best chrome paint?

what's the best chrome paint to use for pipes, rims and trims? i'm using modelmaster chrome silver, but for some projects it doesn't do the trick. need your opinion on this please!

thanx in advance.

gio

I use either BMF foil or silver paint from Tamiya X-11 marker, although the latter is completely not resistant to touch.

Ales, I tried the X-11 using airbrush and I didnt get the kind of shine I was looking for. It's more like metallic color with visible flakes.

Do you have better luck with it?

I'm talking about the X-11 paint from the Tamiya marker. And I just use a paintbrush for that. Also Plasti-Lote should have chrome paint, I've never used that, but Guiddy has and swears by it.

Has anyone tried Alcad?? I've only heard good things, other than price, about it.

Alclad is the best way to get a true chrome look finish from a paint.
For more information on it, go to www.alclad2.com and it is available for purchase from www.squadron.com
ModelMaster makes metalizer paints too, but their chrome is not as good as the Alclad stuff.

Ray

Alclad II chrome is the one that gets recommended the most. You'll need to spray it over a gloss black enamel surface.

For an alternative, you can try the many chrome metalizers offered by automotive lacquer companies like Plastikote, Duplicolor. It's a pretty good match, if not exactly.

thanx for the reps. i was thinking of using those automotive chrome paints, but i wasn't certain cause it might melt the plastic. so will it? heard 'bout alclad too, but it's somewhat expensive. is it really worth it though? well, i've tried that tamiya maker imo it seems too grainy and it still doesn't look right.


daggerlee,

what do you mean? "You'll need to spray it over a gloss black enamel surface." so you mean if i painted a car red i have to spray black over the area i'm planning to chrome?

Alclad chrome metalizer requires an undercoat of gloss black to get the brilliance out of the chrome.
If you look at the alclad link I posted above there is a full description of how to use it there, as well as examples of what it will look like when finished.

Ray

ok thanx!

Hi all,

Is it possible to use chrome paint on aluminum? If so please give me some suggestions. I'm looking for the right balance between quality and cost. It would also be good if there was enough paint per can or whatever to cover a lot of surface area.

Thanks!

David H.

if you need only some minor brush painting then testor / model master chrome syntethics email is great

Wow, a thread from 2002!
Alclad should do the trick for you.

This stuff is awesome and better than alclad, although it isn't a paint.
Take note of the warning though if you are a bit ham fisted.

http://www.hlj.com/product/WRK00251

This stuff is awesome and better than alclad, although it isn't a paint.
Take note of the warning though if you are a bit ham fisted.

http://www.hlj.com/product/WRK00251

i bought one of those in M model shop in singapore.. its damn good, damn easy to apply, tho it produces a darker shade of chrome than alclad.. but then its FREAKISHLY fragile as u cannot touch it AT ALL coz once its touched, the surface gives out this ungly finger print and so much of the chromed is stripped away:banghead:

Did you got it lately?..I had hear this is an out of production item, that they doesn't do it any longer.

i bought one of those in M model shop in singapore.. its damn good, damn easy to apply, tho it produces a darker shade of chrome than alclad.. but then its FREAKISHLY fragile as u cannot touch it AT ALL coz once its touched, the surface gives out this ungly finger print and so much of the chromed is stripped away:banghead:

noo.. i bought it like about 2 years ago..
im out of town right now.. but when im home, ill take some pics of the result from that powder...

Finisher Chrome is by far better than Alclad. It gets stone hard and you can touch it. You can get it at Rainbowten in Japan.

Finisher Chrome is by far better than Alclad. It gets stone hard and you can touch it. You can get it at Rainbowten in Japan.

Can you show us pictures of parts painted with that?

Can you show us pictures of parts painted with that?

:iceslolan:iceslolan:iceslolan

its FREAKISHLY fragile as u cannot touch it AT ALL coz once its touched, the surface gives out this ungly finger print and so much of the chromed is stripped away:banghead:
Possible to clear-cote?

Possible to clear-cote?

not sure as i havent tried it yet.. ill let you know when im home n able to get my hands dirty with modelling again:)

Finisher Chrome is by far better than Alclad. It gets stone hard and you can touch it. You can get it at Rainbowten in Japan.


Not sure if my Finisher's chrome is different from yours :)

I get a mirror effect (yes, i saw my face on it :tongue:) with Alclad II Chrome

but i don't get the same effect with Finisher's chrome, its nice but not chrome

Not sure if my Finisher's chrome is different from yours :)

I get a mirror effect (yes, i saw my face on it :tongue:) with Alclad II Chrome

but i don't get the same effect with Finisher's chrome, its nice but not chrome
Any pics of your's work with alclad? Did You polish this paint with cottom from dust?

nope :tongue:

I test the alclad chrome on my black paint bottle cap which is gloss black, and i see reflection on it, but the alclad chrome doesnt stick well of course, i think thats why alclad chrome need a black enamal basecoat.

So theoretically if the black enamal base coat is smooth enough to see any reflection, you'll get a mirror effect, you can do a quick test with a smooth & glossy black surface and see the result :smile:

I'm not sure what all the hubbub is here on this subject. If the Finishers stuff is superior to Alclad, I want to see photographic proof of this claim. I've been using Alclad for several years and I think it is perfect. It is NOT fragile at all on top of enamel black or Alclad's own basecoat. It replicates real chrome to scale. Kit chrome is so unrealistic that I can't believe anyone uses parts as they come out of the box.

So, does anyone have any photos of Finishers chrome?

Hi all, thanks for all the responses. I probably should have been more specific. Here's what I'll be painting: 3 sections of 1 1/2 inch OD aluminum tubing. Two 7 foot pieces and one 6 foot piece, so the total is 20 feet.

What would be the best option for me whether to polish or paint, especially considering the price, since the surface area I require is much more than for a car model?

The tubes I have are similar to these drum rack tubes: http://img200.imageshack.us/img200/4976/url3011498.jpg Originally I thought they were chrome plated, but maybe they're just polished? If so I imagine polishing these tubes would be cheaper!

Thanks!

I've never seen one up close but those drum rack tubes look plated. If you have mechanical means to polish it I'd say do that instead. Two bench vises or a helper to stand on one end, an angle grinder with buffing pad and metal polish compound. A $40 bench grinder (half of what you'd spend on Alclad for a project this big) with a polishing wheel can work if you have the room behind it. You can get metal polish in stick form at the local home improvement store. If you don't have the tools then just paint it using chrome paint from the auto parts store, as polishing aluminum by hand can take you forever and a half. It also depends on your use. Will it be scrutinized up close? Do you need to get a close-tolerance clamp around it? Paint will have thickness and can chip off, polish will always be shiny at least until it oxidizes.

Thanks for the reply, honestly this is for a photoshoot, but I don't think it will be scrutinized up close, and I can fix things in photoshop. I'm going to be using those drum rack clamps on the tubing, but for the most part they'll be set in place and be kept there once I find the right positions.

I do need to make sure whatever I do doesn't affect the outer diameter too much. I need it about the same thickness so the clamps stay on tight.

At this point I'm inclined to just paint it. I don't want to spend a hell of a lot of time on this.

Is this the best paint? http://www.plasti-kote.co.uk/Search/scode---5505/Go_suface---GO

It says: "There are many different types of metal each with its own properties. For Aluminium there is a specific primer available, however Metal Primer (http://www.plasti-kote.co.uk/product/pcode---4291/) can also be used. Corroded metal should always be primed first using Metal Primer (http://www.plasti-kote.co.uk/product/pcode---4291/) to prevent the spread of rust. For increased protection and durability we recommend the use of Metal Sealer over your top coat."

Thanks!

Finisher Chrome is by far better than Alclad. It gets stone hard and you can touch it. You can get it at Rainbowten in Japan.

Comme on Allan don't keep us waiting so much, show some pictures of results with this chrome paint, please.