Working with chrome

[durangod]

My semi truck build arrived and there is tons of chrome. Is there anything i need to be careful with when dealing with chrome plastic?

 

[Rob]

My semi truck build arrived and there is tons of chrome. Is there anything i need to be careful with when dealing with chrome plastic?

My semi truck build arrived and there is tons of chrome. Is there anything i need to be careful with when dealing with chrome plastic?

Yes. Be careful you don't get any of the super clean in your eyes when you throw all that Chrome in a vat of super clean

 

[durangod]

OK ill wear goggles. So your saying chrome plastic needs to be washed

 

[BlackSheepTwoOneFour]

No… if you're going to remove chrome plating altogether. SuperClean strips chrome off not wash it.

No special instruction in handling chrome parts ona model car or truck. Scrape area where glue needs to be when gluing in place - ie: bumpers. Glue don't adhere well with chrome plating

 

[durangod]

ok great thanks

 

[the Baron]

I'll second stripping the chrome, and second using SuperClean. I use it, and it was to strip chrome that I first tried it.
I strip the chrome because it just doesn't look right, to my eye, to depict real chrome in 1:1. It's too "bright" without having the reflective quality of real chrome.

And also, there is almost always some area that needs addressing, like a sprue gate or a seam, that would damage the chrome and take more work to clean up. I find it easier just to strip it and then proceed as I normally would with assembly, priming, and painting.

 

[durangod]

So should i assume there is no way to keep the original chrome and patch the sprue damage and the seams with any success at all?

Dont they have matching chrome paint?

It appears that revell chrome spray is the best but very expensive.

I wish they would stop placing chrome on sprues all together.

 

[Eagle-1]

If you DON'T want to completely strip the chrome, DO NOT put it in Super Clean. It'll be gone in less than a minute.

For chrome touch-ups, try this:



Rob.

 

[durangod]

If you DON'T want to completely strip the chrome, DO NOT put it in Super Clean. It'll be gone in less than a minute.

For chrome touch-ups, try this:

View attachment 125268

Rob.

Thanks ordered.

 

[durangod]

i guess i could weather the seams to look like they are welded or shape putty so it looks welded. But putty is never a clean job and i would probably scratch the chrome all over the place.

Since there is no way of hiding the seams without a total repaint i figure ill show them but give them a purpose.

 

[BlackSheepTwoOneFour]

Hobby Lobby has Molotow Chrome pens if you have one nearby instead of ordering them.

 

[durangod]

Here is the simple way to deal with chrome. Before you assemble any chrome parts, ask yourself 2 questions.

1. Am i going to modify the chrome in any way (example putty the seams)?
2. Am i ok with this chrome part not being chrome and not matching the rest of the chrome?

If you answered yes to those then before you assemble them put them in superclean and save yourself a ton of work.

Rule 1 Other than tiny touchup with chrome pen on sprue marks, do not mess with the chrome if you want to keep it chrome.

Here was my experience with the 2 chrome fuel tanks. I thought (lol) i would repair the seams and save the chrome, silly me.

I glued them together and then puttied the seams. As i was carefully sanding (using tape to protect the surface) and using a wooden toothpic to prevent scratching the chrome. Due to squeezing the tank, the tank came apart on one side causing me to miss my mark and scratch the chrome. This basically ended my idea of keeping the chrome as it would look bad if i tried to repair it outside the seam zone.

So i superglued the seam and put it in superclean which only takes a few minutes to remove the chrome. That meant i had to remove the chrome on the other tank as well.

Now comes the interesting part. First the good news is that putty will hold up to superclean. However after 3x using putty and sanding there are small places where the putty will not bond properly and the seam still shows. The reason i believe is that since i had assembled them already there is still chrome in the seam which could be effecting the bond.

So after all the time sanding, i am left with a non chrome part with a seam showing. Hard lesson

That is why i say, leave the chrome alone unless you dont mind it not being chrome.

Also superclean destroys paint brushes.

 

[BlackSheepTwoOneFour]

Pffftt…. I usually just wing it. I have my own system with chrome parts for these last 50 plus years.

The only time I'll strip chrome if I wanted the bumper to match the car body. I will touch up using Molotow chrome pen on spots where I nip off chrome parts from the sprue.