I powder coated a wheel in chrome

+1 and add 1 DROP OF BLUE TO THE CLEAR. It takes away the yellow cast and gives a more " clear" clear. Experiment with it on panel projects or completes, its a cool trick.

 

So was he...and when you clear powdercoat on any of the powder chromes, it looks silver. I was going to ultra chrome some backing plates but decided it would look like shit after clear.

 

good alternative to peelin rusty Cragars.....Can you do the spokes in satin black with that silver rim?
Is 2 tone possible?

 

if you were closer, id send you my old set of crusty cragers to do!

 

Gotta say, that's the best 'saved' Cragar I've seen yet. If you get that process tweaked to where it will last & stay as is, you're on to something huge. It ain't true chrome, but it's damn sure better than paint.

 

I think that is HRP hit the point of all this. No, it never will be like true chrome plating, nothing else is, but it sure looks better than it did, I bet.....and it was done at home.

Too bad the sun gets to them, I think it looks pretty good.

Don

 

I did that to my Intake . Port-O-sonic . Man it looks great . Kinda grayish chrome but way cool .

 

I bet it woudl be awesome for interior chrome pieces - like the radio delete hardware, steering columns, e-brake levers... wow.

 

powdered chrome sux ass. it is fairly bright by itself but will water spot if you look at it wrong. they will turn gray in a week or less if used outside. just basic humidity turns it to poo quickly, any direct water, well you know.
You have to seal it with a high gloss clear coat, and then it knocks the shine down to a polished aluminum look. so basically the powdered chrome on the market at the present time sucks major butt.
just my opinion from many years experience with all the major brands available

 

So, you have done this over chrome powder with success ?

I did the bumpers on my dad's 37 ford truck in chrome. They turned out very nice. I did clear powder over them, and the result was more like a very shiny silver. Frustrated, I sanded them down and redid the chrome powder. and then sprayed automotive clear over them...same result.

I know these wheels will turn chalky.... more or less an experiment to see how long. I have a tire machine and balancer, so not too big of a deal to redo them in a straight color down the road.

I have done lots of chrome 'stuff' that is not exposed to UV with great results. A very cheap way to make something look awesome.

 

it looks great! did you put a clear coat over it ?

 

Yes I have. I did it on a transmission pan that wasn't good enough for a full polish but everything near it was already polished. Plenty good enough considering it was buried in the frame somewhat and the fins were painted in anyways. Further to NEWFISHER's input, the Bulldog product I mentioned actually has a very minor tint to it. Not nearly enough to change anything but still just a tinge of blue to it. And he's dead on balls correct. Experiment on a panel. You'll be happy and get many years out of the wheels.

 

X-2 i said basicly the same thing from my experience. I would like to see more about spraying a high gloss clear

 

I'm not sure I understand "turn chalky" - can this be rubbed out or polished? Also how much exposure does it take to cause it to chalk. If the car is garaged most of the time will this happen?

 

bluedice, any UV exposure will take the shine off. It turnes chalky soon after. A guy was telling me he had the BEST "cleaner" and rubbed some on my radiator brace rods that were "almost chrome powder" w/out clear. they turned gray and looked like shit! to see the look on his face was almost worth it. No the more you work it or clean it the worse it gets.

 

Does it matter what color shade or value of blue toner into the clear ?

 

I appreciate the effort and the info.

 

looks like mickey mouse chrome

 

I think it looks great.

I don't believe anyone said it looked like real chrome, but rather was called " chrome" powder coat.

Don't try to eat the candy colors either, they aren't real candy.

 

That's funny, I like it

 

Just one drop of transparent blue should do it. I'd think the darker and more "pure" the better. I didn't bother with the aluminum trans pan.

 

i bought a old set of cragar ss 15x3 for 75. rusty as hell underneath some white paint. so on my car on the rear i have some old al.wheels that kinda look like ss wheels.now we stripped the 15 x 3s and sent them to get some chrome powdercoating because we knew they wouldnt look like chrome but more like the rear al.wheels. and damn if they dont look like thetv are al. so now i have matching wheels..lol at least in color.and i have a set of cheap skinnys..win win...lol

 

What kind of prep did you do prior to coating? Any before pictures?

 

I sandblast them prior to coating. I then bake them in the oven for 30 minutes to burn off any oil on them.

My oven is large enough to do two wheels at once, which I hang with a strap around them. I apply the powder on the entire wheel in one application. Sometimes I give them a second coat or put a gloss clear on.

I do lots of wheels.... mostly OEM in Black Chrome or a metallic ... and lots of vintage wheels in gloss black.

 

My buddy stopped by in his 64 fairlane with the chrome powercoated wheels on. They looked pretty good. We will see how long they stay that way.....

 

Thats cool... what silver is used? is it a Common color used by powder coaters?