Rust-Eze Medicated Bumper Ointment

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That's 'zactly what it's for... and for putting a passible chrome finish on things that would not be practical of feesible to do with real chrome plating.

 

Most people confuse this with that Alsa crap. This ain't Alsa!

 

so how much to do a bumper give or take?

 

So can we get a kind of a tech post from you. like maybee some info on whats involved and the equiptment used as in all the stuff it takes. ballpark cost. how much actual time to complete and is this something everyone can do or is there any special skills involved or expensive tools that would keep the average fellow from doing this in our own garages???????????????????

thanks

Eric

 

If you send me a bumper that is prepped and ready to chrome (primed and finished out in 1000 grit), it is $300 plus return shipping.

 

Sure, I can do a tech post, but it is something you would do as business, not as a hobbyist, as the complete setup is $15-20k, depending on what equipment you have already.

Basically, you put down a basecoat, almost like a primer, then you deposit silver nitrate metal onto the piece, followed by a clear topcoating. It can also be tinted any color, such as gold, copper, etc.

 

Thats pretty cool! looks like alot of patience and work!

 

Do they make a hemorrhoid ointment?

 

It looks OK, but $300 is a whole lot of scratch.

 

More usefull than your post striper.

 

Yup but have you tried getting a bumper replated lately? $300 looks pretty good compared to most chrome work.

 

I'm curious as to how durable the finish is, would you say it is more like paint or powdercoating as far as scratch and bump resistance?

 

Hmm, last custom bumper I made was done chromed for $350.00 and a stock 1963 F100 grille was $275.00. I do realize there are different costs around the country and in California this may be about half of what you guys would pay. So this may be a viable alternative..

Just want to know how long this is expected to last, does it turn milky with age? Does it lift, crack or bubble? How durable is it? Scratch resistant?

 

Me too! How could it possibly be as durable as the real thing? It does look good though, and if you wanted a whole frame done or something that is not made of metal,,,,,,

 

I'm not sure when you fellas have last priced chroming a bumper, but the costs of tank plating has skyrocketed, and rightly so! It's not that the platers are greedy, quite the opposite, they are only trying to stay in business under the crushing weight of fed/state/local govt crackdown on hexavalent chromium. The amount of grief and expense a tank plater must endure today is beyond belief.

I can tell you that I took detail photos of that '61 Ford bumper, and shopped them around to a half dozen chrome plating shops around the country, and the average price quote was $1200. Granted, the extremely poor condition of this bumper drives the price up, as it would likely take 5-6 acid copper/polishing sessions to get the pits out. A bumper in better condition would likely average about $950-1000 for tank plating.

As far as wear, no it does not have the wear advantages of traditional chrome. This stuff wears the same as a typical automotive basecoat/clearcoat paint job, and must be cared for in the same manner.

 

I think it looks great,,I know that there is a powder coating service here locally that does work that is similar in shine and much more durable (or they alledge so and it's lower in price than what you quoted). That kinda sux that it is so easily damaged and a little expensive. Maybe it's great for interiors. Can it be touched up?
I mean I can't get this kinda shine at home though so it seems like an alternative.

 

Sooooooooooo what happens when you tighten up your bumper bolts, chips, dimples, etc.?

 

Simple! use nylon washers,,lol.

 

Pretty much what I thought. Still would like to see something that is a few years old with this process to see how it stands up.

I run a pretty active shop and have had things chromed as recently as 3 weeks ago and have a very good relation with my chrome shop. I'm not knocking your new purchase there, it definitely has it's uses. I can see a whole industry gathered around plastics and fiberglass trim, rusty or heavily rust pitted bumpers and other adornments that would be difficult to chrome because of the repair needed.

 

I don't see any problems with that? The stuff is pretty flexible. It's used regularly on plastic and urethane motorcycle fairings, etc.

As far as powder coating, yes powder will be more durable. But, with powder's 400 degree application temp requirements, there are very few options in surface preparation. With my stuff, typical auto-body primers and fillers can be used to get a perfect surface. Also, powder cannot yet approach the appearance of spectra chrome. This is basically the same stuff that is used to make mirrors.



I'm not saying it is a replacement for traditional chrome, only an alternative.

 

I'd like to see some more,, which meth lab are you located beside? Theres so many ,,I have a '46 Chevy Grille I'd love to get done. I'd do all the prep work of course.

 

It hard to say, central Florida has more meth labs than liquor stores and check cashing joints put together.

 

Looks pretty good to me.Im not building a show car so I think this might be a cheaper option for me.I had a couple of bumpers plated 2 years ago and it put me back 2 grand!!!

 

ka-chigaa

 

I have had some things pseudochromed with this stuff, im not happy with it. Its terribly UNdurable. Running a finger across it with too much pressure can leave tiny scratches that you can see. I wouldnt ever have a bumper done with this stuff, running a wash mit over it too many times would leave it looking pretty crappy (well, what I consider "crappy", anyway).

The stuff has its place. If you cleaned up your 97's and applied this stuff to them, they would look good bolted to a manifold and set on your mantle. I wouldnt set it on an engine though.

 

Kudos to HRH for being an early adopter. We all see where things are going, right? Real old school chrome plating will become less and less feasible as time goes on because of the tighter regulations. That means more economic pressure to develop alternatives. The marketplace will bring about change. It's like MIG welders. 20-30 years ago it was stick, period. 10-15 years ago you were doing good if your shop had a mig. Nowadays they are throwaways that are sold in Home Depot for every Harry Homeowner out there.

The same thing will happen with this. It will become more commonplace, the costs will come down, and the performance of the product will increase. It's the way of the world.

10 years ago who would have thought of gluing a patch panel in? 10 years from now we won't be MIG-ing them any more.

Yep, it sounds like right now this process is not a whole lot cheaper compared to the quality and durability. Like for a real beater, you'd want to spend $100 or less for a bumper. At the $300 price point, you'd want to be able to repair a chip and you would not want it to easily scratch. Just sit back because it will happen and the early adopters like HRH will pave the way for us.

Just my .02.

 

I keep waiting for the "traditionalist" rodders on here to start screaming cause we all know this stuff aint traditional at all.

Seriously though it looks like it has its place in certain situations with some parts. I'll give you props for stepping up in this economy and making an investment in your future.

 

And tell you what, I would rather see a somewhat traditional car with chrome painted bumpers than one of those cars with all of the chrome painted body color. And the old silver Rustoleum trick never did it for me, either.

 

When you say "this stuff", do you mean Spectra Chrome specifically? Please clarify.