun 1, 2008
    Posts: 1,926

    bobj49f2
    Member

    That's my major concern, what will it look like in a few months, or a few years.
     
  22. Txkahuna
    Joined: Apr 24, 2011
    Posts: 184

    Txkahuna
    Member
    from Texas

    Too Cool, I wonder how it would work on pitted metal?

    KJ
     
  23. nicamarvin
    Joined: Jan 29, 2010
    Posts: 611

    nicamarvin
    Member
    from nicaragua

    I´d be happy if it makes it past 1 year, after that its all fair game for business

    as long as the piece is prep to a mirror like base coat then it should turn out like a mirror. its all in the prep..
     
  24. bobj49f2
    Joined: Jun 1, 2008
    Posts: 1,926

    bobj49f2
    Member

    What grade of sand paper did you finish the parts off with before you coated them?
     
  25. nicamarvin
    Joined: Jan 29, 2010
    Posts: 611

    nicamarvin
    Member
    from nicaragua

    before the "Chrome"(Silver)? well nothing, so far I have yet to polish any piece before the "Chrome" if I like how the basecoat went(no orange peel) I just degrease, and apply wetting agent(so the chemicals flow nice) and keep it wet before the sensitizer, after the sensitizer has been in the piece for 30 seconds, I rinse and rinse some more and then the Spray on Silver comes into play...

    or are you talking about the prep before the basecoat? in that case I just degrease the plastic piece, then do a light coat(mist coat) of Krylong fusion for plastics(just mist coat, nothing more) allow it to flash for 20 minutes, then apply the black base coat(in this case since the plastic and the krylon paint were all black, I just applied a none tinted clear coat directly) and that´s how I prep my plastic parts. metal parts should be different, but I have yet to do a metal part in spray on chrome. this process work best for plastics, metals can be real chrome plated, unless pot metal..

    as cheap as this process may seem to you in the USA. its actually a little bit more expensive here in Nicaragua, where my dad can chrome a rear bumper(Medium Truck like a Toyota) for $175 and if the same piece were to be Spray On Chromed its going to be around $200. so all I´ll be doing for now its Plastic, wood and fiber glass, or whatever he can´t plate
     
    Last edited: Mar 19, 2012
  26. nicamarvin
    Joined: Jan 29, 2010
    Posts: 611

    nicamarvin
    Member
    from nicaragua

    More Pics before the Race... :cool:

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
     
  27. nicamarvin
    Joined: Jan 29, 2010
    Posts: 611

    nicamarvin
    Member
    from nicaragua

    I´ll be doing my first FiberGlass piece...

    this time I´ll be testing my buffing technique on this piece, I´ll have to buff the basecoat before the Chrome... Paint didn´t go as perfect as I was hoping for..:eek:

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
     
  28. bobj49f2
    Joined: Jun 1, 2008
    Posts: 1,926

    bobj49f2
    Member

    Would you say the coating is more of a chemical, maybe molecular bond, than a mechanical bond? I'm not a high tech guy so I may not know exactly what is going on here. I do know when you apply most paints you have to have some tooth in the substructure for the paint to make a mechanical bond to. With procedure would you want as close to a glass like finish as possible? I've been reading your posts and know this is basically the same procedure used for coating glass to make mirrors but mirrors aren't subjected to the same environment as a auto body part.
     
  29. What is the cost of the kit you have put together? I have been thinking about buying the Alsa Killer Cans kit to sliver the gauge cluster, radio bezel and armrest bases in my 65 Barracuda. These are all plastic parts. I think the liquid process would be a better finish since the bezels have so many ridges.

    Pics are not my stuff, just for an example.
     

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