Is there a good "Spray on" chrome paint?

I am getting ready to paint the belly band on my 56 Chevy Truck project. the truck is yellow on top and hot rod flat black on the bottom. (see concept picture - no that is not my truck, This one is all together mine isn't yet.) On the picture I used a #2 lead pencil to draw the seperation molding. My intentions were to use chrome paint for the molding. I have talked to a couple of jobers who have tried spray on chromes and they all say that when you clear the chrome paint it just looks like silver paint. Bummer !!!
I am also open to suggestions on what else to use. This is a low budget project so real Buick chrome molding or having Art Himsel pain on Chrome are out for the time being.

Thanks

Vern

I have had the same experience with chrome spray in paint. It turns cheap silverish looking quickly. Have you looked into the mirage colors or summitt sells paint for a good price. I have not used summitt but i am very interested in their colors.

I think Alsa corp is the most popular source, but it takes a special clear they produce to prevent the metallic look.

Eastwood sells a super duper special reflective coating for signal lamp buckets. But it seems to me most chrome sprays are about the same.

I've seen this done on several cars. It always ends up looking like a satin finish. I've never seen any that end up looking remotely like chrome.

I once tried sparying clear over chrome. It just turned an aluminum color. I repeated the process several layers, and each time it just turned back to the aluminum color, but with a sense of 'depth' and looked really nice. But nothing like chrome. Anyone ever tried shooting it OVER clear?

Paint shops carry all kinds of 3M body mouldings that have a pretty good bend to them.
Or try a graphics sign shop and use chrome vinyl. If you use vinyl though I'd have it laminated before cutting it cause it scratches easy, know what I mean Vern.

Thanks for the great feedback. I guess that I will just leave it up to the Paint Gods at the next Good Guys show.

http://www.alsacorp.com/

Look for the "killer chrome" or "chrome FX" products. There are whole cars shot with this stuff....but remember you have to use their clear!!!!

Reports are it takes a lot of work, and looks about like highly polished aluminum.

How about one of those shops that puts stripes on cars? Maybe they have a mylar based material that would work.

Those Alsa products are amazing. I think I just found what I'm going to use on my steering column.

Tom

http://www.eastwoodco.com/jump.jsp?i...rID=421&KICKER

my chome rear fender name plates on my ford were shot so i filled the holes when i did the body and took one to a striper he made up some in chome. they are great and even fool people till they take close look very durable and shiny. Look into it

Alsa Corp is the company you would want to go with. I have done a seat that looked like a 57 Chevy front end and painted the bumpers with the chrome paint. It came out great but from about 3 feet away it looks fake and you can definately tell it's paint. Important thing to remember is to follow the directions EXACT and make sure the black base coat is VERY deep in gloss and shine. When clear is applied it does take away a bit of the chrome look but it is what it is...
As for the side tirm I think it would be fine. I see lots of people air brushing fake trim on the side of the car with just plain old blue, white and grey or black and just use shadowing to make it look like trim instead of chrome paint... Either way should look fine IMO.

What about for bumpers??

I'm lucky that I have a business close to me that offers a good 'spray on chrome'. Notice I don't call it paint, I was told the substance sprayed is the same as used for making mirrors but the process is totally different. A good friend took a tour of the facilities, watched the process in action (was completely amazed with it) and even tried to buy a franchise but they wouldn't sell him one because he was in the same city as their location. Check out their web site and the videos, maybe there is a similar business near you.

Mike

I would just like to know if.it will hold up on bumpers??

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by slantback37

I would just like to know if.it will hold up on bumpers??

---

If it holds up on the parts & pieces shown on their advertising then I would think it should hold up the same on a bumper, provided you don't "use" the bumper. It's paint, so where chrome may take a hit to a softer surface and not show any damage, the paint will likely be scuffed or peeled away, I would think. Same would be said for bumpers painted body color, or silver - they will look pretty until they are bumped, then you have scuffed paint. More of a question to me would be can the SpectraChrome be spot repaired, or are you looking at stripping and re-applying?

I missed this in the May '11 issue of Rod & Custom but it appears that Spectre Chrome has already entered the hot rod arena.

Mike

I have looked into this, talked to some shop owners, and convinced that if you are doing this process, only to save money, then don't do it. It's three steps, takes some specialized equipment, and probably cost as much, or more than chrome. May get cheaper in time to come, as more shops get into it, and the process is perfected.
Jack

Jack, I'm curious about what you said. You mentioned that you've "looked into this, talked to some shop owners", did these shops have the equipment to apply Spectre Chrome and that's where you got the idea about the cost or were these shops that you simply talked to about the product and got their opinions?

Mike

Guess I will have to paint them the same color as the car. Like repears said. It is just paint. The "Killer cans" DIY paint in rattle cans is still $115, and looks like a shiney aluminum finish. I suspose I can look into the Bumper Boyz. A couple of rodders said they wern't all that good either. I do have a pair of real good bumpers. Now I have to find a set of rear brackets for it..

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Mike52

Jack, I'm curious about what you said. You mentioned that you've "looked into this, talked to some shop owners", did these shops have the equipment to apply Spectre Chrome and that's where you got the idea about the cost or were these shops that you simply talked to about the product and got their opinions?

Mike

---

NO, none had the equipment, and my research shows it to be very expensive, and the process is very labor intensive.
In a rural area like I live, most haven't even heard of the process, don't have resoures to buy the equipment, nor skills to perform the process, IMO.
Jack

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by slantback37

I would just like to know if.it will hold up on bumpers??

---

I've used the Mirra Chrome by Alsa on more than one occasion, and IMO this product would be best suited to graphics and not a total chrome look. To answer your question, it is a clearcoat topcoated process, so it should hold up to anything a paint job would. If you were to take a car and want to mimmick stainless molding on the side using their product and some airbrushing, I think you would be happier with the results than if you wanted to paint a chrome part and hope that it looks like chrome. The mirra chrome is basically microscopic particles of aluminum suspended in a alcohol based solution (rubbing type, not drinking type) and the particles tend to align themselves for better reflectivity if you follow more of a dusting application vs. a typical painting application. To further amplify the application effects, I tended to have better reflectivity in areas you would consider overspray (around corners where it was not directly sprayed, etc.) than from direct application in the "Dusting fashion". But no matter the reflectivity I achieved, when the clear was applied, the finish was dulled out to a point that I should have saved some money and just used a silver metallic.

Before clear:

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y16...l/HPIM2124.jpg

After clear:

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y16...l/HPIM2130.jpg

Complete album (start at the end):

Motorcycle painted using Mirra chrome

I was very unhappy with the results, and expressed this to the owner before he even came over to look at the finished product. He agreed, and in an attempt to save the flame layout that he did like, the complete job was covered in intercoat clear with pearl, then burgundy kandy, then recleared:

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y16...Picture101.jpg

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y16...Picture105.jpg

Now in their defense, I was using a cheap Badger airbrush, and may have experienced better results if I had used the Iwata I presently have, but the clear (their product, which they recommend to prevent dulling the reflectivity) definitely seems to dull out the finish from the solvents affecting the Mirrachrome. Feedback from Craig Frazer (Air Syndicate) has indicated the initial coat of clear should be applied in a similar "dusting" fashion, to minimize the effects of the solvent on reflectivity. But in the end, if you are looking for a chrome finsh, have it chrome plated. The "chrome" painted products by Alsa, House of Kolor, or whomever is selling a similar chrome effect, are pricey enough that only a few applications of trial and error, and unsatisfied results will quickly Make the chrome plating much more appealing and cost effective. For durability, I think it will hold up as well as any other paint product, so if it will cause scratches, blemishes, etc on paint, then this stuff will likely show similar defects.

Disclaimer form HOK: "Kosmic Krome kustom metals are one of the latest effects for kustom painting. Not intended to be a total finish, but rather an additional tool for graphics or airbrush projects that need something unique."

Based on what I have seen, I think that speaks volumes.

It still looks good after the clear, but looks more gray than chrome

Jack