I have a few parts that are freshly chrome plated but have some areas that need to be painted, They are in the interior and some are on the foot rests so paint should be durable. How can it be done??
I considered masking and etching with acid but not sure I could get the nice distinct line I need?
Mask and then sand with 240 grit to get a key. Depending on the paint determines what etch and primer used. Is it black? If so I'd use spray can enamel. Easy to apply and clean up. Let harden for a week or more before use.
Gary,
I masked off the area with duct tape then scuffed the area to be painted with fine emery cloth. Cleaned the area well, re-masked with painting tape, applied self etching primer then the color (black) coats.
I've also used 3M black trim tape for areas about 1" wide . I decreased the area and applied the tape, then trimmed the edges with a razor. The tape has great adhesion and held up to the elements and cleaning on the grille. If black will work for you, the tape is available in semi-gloss and gloss finish. I can look up the 3M part number if you need it.
HTH
Take a look at Fred Zwickers page on his LaSalle restoration. fzoldcars.com
The last page has piece on painting the chrome bumber.
have you guys got a product called AQL steel, it's a adhesion promoter specially made for all types of steel and apparently chrome. They use it on the East coast of Australia, i'm on the west and my paint company won't bring it over something about "not enough call for it". Look it up see if you can get it over there....
Definitely DO NOT want to acid etch! Potential to accidently damage the good finish is high. Worse is undercutting the chrome and lifting. The chrome surface is micro-porous and the nickel, copper, and base metal will etch faster.
Don't know what part it is and why it was plated where it needn't, but if it's like in between accent pin striping, then I don't see you need to do anything except prep for paint (clean off with prep sol) paint with paint that is designed for that. If it's a larger section for spraying then also mask and shoot with adhesion promoter first but may not be necessary with epoxy paint. Shoot light coats and let flash between.
Toothing first with abrasives may lead to leaving sand scars showing through. So need to stay above ~4-600 grit.
Here is sample. The recessed parts of the foot rest are painted a trim color,sort of brownish maroon. I actually purchased a parts car to get one of these rare foot rests.
What I would do, just paint it with satin black, let dry over night and then use 0000 steel wool to clean off the raised chrome.
In our shop we mask off the areas with a good quality vinyl from a sign shop. Then sandblast the areas to be painted. The sandblast process will not remove the vinyl but instead essentially bounces off the vinyl. Follow this with a good epoxy primer and then paint the color you want. Try it on a old piece of metal first to see how it works.
In the good old days when I was starting out in this business we used to do sandblasted designs on glass vent windows and the corners of side glass this way. We would cover the glass with "contact paper" (which was vinyl) cut the design out and blast it into the glass. We would even do multi-layered designs this way.
I agree with Fred Pennington up above, this has a step by step process, very detailed, with photographs. Fred Zwicker did a wonderful job of showing you how:
http://www.fzoldcars.com/Page_8.php
Just the foot rest end caps? Can't they be taken off? Or photo missing something?
Frankly, I like them shiny.
OK to lightly blast fro adhesion but I'd do bead, not sand. Just have to tooth it, not remove it. Any pitting and it'll come off or open a hole with sand. U want a smooth surface for paint. Still need to prep for paint after.
There might have been a vinyl interior trim paint for this, but epoxy or cat urethane should give good service, if you can match the desired color. You might be able to track down through the trim paint codes for your make and model but access is getting harder all the time. I'd talk to a bodyshop or paint counter that has full paint code access.
ps; I think the Zwicker link was more in line what I was thinking you wanted. Usually you don't need to go to great lengths. I've used rattle can flat black on grill accents, both chrome and aluminum, with almost no surface prep.
If you want chrome finish
https://alsacorp.com/easy-chrome/
A professional painter here followed all the instructions to the letter on one of these supposedly best chrome paint, and when the job was completed, a fuel tank, it was nothing at all like a chrome tank.
A waste of money. Plus, he got a refund for all the time wasted.
Bruce. >:D
Maybe I was not clear. The end caps have been plated and the big center part which is a decorative hinge is also freshly plated with chrome. In the recess in the hinge painting is required to match the other trim in the cabin The part the feet rest on are wooden and upholstered.
The hinge on the foot rest is so rare I had to buy a parts car to get one.