Fixing the chrome on plastic parts.

I think I might have the solution for worn off chrome on plastic parts. As most of us have tried paint and pens etc, it just isn't the same as chrome. I remember laying on my couch one sunday afternoon hung over watching Norm and company on This Old House followed by New Yankee Workshop. He was making a picture frame or something like that, but I remember he used gold leafing and it looked like it was plated and had a mirror like finish. So I figured I might give it a go on plastic.
I went to the local art supply store and found some silver leaf. They sell a small kit that includes an adhesive pen and some leaf.
The box that needs the chrome is my Rising 20/20 on the tweeter grill. The left side is good but the right side was missing alot of the chrome. So i tried the leaf on one of the horizontal grill bars and it turned out pretty good!
I got overzealous and attempted to do the whole right tweeter grill. it turned out like **** and I'll have to take it off and start over. So here are the lessons learned; Dont use cottonballs to smooth it out and Wait for the glue to dry before placing the leaf down at least 10 -15 min. With this said I do think this will work, you just have to be patient and take your time.
I'll post pics of my results.
Any one else go this route with good results?

Peace,
Paul Z.

that sounds awesome,, i have seen a site that supposealy sells chrome paint and it not the stuff that you buy at the autoparts store it something that really looks like chrome

Master Z-I'm really interested in seeing your efforts.You might consider some kind of sealer over top of it when your done.

This sounds very interesting indeed! I've had some good results with some high quality self adhesive chrom that is very thin, but only works on flat areas, so no good for curved speakers surrounds or knobs (the places that get worn most commonly).

Jovie: I think any sealer over the top will reduce the reflectivity of a chrome finish, but I'd loved to be proven wrong.



Rock On.

once the silver leaf is laid on and dry it holds up pretty well. I screwed mine up and it has a little fuzz from the cotton ball I used to smooth it out before it dried completley. I havent fixed it yet so sorry about the delays in pics. I'll see if I can do it this week.

Peace.
Paul Z.

This seems like a really good idea, I'm curious how it will hold up.

Pretty creative thinking, that's what we need to keep these old boxes looking and working great.

If you are patient and have some 800-1000 grit sand paper and Duplicolor Chrome paint you might be a bit surprised with the results.
Here are the steps to a very shiny paint finish.
1. Clean the parts with mild dishwashing detergent.
2. lightly sand the area to be painted and remove any rough edges/scuffs.
use your judgement for the grit. lower the number rougher the grit.
600 will smooth out any rough or scuffed areas
800 will remove the scratches left behind by the 600.
1000 is good for use between coats.
use 800 & 1000 wet, so the paper doesn't .get dirty and clog up.
Make sure you have a nice smooth scratch free area before applying paint as these scratches will likely
show through the paint.
This is the most time consuming part but yields the best results with any paint job.
3. Mask any areas not to be painted with Blue (Scotch brand) Painters masking tape.
4. Situate all parts to be painted in a manor that will allow you to paint with your spray can upright so you get an even amount
of paint vs air coming out of the can.
5. Always test spay an alternative area to ensure the can is spraying proper as not to botch up the parts you spent all that time prepping.
6. Spray the parts with even sweeping motion back and fourth until the parts have an even coating of paint.
keep can about six inches from the surface you are painting.
Be careful and use light coats. Generally you can re coat the parts in about 10 minutes.
Dont saturate the parts but dont just dust them with the paint either as that will result in drips or a rough finish.
7. let the parts dry, preferably in the sun this will help cure the paint.
Temperature of paint and outside temperature & humidity will definitely effect the finished product so read the can to get an idea of all the environmental effects. Its best to create a good painting environment if you can like in a basement or garage just make sure you have adequate ventilation.
8. Give 24 hours to cure and then if you want you can wet sand the parts and apply another coat of base or clear coat to give it a durable shine if needed.
Thats it.
Practice makes perfect so if you are not comfortable practicing on your grail then start on a junker or parts box. you might be amazed at the results.





First Coat complete



After wet sand and final coats shiny like a mirror!!!!!!!!!




I hope this helps at least 1 person

i just studied and bookmarked this terrific set of instructions -
so - yes -
you helped one person -
at least !!

thanks

2

where is the info for the leaf paper?

Just wanted to bump this great HELP post and say that I am doing Franks repair technique very soon on one of my boxes

Thanks for posting this technique to repair old ugly knobs!