Best chrome to brush paint

[1hobby1]

Hey everyone, 

I have a project I started (1962 Pontiac Catalina) and the car is painted Testors silver and cleared with Testors wet look. I tried using a Molotow Chrome Pen for the trim pieces, however, it blends right into the silver and you can't tell it was applied. The reason I ask about brush painting, is because the car has a decent amount of chrome trim that needs to be addressed and it would simply be easier for me. I do have bare metal foil however, I'd like to use that as an absolute last resort along with masking off the entire car and spraying the chrome bits. 

Does anyone have any chrome products they have brushed on with great results? If not, I'll have to bite the bullet, mask it off, and hope that it doesn't bleed onto a paint job I am quite proud of. 

Thank you in advance! 

[Fat Brian]

I brush Molotow from the refill on small areas but it doesn't lay down smooth over large areas. Bare metal foil is your best bet.

[StevenGuthmiller]

Use the foil.

You're never going to find a better option.

 

Chrome on silver is always a bit hard to distinguish, but if you use the right materials, you'll get a pretty good distinction between the two.

 

 

Learn how to use BMF and you'll never look back.

 

 

 

Steve

Edited February 21, 2024 by StevenGuthmiller

[NOBLNG]

I agree, foil is absolutely the best. And it’s not as hard to apply as you might think. The trick is to use a brand new blade and a very light, touch when trimming it. The Revell chrom paint is the best I have found, but still cannot be touched or polished after spraying.

[1hobby1]

Looks like I’ll have to give the foil a shot. I’ve used it before with success but this car has got some intricate areas I was a bit intimated on using the foil for. 
 

thank you for the advice! 

[NOBLNG]

27 minutes ago, 1hobby1 said:

Looks like I’ll have to give the foil a shot. I’ve used it before with success but this car has got some intricate areas I was a bit intimated on using the foil for. 
 

thank you for the advice! 

Get some tiny pointed cotton swabs (like Tamiya?) for setting the foil into the creases and corners. I also have one of the Wife’s old eyeliner brushes that has a really soft rubber tip on it that I use to set the foil down over script and emblems…a soft eraser may work too?

[Claude Thibodeau]

Hi!

I had good results applying Molotow's chrome, from the refill bottle, not the pens. Pour some in a small container, use a number two brush, and apply VERY WET on the part, only once, with minimal overlap. It works fine (see front suspension on roadster below). Do NOT retouch what you just applied, or it will show streaks and dull sections. If you absolutely have to apply a second coat, wait at least a week, and make it LESS WET than the first, to avoid too thick a chrome surface. 

Good luck! 

CT 

[JollySipper]

Whatever you do, man, don't try to lift the excess foil with the Xacto blade........ Use a sharpened toothpick or something kinda soft. One of my first foil jobs was a '61 Impala that like you I had painted silver. I was on the last piece of foil, and thought I could lift what was trimmed away with the blade...... I chipped the paint (of course...) and had to repaint....

[1hobby1]

3 hours ago, NOBLNG said:

Get some tiny pointed cotton swabs (like Tamiya?) for setting the foil into the creases and corners. I also have one of the Wife’s old eyeliner brushes that has a really soft rubber tip on it that I use to set the foil down over script and emblems…a soft eraser may work too?

I do have the Tamiya swabs in both the large and small size. I’ll have to buy my wife for the old eyeliner brush as well. That’s a good idea. Thanks!

[1hobby1]

2 hours ago, JollySipper said:

Whatever you do, man, don't try to lift the excess foil with the Xacto blade........ Use a sharpened toothpick or something kinda soft. One of my first foil jobs was a '61 Impala that like you I had painted silver. I was on the last piece of foil, and thought I could lift what was trimmed away with the blade...... I chipped the paint (of course...) and had to repaint....

Good to know! I hate bringing a blade around a finished paint job but looks like I’ll give the BMF a go here. 

[1hobby1]

3 hours ago, Claude Thibodeau said:

Hi!

I had good results applying Molotow's chrome, from the refill bottle, not the pens. Pour some in a small container, use a number two brush, and apply VERY WET on the part, only once, with minimal overlap. It works fine (see front suspension on roadster below). Do NOT retouch what you just applied, or it will show streaks and dull sections. If you absolutely have to apply a second coat, wait at least a week, and make it LESS WET than the first, to avoid too thick a chrome surface. 

Good luck! 

CT 

That’s a sweet looking build… it does look great brushed on. I think I’m convinced to try the BMF first. This way if it’s not to my liking I can always peel it off as well. I appreciate you sharing this. I may end up going this route depending how the BMF goes.

[R. Thorne]

Well, I’m kinda partial to the GreenStuffWorld (non air brush version).   Daubed this on with a micro brush.

Edited February 22, 2024 by R. Thorne
Non air brush

[JollySipper]

21 hours ago, 1hobby1 said:

Good to know! I hate bringing a blade around a finished paint job but looks like I’ll give the BMF a go here. 

If you do decide to use foil, you can cut the long straight pieces right on the sheet...... Just use a straight edge ruler of some sort, and just use it to make long thin strips. That way there's very minimal cutting on your beautiful fresh paint!

[StevenGuthmiller]

Try using this technique.

It works for all of the moldings, not just wheel openings, and will not only help give you perfectly straight moldings, but will guard against any slippage of your blade and prevent any paint damage.

 

 

 

 

 

Steve

[1hobby1]

Thank you ?? that’s great. 

[Oldriginal86]

At 63yo. my hands aren’t as steady as they once were so painting small details is not in the cards. BMF gives me a chance. I use a single edge razor blade to trim the foil. The trim on the inner edge of the dash pictured was done with foil. I could have never painted that.

[1hobby1]

Thank you all for the advice. Although, I probably wasted more than needed, and possibly thought about throwing the car out the window lol… I do agree this does give the separation in color I was looking for. One side down! 
 

Thank you again model friends. 

[JollySipper]

That looks really good! Foil is actual metal, so nothing else is gonna look as realistic as it does.........

[StevenGuthmiller]

Looks like you have it down.

As the saying goes, “anything worth doing is worth doing well”.

There’s easy, and then there’s good.

 

 

 

 

Steve

[Bainford]

Very nice! That's good foil application there.

[1hobby1]

She’s all done. Thank you everyone for the input and advice. Almost time to wrap up the build.
Remind me to never do chrome on silver ever again… my eyes got tortured LOL ? 

 

[Oldriginal86]

That is going to be really sharp when completed.