Painting Chrome...

[prestonlal]

Hey guys, 
Just thought I'd post a quick tutorial on how I painted my bumpers etc in chrome. I have had a few question from people here and on other sites about it. Please note that this is all new to me and like most of the stuff I have done, just an experiment that turned out pretty neat!

 

The chrome I used comes in bottles for air brushing, but years ago when I was only doing lexan bodies, i also bought it in spray cans. The bottles that I bought were the Spaz Stix Ultimate Mirror Chrome and their Ultimate Black Backer.

I recently purchased an airbrush system because I thought that I will need more control painting the smaller pieces , so airbrushing is pretty new to me. 

Initially my plan for the bumper was bare metal foil, but after doing some research on the web, I saw that some people were getting some mixed results with the Spaz Stix on the outside of hard plastic, so decided to buy a couple of the bottles to try. After experimenting with some plastic spoons, I found a method that works for me, as the methods described  on the web was not giving the results I wanted.

the pieces to be 'chromed' must be completely smooth and level, or the variations will show up with the chrome. So I primed the bumper with tamiya spray primer, ( a few initial coats) wet sanded with 800,1500 then 2000. Sprayed another 2 coats of primer, wet sanded with 1500 then 2000. This gave me a really smooth and level surface. 

The black backer is applied first. After experimenting, I found that using 12-15 psi with a high paint flow with the brush held about 2-4 inches away worked for me. Too much psi and and too far away, the paint dries with orange peel before it could level out. Spray it on wet in about 2-3 quick passes and it should level out and let it air dry.

The chrome I spray at 30 psi with a low or minimum paint flow. Mist it on with a few passes, then, once it's misted on all over, spray it evenly with the same mist technique till it's covered entirely. I let it air dry for about 30 mins, then I use a hair dryer with low heat to dry it out for about 5mins, keep the dryer moving don't let the heat build up too much on the piece. Let it sit for about 30 mins then I buff it out with a clean micro fiber cloth like they sell in the auto store for cars. 

Well ...that's my technique ....lol...hope I wasn't too long and drawn out for you and hope it works for you if you decide to try it!

[BigTallDad]

Any pictures?

[Harry P.]

Spaz Stix wheels...

All chrome on this model...

Grille shell...

Grille shell. headlights, and wheels...