Make chrome dull ?

[jeffp60]

Any idea how to take the "sheen" off of the chrome ? 

[Bainford]

There are a number of clear coats that will work, depending on how 'dull' you want your chrome. For a cast-aluminum, aluminum plate. or frosted look, try a flat clear.

Semi-gloss clear can make chrome look much like machined or finished aluminum. Great for wheels and valve covers, etc.

If you are just looking to just take a little of the edge off the shine, my favourite is Alclad Sheen clearcoat. It knocks back the brilliance of chrome, and gives it the appearance of nickel or stainless steel trim or polished aluminum, etc.

[Dpate]

Testors dull coat will work too if you don’t have anything else. 

[H.A.K]

Or just repaint it with any "Chrome Spray paint" besides the new revell one. As all others arent chrome. Theyre just silver.

[espo]

Depending on the effect you are wanting you might try a couple of Tamiya products. Their X-19 Smoke brush paint and their Black, along with other colors, Black Panel Line Accent can be used to highlight detail while darkening some of the sheen. Similar products are available from others, but the Tamiya products are what I have used with good results.  

[StevenGuthmiller]

Testors "Dullcote" in a spray can would be the easiest if you're just looking for an aluminum look.

 

 

 

Steve

[jeffp60]

26 minutes ago, StevenGuthmiller said:

Testors "Dullcote" in a spray can would be the easiest if you're just looking for an aluminum look.

 

 

 

Steve

Just looking for not so shiny toy look

[StevenGuthmiller]

2 hours ago, jeffp60 said:

Just looking for not so shiny toy look

Then dullcote is not the answer.

 

Honestly, I could never understand the "toy look" chrome theory anyway.

It doesn't make sense to me how people think that actual plated chrome parts look like anything other than actual chrome should look.

Substituting a chrome paint, or some other painted finish for a truly plated surface has never seemed like any kind of solution to me.

Especially when it's a solution for something that seems to me like it doesn't require a solution.

 

But, I digress.

I'll take actual chrome over any "chrome substitute" any day.

 

 

 

 

 

Steve

 

Edited June 14, 2023 by StevenGuthmiller

[ksnow]

I think the "toy appearance" stems from the lack of depth in scale. A good wash will add that depth and give the chrome pieces a better, more scale appearance.

[StevenGuthmiller]

56 minutes ago, ksnow said:

I think the "toy appearance" stems from the lack of depth in scale. A good wash will add that depth and give the chrome pieces a better, more scale appearance.

I agree with that.

But changing chrome to some less reflective finish makes zero sense in my opinion.

Chrome should look like chrome, not a shiny silver.

 

Now that said, if you're looking for a weathered chrome finish, there are ways to do that without changing the finish entirely.

 

I don't know.

Maybe I'm strange, but some of these things just don't make sense to me.

Like using a roughly textured masking tape for a vinyl top, or accepting orange peel in the paint "because most cars have some orange peel".

Scale "is" important in those circumstances, but often seems to be ignored or excuses made for them, but at least to my eye, chrome is chrome, and anything that's not, isn't.

 

 

 

Steve

[peteski]

I also don't understand this quest to dull model kit's chrome (actually aluminum applied using vacuum metalizing process), because it looks "toyish". Polished chrome is chrome, regardless of scale.  Maybe some of you just don't carefully observe the 1:1 scale world around you?

Here's an example of 1:1 chrome.

 

And one  of my models with chrome parts:

Why in the world would I want to make my model's chrome duller than what it looks like now?  If anything, I wish it was even more "sparkly" and shiny.

 

And a car example.  Here is a 1:1  chromed bumper:

 

Any my model of a similar car:

Again, if anything, I wish my model's chrome was even shinier,  brighter, and more reflective.

In both examples, it was the original kit's chrome.

Chrome is one of the things on a 1:1 car that stays shiny after the rest of the car rusts away.  Even on junkers, the chrome stays shiny (although it might look a bit duller due to dirt and dust that covers it after a while).

I just don't get it.

Edited June 14, 2023 by peteski

[StevenGuthmiller]

3 minutes ago, peteski said:

I just don't get it.

Yup.

Makes no sense to me either.

 

 

 

 

Steve

[jeffp60]

My chrome never looked shiny  unless I polished it. Kinda why they sell CHROME POLISH . 

[Steve H]

Hi Jeff, everyone has differing opinions on this as witnessed by the replies above. Sometimes I leave kit chrome as is, but recently most of my builds get a couple of light coats of Tamiya smoke. Below show a couple of examples. Takes a bit of practice to get it right, the key for me was to warm the paint, and light coats. If you lay it down heavy, the results are not good.

 

 

 

[StevenGuthmiller]

The bumpers on my 54 year old Grand Prix are old, pitted and oxidized.

Never used polish on them in the 42 years that I've owned it.

Still looks like chrome to me, and pretty shiny.

 

 

 

 

 

Steve

[jeffp60]

10 hours ago, Steve H said:

Hi Jeff, everyone has differing opinions on this as witnessed by the replies above. Sometimes I leave kit chrome as is, but recently most of my builds get a couple of light coats of Tamiya smoke. Below show a couple of examples. Takes a bit of practice to get it right, the key for me was to warm the paint, and light coats. If you lay it down heavy, the results are not good.

 

 

 

Impala is what I am looking for. Not a "mirror" finish.

Annoys me when I ask a question and I get a bunch that just has opine about my choice but can't answer my question. 

I post my builds for honest critiques, I post questions for answers.

Thank you Steve H for the answer and photos 

[Can-Con]

But you gotta understand Jeff, they're not critiquing your choices, just expressing their own preferences. And like-minded builders will sometimes post in agreement with them.

Has nothing to do with you, although sometimes it will feel that way.

[jeffp60]

I know it's not personal, they don't know me. I'm  talking about "how do you ...." and instead of "try this" or "do this" ,I get "I don't get it", "makes no sense" and pics of "never been polished". 

[StevenGuthmiller]

Well, I'm sorry.

I just assumed that when someone is asking about chrome, that they're looking for information on what is the most realistic way to achieve a chrome finish, unless they're looking for something other than chrome.

When metal is chrome plated, it's electroplated with different metals that produce a perfect, reflective, mirror finish.

When plastic is plated, (vacuum metalization) it's plated in a different fashion, which also uses metals, to likewise produce a perfect mirror finish.

 

Plated parts on real cars, (which is the ultimate affect that I thought we were all going for) are never coated with something to "take off the sheen".

The "sheen" is what makes chrome chrome.

 

I won't bother you any more with my apparently offensive thoughts on what I believe chrome should look like.

I just never realized that there were so many people that have the feeling that actual chrome plated parts, whether from a model kit, or on a 1:1 vehicle,  were somehow incorrect and needed modification.

 

Please accept my apologies and continue on your quest.

 

 

 

Steve

[peteski]

The subject line and the initial post to me were not very clear.  To me "dull" is "satin finish". Later on it was explained that the bright shiny finish on kit's parts was not to Jeff's liking (it was described as unrealistic toy-like).

When I build models I strive to make them as realistic as I can (including chrome).  I posted my message showing that automotive chrome is by design sparkly and shiny. So much so that even the shiniest model chrome still doesn't look as good as 1:1 chrome. I posted comparison photos as proof.  Photos are worth 1000 words.  To me it makes no sense to try dulling the kit's chrome. Doing that IMO will make the model look more like a toy than a scale model.  So yes, I was trying to convince Jeff to reconsider what he is trying to accomplish.  Whether he takes Steve's and my advice is totally up to him.

[jeffp60]

We build models, I'm not building a show car. I'm building  a 50 yr old p/u with a plow. Really shiny with rust spots would look absurd, hence the "dull " look. I just took steelwool to it and rusted it . 

[StevenGuthmiller]

9 minutes ago, jeffp60 said:

We build models, I'm not building a show car. I'm building  a 50 yr old p/u with a plow. Really shiny with rust spots would look absurd, hence the "dull " look. I just took steelwool to it and rusted it . 

Well, there you go.

It might have been more advantageous to elaborate on exactly what kind of affect you were looking to accomplish early on.

It would have gone a long way to avoid confusion.

More information in your original post would have gotten you a lot closer to your objective a lot faster.

 

If you're building a 50 year old pickup with a weathered appearance, you could even consider painting the bumpers white and weathering from there.

A good number of trucks from that era had very little chrome, at least if the truck is from the 50s or 60s.

 

Just a thought.

 

 

 

 

Steve

 

 

[jeffp60]

78 gmc. Dull the chrome. Simple question.  Haven't decided on body paint yet,but probably going to be too good for age and condition of plow and underside. Disappointed in the kit for a revell .only detail in bucket is a dash and bench seat. Door panels are blank. 

[StevenGuthmiller]

19 minutes ago, jeffp60 said:

Dull the chrome. Simple question.

You didn't say that in your original post.

You said "take the sheen off".

That could be taken in any number of ways.

 

Then, in your second post you said, "Just looking for a not so shiny toy look".

That doesn't tell us anything about wanting a weathered result either.

 

It wasn't until you were well into your annoyance that we learned what effect you were actually looking for.

 

Not to beat a dead horse, but if you want specific answers, you need to ask specific questions.

 

Dulling the chrome is a simple operation that I offered you a solution for in my first response.

Dullcote........Done.

 

 

 

Steve

 

[KWT]

The GMC plow truck is a 40+ year old kit, originally released by monogram.

 

Just to add to the topic.. I sprayed the chrome on mine with flat clear and then "rusted" it up.

Edited June 15, 2023 by KWT