The next best thing to REAL Chrome

[jflis]

came across this site and got to thinking about that song "her favorite color is chrome"... LOL

Think about it...

in the comfort of your own home, with your little airbrush...

Get your rocket sanded and primed...

Coat with a mirror finish gloss base coat...

When dry, wipe with alcohol, then dry with a clean dry cloth...

apply 1 coat of this chrome paint...

wait 10 seconds then hit it with a second coat...

wait 20 seconds and it's dry and you buff it and you have a mirror, chrome finish...

check out this video: https://www.alsacorp.com/images/MC-FullInstructionalWEB.wmv
or
https://www.alsacorp.com/images/MirraChrome-FullInastructional.rm

then check out the web site at: https://alsacorp.com/

incredible stuff!

*BUT*...

Don't be putting this into your black & decker power sprayer...

at $1,200 per gallon ($150 for an 8 oz. bottle), you ain't gonna paint yer boat with this stuff...

but it IS way kewl, that's for sure!

 

[sandman]

So at $150 for an 8 oz. bottle...you try to save all of the overspray?

sandman

 

[cls]

$150/8 oz??? wow! for that price it better stay shiny like forever!

not too far off topic ... has anyone found any gold or silver spray paint that is worth a $#!7??

I've tried a few different brands and they all tarnish easily and none of them will take a clearcoat. or if they do they aren't shiny, they are dull. bleah!!

 

[jflis]

Originally posted by sandman
So at $150 for an 8 oz. bottle...you try to save all of the overspray?

sandman

THAT was *my* first thought... LOL I'm watching the video and, as cool as it was, my first thought was, well, those 10 cent rubber gloves are now worth about $20 bucks just with the overspray... LOL

 

[Micromeister]

150.00 ouch! I'll stick to bare metal foil thanks

 

[BlueNinja]

Why's it so darn expensive?

 

[jflis]

I am sure that the process to *make* this paint ain't easy and it may very well use a considerable amount of real metal. I am not aware of any warnings regarding the paint other than that it is flamable, so they aren't using any dangerous metals in its production.

I know from past experience, for example, that to get conductive epoxy (something that I needed to use for some goverment work), that the cost was directly proportional to the level of conductivty and the really good stuff was about $300 a tube...

Another factor would be what the paint was meant to replace...

If, for example, you have a chrome bumper with some corrosion or chipping and want to repair it. To get it stripped, buffed and re-chromed could cost hundreds of dollars. If you can do that with this paint (one of the claims of the company, by the way), you can charge a large sum for the paint and it is still LOTS cheaper than the alternative.

 

[astronboy]

I perused this website... and from a purely business standpoint, I think these people are nuts!! I understand that there must have been considerable $$ laid out to develop this stuff, but the cost is simply prohibitive.

I mean, who would buy it?

This is like fuel cell powered cars. They can be made, but at such a cost that no one can afford to buy the car.

Why bother even offering this stuff?

 

[jflis]

Well, if the stuff really performs as they advertise, I could easily see high end body shops buying it. As expensive as it is, it *is* still cheaper than having custom chrome work done, not to mention a heck of a lot faster.

Those with disposable income wouldn't *blink* at this stuff in the right circumstances

*I* am certainly never going to find out though... LOL

 

[Silverleaf]

Ya know, I'm considering buying 8 ounces.

Of course, if I do, and I use it to chrome up a 60 inch rocket and launch on a sunny day, I might just blind half of the Western world, have the National Guard show up, and Rangers from the 402nd group parachuting on my postion. 8)

Seriously though, I've got a massive B-29 sitting here thats never been finished because chrome paint is such a PIA to keep clean and smudge free. This is certainly a solution that I like very much.

Thanks for posting the link Jim. 8)

 

[doxiedog315]

Thats just on motorcycle tanks.before this stuff,you needed to chrome the tank,then paint over it to get chrome accents.paint does not stick to chrome very well! so your right,its costly for large areas,but is just right for some.

 

[DavRedf]

A trick I used to do is to use woolworths spray silver and put it on HOT. This is not easy with card tubes but fair with phenolic tubing, the temperature only needs to be just over hand hot ( ouch ) and spray it in one go.
The result is not as shiny as chrome but is better than the usual silver finish and it does not take finger marks.
I never tried to use a clear coat on it and only woolworths paint.

It also worked well on dragster air intakes.

David

 

[Rocketjunkie]

I've used Dupli-Color 'High Heat' engine paint. The silver looks just like metal sheet (until you get fingerprints on it).

 

[Habu]

There is a small flower vase here where I work that is plain glass. It has been spray painted with silver paint on the inside. The effect from the outside is like a mirror finish. I would say this is largely due to the paint being applied to such a smooth surface and also the glass on the outside.
How this could be translated to applying onto airframes, I'm not sure. But the chrome paint web site mentioned that the surface had to be as smooth as glass, if I'm not mistaken. This may be a necessary first step to achieving the chrome effect.

 

[Ray Dunakin]

What I'd like know is, how or where can a person get the kind of "chrome" that is commonly put on plastic? Like those Estes kits that have the chrome nosecone and fins. Is there any way to do this at home? If not, how big an order would be needed to have it done? And where would you go to get it done?? In the past when I've looked for chrome plating in the phone book or online, all I can find are shops that do real chrome on metal, like car bumpers.

I would love to produce some high power kits with chromed parts, if it could be done cheaply enough.

 

[astronboy]

Hi Ray,

Back in my plastic car and slotcar modeling days, I used Chrome USA. Their URL is below. Last Time I contacted them (to restore chrome on a banged up Ciatation Patriot), he wanted way too much $$ for the job, but you may want to contact him nonetheless for your purposes:

Fred

https://www.chrometechusa.com/