Re-Chroming Parts?

There's this as well:

 

http://hawkeyes-squawkbox.com/our-products/

 

Ken

i use plain ammonia in a mason jar to strip the chrome.

then i use tamiya ts14 gloss black laquer as a base coat. i let that dry overnight,then i will

apply my alclad chrome. the secret to alclad is not to apply too much,just 2 light coats should be good.

if you apply too much then you can loose the chrome effect.

jason.

I recently got the Tamiya 1/12 Yamaha XV1000 and plan on stripping all the chrome and redoing it with Kosutte Gin-San.

Reason for that, there is a LOT of chrome on the kit and even with careful trimming & sanding there will be  a highly visible seam on the exhausts, etc

Other reason there are parts like the Rims, writings on tanks, covers, etc that should also be chromed but aren't in the kit. Also chroming everything will make the gold(clear yellow over chrome ) look better than any gold-paint.

I prefer Kosutte gin-san as it gives me a better finish than Alclad Chrome(IMO) and being a powder it is easier to apply to small details, etc.

Might do a write-up with some pictures, but process is nearly same as Alclad Chrome.

Sounds great!  I'll pick up some bleach tomorrow and try it out.  Anything that is sold by its scientific name makes me nervous ;)

 

Preserving the glossy surface doesn't help much because I've already sanded the parts to remove some seams, but I'll use a black enamel undercoat before the alclad as recommended by marioc in his review above.

I wouldn't use the ferric Chloride.  GReaet for making PE parts and weathering metal, not so great for chrome.  Just use a little bleach, full strength, should only take about 10 minutes on average.  I've seen chrome strip as fast as 1-2 minutes and take as long as an hour or two.  But 5-10 minutes seems to get the job done with most chrome.  Then just rinse them off until they are no longer slimy, then you can wash them like you would any other part.  Best part is, you get a super glossy surface because it has a clear coat on it under the chrome.

Great review!  I've decided to go with the Alclad II, I have some on order from greatmodels.  Can anyone give me a specific recommended procedure for striping the existing Chrome?  I bought some ferric chloride from Micromark, how much do I need to dilute it (if at all) and how long should it take for your average 1:24 headlight parts?

Thanks!

Hi, I usually, when faced with this problem use foil chrome.I make my own and nobody has ever noticed where I put it.Try it .This is how, Get some bumperstickers you would NEVER in a hundred years put on anything. Carefully peel the sticker off the backing.Throw away the sticker ,keeping the backing paper.Get some MICROSCALE foil adhesive.Stop by WAL-MART and the DOLLAR STORE, buy the cheapest foil in the store.Reynolds works good but I find it to be to thick.Now follow the directions on the bottle or do it my way.Take a nice sized piece of foil ,say a foot square.Lay it on a piece of cleanflat, non scarred glass.Make sure the shiny side is down. Now using a very good soft wide artists brush, apply the adhesive to the foil,Put it on at a reasonable thickness, not to thick ,not to thin.If you get brushmarks you messed with it to long.Now let the adhesive air dry.It will dry clear.I sure hope ,you made sure there were no wrinkles in the foil. Now carefully turn the foil over on to the backing paper.Make sure that you put the paper right side up.Now burnish until smooth.Need some? Carefully cut what you need and put on model.Do not cut thru backing paper,it,s reusable!!   tankerbuilder

Chrome-tech is does not use actual chrome but duplicates the process used by the kit manufacturer!It doe a great job!

If you are going to send them out, I would recommend stripping them with bleach instead of westley's, as westley's if I remember correctly will remove the clearcoat underneath the chrome.  The bleach will leave the clearcoat, which will make the completed rechrome turn out smoother.

Just my $0.02 however your mileage may vary. (Pun fully intended)

427 Cobra wrote:

Covering chromed plastic with chrome foil is obvious,and the two have different intensities of reflectiveness. The plastic is smooth,and even with the rest of the chrome plating. Putting a patch of foil over it is like putting a plaid patch over a pair of blue jeans - that's if you can get it to stay in place! I already tried it,and it definately isn't worth the time to even attempt to put it on the chromed parts. It's never as smooth,even after rubbing it with a cotton swab,and it shows small lines in it from being pulled from the paper backing. This is intended for small areas that don't have a wide surface,and intended for linear usage only where there is a lot of  small detail that will conceal these flaws with this type of product.

 

It is all in technique, I've successfully used BMF to cover a spot. You have to consider where you put the seams and use a burnishing tool.

If you are getting lines pulling it from the backing it is a cheap brand or old. You can use gold leaf adhesive if the foil is not sticking well (a common problem with older BMF).

 

Covering chromed plastic with chrome foil is obvious,and the two have different intensities of reflectiveness. The plastic is smooth,and even with the rest of the chrome plating. Putting a patch of foil over it is like putting a plaid patch over a pair of blue jeans - that's if you can get it to stay in place!

I've already tried it,and it definately isn't worth the time to even attempt to put it on the chromed parts. It's never as smooth,even after rubbing it with a cotton swab,and it shows small lines in it from being pulled from the paper backing. This is intended for small areas that don't have a wide surface,and intended for linear usage only where there is a lot of  small detail that will conceal these flaws with this type of product.

i'm surprised no one else has suggested covering the spot in Bare Metal Foil.

Chrome Tech isn't that expensive. I mean, it is cost-prohibitive for me, but not in the $500+ range. A couple of years ago I was looking the chrome a tanker trailer for a project, co I called them. It was a sizable chunk of plastic (AMT's Texaco trailer) and while I don't remember an exact price, I think they said it would have been about $100. Again, too expensive for me, but not real outrageous. BTW, Chrome Tech specializes in custom chrome for plastic parts.

philo426 wrote:

Well If you really want them re-chromed you can send them to Chrome-Tech for re-plating.You have to strip the parts of chrome first(I use Westley's Bleech White)before sending them in.Might be a tad expensive but they do a great job!

Actual crome will not work on plastic, the anode won't deposit on non conducting materials. Plastic has to be vacuum metalized, much like coating a mirror. Parts are hung in a vacuum chamber, a small aluminium filament is electrically fused and microscopic particals settle on the piece, ummm shiny. And real spensive, a run will cost $500 up to several thou, if the guy likes you he may let you piggyback on a paying run and charge you or not.

I wrote a short review for Alclad several years ago, I think you could want to read it.

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

 

Yeah, AlcladII is the way to go if you're going to repaint an entire part or if you have some mold lines or seams to get rid of. If you are just talking abou the small areas where the part attaches to the tree, then I would sand the connection point smooth and use a good silver paint. I think Krylon makes a "chrome" spray paint that actually comes out pretty bright. You could try decanting that and brushing it on. It should match the kit chrome fairly well, especially on the Tamiya kits that typically use the satin finish chrome.

Strip them with Bleech White or plain old vinegar. Then prime and paint with Alclad Chrome. You won't believe how more realistic it will look. The chrome plating that comes on the kit sprue is very thick and many times covers some good detail that the manufacturer has put on the parts and sometimes make the parts look almost toy like compared to the Alclad finish.

                                                                                Ken

Well If you really want them re-chromed you can send them to Chrome-Tech for re-plating.You have to strip the parts of chrome first(I use Westley's Bleech White)before sending them in.Might be a tad expensive but they do a great job!