DIY Spray On Chrome

so far so good...

uploading videos as I type... here a pic of the bike after cured and tested on the road..




Edit:

video of the cured exhaust heat pipe done in blue candy chrome...
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/I8-QVNtBiCs" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

i like the blue I started experimenting on tinting clear today i used ec300 ultra clear and some waterbase transparent airbrush colors (not a good mix I know right.

anyway I used spectra chromes ratio of 5 drops blue and 2 drops red per 1 ounce of mixed paint not having any silver sufaces I used some dimes and nickels and the edge of a mirror
the mirror immediately took on a chrome color while my coins were dull to begin with
didnt notice alot of difference. unti I doubled it

I doubled the ratio 10 to 4 ant it turned too blue so i would think the 5 to 2 ratio per 1 ounce is a good reference I intend to buy some house of Kolor transparents and retest once i get my silvering solution delivered (hoping by tuesday)

 

I dont know about drops, but I use paint instead of concentrates..

yes mirror have a nice soft color to them, if you grab a triple chrome piece and place it next to a silver mirror you will see that it has a bluish tint to it...

 

have a couple of questions on the prep work

Have you tried a single stage base coat (doesnt need cleared) I have watched some other videos from suppliers and they seem to use an ugly pale green single stage base coat

2nd do you use a basecoat on all pieces ie: if you do a painted headlight ring that is in perfect shape, can you just degrease wet sensitaze and silver then topcoat??
or do you have to paint every piece (including spoons)

3rd do you have to chrome within a certain period of time after your clear has dried such as within 24 hours or only after 24 hours (had read somewhere that a supplier was bosting there product could be silvered anytime and had no window where it wouldnt adhere)
4th I use Kirker Paints have you tried that brand?? (a little less expensive and easy to obtain)

Thanks for all your help I hope to chrome my first spoon Tuesday

 

well I hae used single stage 2k urethane, but its more expensive than clear coat, so I use the clear coat directly over the primer(black, white or grey), works just as good as primer, then single stage..

if its on good shape you dont have to basecoat it, but you are forgetting one step.. wetting agent, you will fail if you dont use it... that is for already painted surfaces, some just need to be sanded with 2000 grit and polish it out with polishing compounds if you are a good polisher, me I just sand it and clear coat it... BUT for bare plastics like spoons you need to use a primer for plastics(I use Krylon fusion) because if you silver the piece and then clear coat it the piece will look nice and all, but the first time you flex it(customers like to flex the shit out of them just to see how good is the paint´s hold to the plastic) it will just come off right there...

the fastest I have chromed(using sherwin williams spot repair clear coat which is dry to the touch in like 10 minutes) is 3 hours, but its NOT recomended, that was a job that could not wait... I usually paint after 3 p.m the most 5 p.m and the next day I´ll be chroming the piece at 10 or 12 p.m so I can give the customer his piece around 3 or 5 p.m, so a 16 to 18 hours is what I do, rarely do a 24 hour job, because of that, but I have and it works just fine,

some tips on chroming your first spoons(I hope you have prep at least 10 of them) is to to use a full pump on them.. what I do is slowly stream it over it, do at least 8 pumps of if, see if more can give you a brighter shine, the key is to find out how many pumps is good enough because after so many pumps the piece will not look any better

 

very good info----thanks to you guys

 

Thanks man my angel gilding supplies arrived in the mail today still waiting on the dual chamber sprayer which seems like the longer wait so i will order several as soon as i try this process i would hate to have a customers piece and my sprayer fail and wait a week to get it.

i noticed you wipe your wetting agent on. Angel Gilding sent me a spray bottle labeled wetting agent does it not work well enough to be sprayed on??

I went ahead and bought a couple cans of fusion today

sorry about all of the questions i am sure you robab ly covered it but i am ADD and when i read lot i quit retaining it

I have spent a little more money than I have needed to but want to have everything ready gonna prep some spoons tonight

 

True...

no, its better if you rubb the wetting agent on, and keep it concentrate it, do no dilute it

thats good, just one coat is good enough, and 15 minutes after that(dont wait more than 30 minutes) you can clear coat it or base coat it if you want...

its ok, I´m happy to help you

what I do is, light coat them with krylon fusion then dipped them on the catalized clear coat, that why the will come out as shiny as possible, I use gerber container jars, but you can also spray them if you want

 

Cerakote Chromex Ceramic chrome like looks Review(on the looks)

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=708712

 

ok got about 20 spoons prepped didnt occur to me to dip any lol would've worked better for sure left a couple whit just sprayed them sith clear to check adhesion wilsilver a couple plain i cant wait to get to silvering

 

This damn thread is still going?

To think I wasted $2,500 on real chrome, kept some jobs at Spacecoast Plating to get plating done on my 59 El Camino when I coulda done it myself in my kitchen.

Stupid me.

 

is that sarcasm?
some of us have a need for this information----if you would like to foot the bill to chrome my car[for special color i am looking for] then just send the money this way

 

I don't wanna see Nissan parts, vent shades and two stroke motorcycle windshield getting sprayed pretty colors. Chrome should be chrome, not pretty colors, that's for donks and people who got no love from their mothers.

 

i resemble that remark

 

If this shit last 50 years like real chrome does, I'll eat my words.

 

im sure itll pit just the same-----but itll crack instead---new chrome [aftrmkt] doesnt last more than 3-4 years before pitting/cracking

 

Bullshit, not if it's good, Bumper Boyz might flake in 6 months, but my Spacecoast plated bumper for my 54 Chevy's been done going on 5 years and looks good as it did the day it was done, it cost $650, that's a lot of money, but if you've spray painted your bumper 3 times over at $200, what money did you save?

You get what you pay for, you spray on chrome, it's paint, it's sprayed on, it's a cheapie short cut good if you're broke, that's it.

 

i agree you get what u pay for------and nothing looks as good as real chrome-----but this stuff has a place and it will be bought---and i will use it on things that cant be readily chromed --ill spend hundreds instead of thousands---and i will be happy

 

please stay out of my thread

 

Thanks!

Got my sprayer today i will let you know how my 1st one comes out gonna read back through mixing instructions

 

Spoons, windshields, great contribution, businessman not a hot rodder.

 

Look, I will go on record as saying I'm not a fan of spray on chrome, but I'll admit it has its place. When it comes to totally wrecked, impossible to find replacement parts, especially the small interior pieces, being able to make things from scratch or repair broken or pitted pieces by bodyworking them is a huge time and money saver if they're able to be spray chromed and maintain a good finish. I would NOT trust it on bumpers or the like, but dash bezels, small emblems, etc... all day.

 

I am an airbrush artist and custom painter the chrome effect I just got on my 1st 2 spoons will be invaluable when I chrome fiberglass headlight buckets or the crotch rocket fairing my art will do nothing but grow.

Nic this is some incredible stuff the possibilities are limitless and I owe you a great deal of gratitude

My 1st 2 spoons are amazing I almost want to jump to clearing them immediately

I am going to finish chroming the rest then look around the house for other stuff lol
Thanks man you are an awesome teacher give me your email and I can send you some photos

 

This ain't a crotch rocket site.

anyway, keep up the good work, I'll butt out now.

 

I've heard of some chrome stickers, maybe like the stretch graphics used on cars and buses for advertizing. It would be limited in use, but maybe an option for certain parts

 

hey nic i have another question

how long is the mixed silver good and do you pour it out and clean your sprayer after every chroming

I am finishing up a piece of my buddys honda to chrome tomorrow clearing it about an hour I have some solution from earlier in my sprayer should i pour it out and mix new tomorrow?

same question with the sensitizer

 

if they look like the spoons below then you are set buddy..!!

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/zX6ZDp7oODY" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

now that´s without clear, the first time you clear it(without the violet tint) you will end up with a yellowish tone(almost gold looking, which can come in handy one day) after you have perfected the violet tint it will look near chrome...

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/MqsJ9jqVCx0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

if you preped 20 spoons and are going to do them all at once to practise your violet tint, I suggest you clear coat them all without the tint first(so they look yellow) and allow a 24 hour dry time untill you start testing you tinting clear, that way you can still save some spoons(sanding till you hit the none tinted clear)

 

so watching this process I guess you can get it all over your hands & body & there is no need for resporators either? do they recommend gloves & resporators or is it just that safe?

 

if am doing 20 spoons in a day, I clean it after am done with all the pieces in a day... no need to clear each time you are about to chrome in a day, just wen you are done in a day..

18 hours is the most I have gone, but is not recomended on customer pieces, I just try to make enough each time....

 

you need gloves and respirator, you are dealing with Silver Nitrate and Formaline here, am just a bad mofo and dont do it....

I´m off to "chrome" see ya´ll later