Paint over chrome?
07-05-2009, 02:12 PM
#3
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Location: Catonsville, MD
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Start by washing with soap and water. Then clean the part with a quality wax and grease remover (PPG DX-330, DuPont Prep Sol, etc.).
If the chrome is peeling, cracking, chipping, etc., remove it by grinding (24 or 36 grit) or bring it in and have it de-chromed.
If the chrome is in decent shape (scratches are fine as long as they don't cause peeling, cracking, chipping, etc.), sand the whole part with 80 grit on a dual action sander or an angle grinder. Make sure there are no shiny spots left anywhere or it will peel.
Prime with a self-etching primer. Follow the instructions for your particular brand. They vary in application. If the self-etching primer requires sanding before top-coating, sand it according to the instructions.
If it does not require sanding, after the appropriate tack time, apply a quality primer/surfacer to fill in the 80 grit sanding marks and any other minor imperfections.
If there were any dents or dings to fill in, fill them in after applying the self-etching primer. Body filler will stick to self-etching primer, it will not stick to chrome.
If you sand through the primer at any time while sanding, you need to re-apply it to that area. Clean the part once again, using wax and grease remover (PPG DX-330) and/or final prep (PPG DX-320). I prefer DX-330 before sanding and DX-320 after sanding.
Once you are satisfied with the surface prep, you can topcoat with your favorite color and paint type.
This is a great sourcefor all painting problems....http: //www.longislandcustoms.com/tech/paint_over_chrome.php
If the chrome is peeling, cracking, chipping, etc., remove it by grinding (24 or 36 grit) or bring it in and have it de-chromed.
If the chrome is in decent shape (scratches are fine as long as they don't cause peeling, cracking, chipping, etc.), sand the whole part with 80 grit on a dual action sander or an angle grinder. Make sure there are no shiny spots left anywhere or it will peel.
Prime with a self-etching primer. Follow the instructions for your particular brand. They vary in application. If the self-etching primer requires sanding before top-coating, sand it according to the instructions.
If it does not require sanding, after the appropriate tack time, apply a quality primer/surfacer to fill in the 80 grit sanding marks and any other minor imperfections.
If there were any dents or dings to fill in, fill them in after applying the self-etching primer. Body filler will stick to self-etching primer, it will not stick to chrome.
If you sand through the primer at any time while sanding, you need to re-apply it to that area. Clean the part once again, using wax and grease remover (PPG DX-330) and/or final prep (PPG DX-320). I prefer DX-330 before sanding and DX-320 after sanding.
Once you are satisfied with the surface prep, you can topcoat with your favorite color and paint type.
This is a great sourcefor all painting problems....http: //www.longislandcustoms.com/tech/paint_over_chrome.php
Last edited by BaltChief; 07-05-2009 at 02:18 PM.
07-06-2009, 08:22 AM
#5
JK Enthusiast
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Blarsville or McDonough, GA
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I'm not crazy about rattle cans but...unless they changed the formula over the last few years a good rattle can etch primer is UPOL Acid #8 and its going to do best over 180 grit scratches.
Be careful if you use any 'professional' type coatings because many epoxy primers are recommend over wash/etch primers (not over bare metal) because they have been cheapened up significantly over the years.
If you want to make a quality waterborne wax and grease remover which works great over bare metals, chrome and paints start with 3 parts water, 1 part denatured alcohol and just a splash of ammonia. Apply with a clean wet cloth and immediately dry with another clean dry cloth. If you let it air dry on its own you have just wasted you time.
Note: Even though it appears uniformly dry walk away from it for 20 minutes to make sure no moisture is present in your sands scratches.
Be careful if you use any 'professional' type coatings because many epoxy primers are recommend over wash/etch primers (not over bare metal) because they have been cheapened up significantly over the years.
If you want to make a quality waterborne wax and grease remover which works great over bare metals, chrome and paints start with 3 parts water, 1 part denatured alcohol and just a splash of ammonia. Apply with a clean wet cloth and immediately dry with another clean dry cloth. If you let it air dry on its own you have just wasted you time.
Note: Even though it appears uniformly dry walk away from it for 20 minutes to make sure no moisture is present in your sands scratches.
