"Black" chrome

One way to get a nice black chrome is applying Tamiya X19 smoke over the chrome surface. Of course you need to have already plastic chrome wheels and I suggest Tamiya acrylic paint (X19) instead enamel or lacquer, Just in case you need to remove the paint. You should airbrush thin layers up to get the right black deep, the result is amazing.

Alclad II applied in a single very light mist over gloss black.  Awesome color.

Phil

marioc wrote:

One way to get a nice black chrome is applying Tamiya X19 smoke over the chrome surface. Of course you need to have already plastic chrome wheels and I suggest Tamiya acrylic paint (X19) instead enamel or lacquer, Just in case you need to remove the paint. You should airbrush thin layers up to get the right black deep, the result is amazing.

The Alclad chrome over black works, however is not easy to work with alclad for beginners, the result is uncertain and the surface is fragile. I only use Alclad chrome when there's not other way. You can read what I wrote about Alclad several years ago.

http://www.modelersite.com/Jun2002/English/Alclad2_Eng.htm

The technique of Smoke is used by larger manufacturer like Tamiya, and you have control over the black deep and after the paint is cured is very resistant, so you could use in static but radio control models also. 

I second the smoke option, however there is a black chrome paint out there that is supposed to work pretty well.  Anthracite can also simulate black chrome if done right.

One word of note though, someone recommended using the acrylic so you can wipe it off without damagine the chrome, but there is something in the acrylic paints that detaches the chrome from the part.  This is the exact reasion I quit using acrylics to apply washes to chrome parts.  When trying to gently wipe the excess off the grill bars or whatever, the chrome came off too.  I've got a HUGE parts box for kids that have been ruined like this.

Thanks for all the options, guys. I'm going to experiment with a cople of them to see which works best for me. However, since I have never used the Alcad I'll probably stick with the smoke.

On another hand, could the smoke be used to tint the windows? I read a thread a while back about using food coloring to tint future and then using this to tint the windows. I wonder if the smoke would work as well. Anyone ever tried it?

"Airborne, can do!"  

I have been using washes based in Tamiya acrylics ( and oils too of course) over chrome surfaces during years and never ruined them.

Probably your are experienced some of the following problems.

1) You mix Tamiya with other solvent different that X20A which is isopropylic alcohol.

2) You are using Gunze acrylics, or other clear paints. the Gunze thinner is a hard solvent, even the one provided for acrylic paints.

3) You are working with old chrome parts. Sometimes the parts are so old or the chrome is so bad that just is removed with soapy water, it happened to me few times.

I use smoke washes over recessed chrome parts, to  give volume, and never had that problem, I always use X20A, don't use ethylic alcohol or water as diluter.

Clear paints are useful too to tint windshields, it must be done from inside airbrushing very diluted paint, the more paint you apply the darker the surface will be.