DIY Spray On Chrome

Hey nicamarvin,

Thanx for that run down of what is required, I had seen those items posted earlier in this thread, however I was curious as to wether you had found some things to work better than others, its much appriciated mate.

Sorry, I meant "how is that bumper bar going!" Damn auto spell!

Hey, another question I noticed you said;

 

what things? the hardware or the chemicals? because the hardware is or the equipment is very simple, at least 3 dualchambered hand triggered sprayer and about 2 pump sprayers to rinse the piece, the hair dryer could be more powerful but the one I am using is ok for now. now for chemicals, I only use angelgilding chemicals so far. for basecoat and clear coat, I use shewin williams clear coat. I try to laid the bascoat as perfect as possible because if is not then you will not be able to get that mirror look

the bumper did not come out well at all, it because I had to do it in segmented parts, because this kit is for small to medium pieces, that bus bumper is about 2.15m and you can see where one segment starts and when the other begins, the tone of the chrome on each segment is not uniform, but the customer is ok, I wish I had more Innate Chrome Paint with me so I could´v done the piece with chrome paint instead, I am good at chrome paint..

in the future I will be purchasing angelgilding larger pump kit so I can do larger parts

 

Holy crap this is cool....

 

Ok I have a few update pics, they are not good at all, but you live and you learn right?

ok this was the big issue going on with this large piece, I was doing a piece at a time and since I could not silver ontop of another silver layer so I had to clear the piece before.

you will see how the lines looked, in this pic I was using untinted clear that´s why it looks yellow instead of chrome, the tinted clear goes after.


now this is how the whole piece looks after the tinted clear and chrome paint applied to the segment joints. I don't know if the cure is worse than the disease but I did it anyways, the customer is ok with it, I told him that once I get my hand on a larger equipment I am going to do it again for free..

the line you see is a pole not a white line, you can see how the violet tinted clear can turn this thing into a chrome look a like






this is how bad the piece looked before


aside from the obvious parts where the Innate chrome paint went to, I used it to fix minor issues on the large piece.

this is a short video of the large piece
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Q3TSnuzQ2f0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

I just uploaded 2 videos of the wetting agent doing its thing, the video was taken a few weeks ago with a different camara which I just had access to it.

first video of a piece without wetting agent
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/LJXiuPnfx98" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

now with the wetting agent
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/_vHud7n6gnU" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

the wetting agent is need with this kit, with alsa their sensitizer has already the wetting agent included

 

so far I have not been able to test the ChromeFx chemicals, the customs process is a very long one, if done well the spray on chrome can be as shiny as real chrome but takes time to master it

 

I just got my hands on my corrected chemicals from alsa, expect new reviews soon

 

Excellent, I look forward to your results mate!

 

stay tunned,

ok guys since I dont have access to kandy concentrate colors, I have to make my own tinted clears, for some colors I use Nail polish color mixed with and so far they have work without any issue, a customer wanted me to paint his stainless bike exhaust, so this was the perftect test on heat durability, after 1 week this thing has held up very good.. I also painted his aluminum side molds, the color is blue tint, the clear is a 2k urethane from sherwin williams






this is how the dirt bike looks so far, the owner wanted me to paint the headlight cover with the same color as the shock absorbers

here is one of the covers(you can see some dirt on the covers)


now after I have clean the cover

 

Well done mate, they look good.

 

thanks, I didnt think they could hold up to the heat, but the 2k from sherwin williams seems to be very durable

 

Hey nicamarvin,

Wild that's great news about the clearcoat.

I am surprised that the chrome is holding out without changing colour.

Well done, a new market is opening for you, I would be interested to see how well a chrome look would withhold the heat.

I am assuming these are the angel gild products mate.

I have a supplier down here who is happy to sell me his formulation of chrome, he claims his chrome does not require any tinting in the clear to look chrome. Oh yeah!

I am keen to get started with his products as they are local when finances allow.

Thanx for your continued groundbreaking work and look forward to bouncing of you when I get started mate.

Cheers.

P.s.
Mate, I'm still a newbie ao forums, can you guide me to where I can learn to quote as you do please.

Thanx

 

and its out in the sun all day long..

that´s going to be my next test, I´ll test the same bikes exaust(its going to be alot shinier than polished stainless steel)

yes they are, at the time I could´nt test the Alsa product, but I will be doing just that this week.

have them do a live demostration in front of you, somehow I dought its not going to turn yellow, the big guys like Alsa and Spectra tint their own clear(I now because I have their clear coat and that´s how I go the correct shade of violet and mixed my own tinted clear)

No problemo amigo

well its easy, the first thing I do is copy the ([QUOT=freethinka;7769089]) then start isolating the paragraphs I intend to quote and answere just like below sample(I also copy the end quote simbol and place it at the end of the paragraphs)

I do that for every question I intend to answere, try it out.. and no is not easy to spray on chrome

 

Hello nicamarvin, my congratulations for this thread, it´s very interesting. I have read a lot in the internet about this technik amd i have found a description that i would explain you, because its all DIY, so I will try to translate it because it´s in germany

Plastic silvering

Equipment
4 100 ml beakers
3 1-liter bottles of finished solutions
Wage, spatula, test object (glass, plastic, wood, etc.)

Silver nitrate (AgNO3) 2 gr
Tin (II) chloride (SnCl2) 0.12 g
Glycine (C2H5NO2) 1 gr
Diethanolamine (HN (CH2CH2OH) 2) 6 g
Glucose (C6H12O6) 5 gr
Ascorbic acid (C6H8O6) 0.5 g
Citric acid (C6H8O7) 0.4 g
Formic acid (CH2O2) 0.4 g
Sulfuric acid (H2SO4) 0.2 ml
Hydrochloric acid (HCl) 2 ml
4 l of distilled water
Optional wetting agent PEG 100 0.2 gr

Silver solution
2 beakers with 50 ml distilled water. Water.
In the first a solution of 2.0 g silver nitrate.
In the second a solution of 6.0 g diethanolamine and 1 g of glycine.
Both solutions mix well then add 0.1 ml of sulfuric acid and again mix well and dilute to 1 liter. Keep in dark brown glass bottle!

Reduction solution
Third Beaker, a solution of 5.0 g glucose, 0.5 g ascorbic acid, 0.4 g of formic acid, 0.4 g citric acid. mix well and with least. Water to 1 liter. Optionally, a wetting agent (0.2 g PEG 100) to the solution are added.

Activator
4th Beaker 0.12 g tin (II) chloride in 2 ml of hydrochloric acid, dissolve, and dilute to 100 ml in 1L bottle of 1.0L.

Implementation
Test object for about 5 min. spend in the activator solution, then rinse well under running water.
Each part of the silver and Reduktorlösung in (clean and fine sparkling!) Type spray bottles. Now, at the same time (!) Spray with two spray bottles, the activated guinea pig. Immediately forms a high-gloss opaque silver mirror. Finally, rinse well. The whole is to succeed, according to patent with all materials, ........... on aluminum, wood, plastic All solutions are Storable, it is nothing explosive!

What you think? It´s interesting or no?

Robertsche

 

very very interesting indeed! at one point I did my own silvering formula following a guide very similar to this http://www.atmsite.org/contrib/Coslo/silver/

but after a few test it was obvious that the need it consistency was not going to be high enough, that consistency is only obtain with pre mixed chemicals and they are not that expencive if you ask me, this process has lots of variables and if you can reduce the amount of them you will make your life alot easier

 

hi nicamarvin, that´s right, but this process it´s not the same that you have used!!
You still use the pre mixed kits from http://angelgilding.com??
Could you explain how exactly you prepare the basecoat?
I will try my own diy chemicals and also the chemicals from http://angelgilding.com and i hope i could do a comparation?

 

they are all the same basically, aslong as you can obtain and reduce an aqueous diamminesilver complex either with premixed chemicals or your own you are basically producing a tollen´s reagent test http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tollens'_reagent

yes I do, I still have chemicals from them, with their 120ml kit(sensitizer and wetting agent not included) I can spray on chrome about real world 40 sq/ft(they say 120 sq/ft but its just not possible, trust me)

how do I prepare the basecoat before the silvering? first I degrease the piece(using nothing more than dish soap and a small foam, never touch the piece with your bare hands), rinse the piece, then I use the wetting agent(I posted a video in this page) rinse the piece some more, then the sensitizer( I use the recomended 2ml of tin concentrate for every 60 ml of DI water), rinse and rinse the piece some more, let it soak for like 5 seconds and they start applying the spray on "Chrome"(silver) chemicals thru the dual chambered bottles

I wont discourage you from doing this test, but I´ve been there, and your own chemicals will perform as good as the premixed one at best and not even come close at worst, save your self a headache and just buy them premixed, they will not be much more expensive as your own but will yield more consistency and that will pay for itself on the short runn, heck I just tested Alsa Corps chemicals and the angel gilding ones are almost as good as them considering the huge price gap(Alsa review coming ASAP)

 

well guys I finaly had the chance to write the Alsa ChromeFx review, so here it goes,

how good is their product(Alsa Corps)? I say they are of the highest quality out there, superior in quality to angel gilding chemicals, not by much on some areas and by a whole lot in others.

how user friendly are they? as for applying the silver coat and chemicals? they are even, but when it comes to having a complete package(coating, chemicals) they are superior to angel gilding because you dont have to hunt down the correct coatings like I did, not all coatings will work and the ones that worked for me may not work for you because I am in Nicaragua, but I think Sherwin Willaims product are the way to go for a DIY.

total cost/coverage: Angel Gilding chemicals takes this, you can do about 10 sq/f on the Alsa ChromeFx pump system for $299, for the same price you can do about 40 to 50 sq/f on the angel gilding kit and buy the coating, and you can practice and get the hang of it, as this take a steep learning curve.

the veredict? if you want the best of the best in the industry, and dont want to hunt down your own coatings, go for the Alsa kit, they will give you pro looks from the box, if you are on a shoestring budget like me, there is no other way around, Angel gilding is the only way, you just have to work much harder for the same look.

this is the first test using a set of plastic door visors, I wanted to do this test to show you guys how thin is the layer applied to spray on chrome(this is true for both angel gilding and alsa corps)

before


after



how thin is the silver layer? here watch it for the first time ever..(I new how thin it was way back 2 years ago, but never had the chance to upload a video)

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/ehqJ8lE_tlM" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/jMWtAQ5xJ0A" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

hope you guys like it

 

Ok, I tried to read along..... But I have no attention span. What would it cost to Fake Chrome one of these grilles? Since no good ones exist on earth.

 

well the DIY Spray On Chrome system outlined here is for small to medium pieces, and I am located on Nicaragua(way down south of mexico) what you need is a pro that´s going to do this piece for you,

you may want to contact his guy

*****Alsa Corps Spray On ChromeFx Pump kit review and videos in previous page****

 

I was up most of the night reading your post. very cool stuff indeed. can you take a pic or describe the amount you tint your clear.

I intend to try this very soon and think I have a grasp on it but i am wondering how blue or purple you tint the clear for the chrome effect. i will buy some house of color candy concentrate I know its trial and error but would like a reference point

 

I will show you the source where I go the correct tint, Alsa Corps own tinted clear

 

let me ask you would you recommend using alsa's sensitozer, angelgilding silver, and alsa's clear??

obviously i havent even started it yet but I am a decent painter and feel i can adapt pretty quickly. I realize the fist order will be my initial learning curve but as you say prep is everything.

i was hoping i could figure the tint out using the clear i have without ordering someone elses lol. I hate to spend crazy money to get started and realizr its way out of my league

 

well thats a good idea, infact they will sell you individual chemicals and coatings...

 

Hello to Nicamarvin.
Thank you for your excellent research on the topic DIY Spray On Chrome!

Have a tip on how to get a good Chrome effect in the clear ....

You need two add in 12 to 15 drops of blue colored candy concentrate and 4-6 drops of red colored candy concentrate per 1 liter of mixed clear coat.

Hope this can be of some help to you.

This tip I got from a man in England who sell Spray On Chrome kits.

I actually think the movie that you've posted on page 2 shows the product he is selling ...

I ordered a kit from him (before I discovered your groundbreaking research!)
It seems that the chemical he sells in fact are ordered from angelgilding...

I have a question regarding the Dual Chamber Spray ...... when you bought it, how did you do it with shipping cost? ..... Did you have to send them a custom freight quote?


Mr.Lazy

 

Thanks I´ll try that for sure..

since I bought all of my product in the USA. I had them mail it to a shipping company located on Florida, then they send the stuff to Nicaragua, I pay $150 total for everything

 

I did a Review on How good it looks the new Alsa Stretch Chrome Film..

you may want to check this page out
http://jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?p=7779473#post7779473

 

w.t.f, a sales ploy, nicely presented. ~sololobo~

 

What? I dont sale anything, I´m from Nicaragua, all that I have done I have done it with hard work and lots of tears my friend, please refrain from saying this again..