Chrome on Plastic - tips, experiences, advice....

[Axel]

Hi all,

Over the past twelve months as I have been developing reproduction TA22 Celica sail vents I have inevitably come across the issue of chroming onto plastic. With a lack of definitive advice or experience I have thrown considerable cash, time and frustrations at a number of methods of chroming onto plastic and so I thought I might put together my thoughts in the hope of aiding others and encouraging a discussion on the topic.
As I understand it the following are the methods available for chroming on plastic:

First method: Spray paint.
You will find several brands of spray paints at your local auto or hardware store claiming to give a chrome finish. I tried a couple of these, going for reputable brands and trying different base coats and clear top coats I was unable to find any that resulted in much more than silverish spray paint.

Second method: Spray chrome.
This product involves using a bunch of nasty smelling chemicals that you have to mix with the purest of distilled water to get a chrome like coating. It is a method that was popularised a number of years ago when West Coast Customs did a whole Audi in this type of product.
I decided to give this stuff a go and spent about $300 on a DIY kit off Ebay. It came with a bunch of plastic pump spray bottles and small amounts of the chemicals. First you start with applying a coat of 2K black (not included in the kit) to give a gloss finish, then you apply an activator coat, then wash that off, then spray a silvering coat using a fancy double chamber spray bottle, this causes real silver to fall out of solution and bond to the base coat. You then rinse with a silver rinse solution, blow dry then spray with 2K clear.
With the 1st DIY kit I tried and tried but could not get a consistent chrome colour, it was either too yellow or too dark.
I researched to profession setups to use this product but they range from $2500 to over $10000 and I don’t have that sort of cash but basically they all use air spray guns instead if pump bottles.
I then found a supplier in Thailand that does DIY kits with an air powered dual nozzle spray gun so I bought that for just over $200 but again the consistency in colour was only just slightly better than the last stuff but I thought it was sort of alright at the time...until the next problem.
I then had to mask over the chrome to paint some detail (think early TA22 sail vents), and when I removed then masking the chrome came away with it...AAARGH!
OK, so I conceded that maybe it is a job for the professionals. I then searched and searched and although I found a couple of places that used to do it or tried it once none did it anymore. Strangely one company in South Australia who advertise on their website that they do it, when asked for a quote, said “the response of customers hasn’t been good so we don’t recommend it”. WTF???

Third method: Vacuum metallisation
I don’t have any personal experience with this method. Basically this method involves placing the part to be coated into a vacuum along with a small amount of aluminium. The aluminium is then brought to melting point and exploded whereby it then coats the part in a layer only microns thin. It must then be coated in a clear coat as it can rub off.
I haven’t found anyone in Australia that does it but I’d be surprised if they would do one offs or small quantities.

Fourth method: Electroplating.
Electroplating, also known as triple chrome plating or real chrome is a process of running an electric current through a conductive part while it is placed firstly in a copper solution, then a nickel solution and finally a chrome solution, hence the term triple plated.
It’s the stuff that your bumpers and most other metal parts are chromed with.
Of course plastic is not conductive and the process of electroplating on plastic is a specialised one. There are DIY kits available for upwards of $1000 but after watching their instruction videos and my experience with spray chromes I decided to go straight to the professionals.
I was only able to find 2 companies that do electroplated chrome on plastic in Australia. There might be more but I only found two. The first was in South Australia, I opted not to go with them because firstly, I’m in NSW and would have to add the cost of post and second they quoted me 50% more than the second guy. (plus they were the ones who recommended against spray chrome when they advertised it on their website...go figure).
And so I went with the second place, ChromeTech at Castle Hill NSW. And at the risk of sounding like a paid endorsement (which this isn’t) I couldn’t be happier with both the service from Walter and Jon at ChromeTech and the results they produce. The electroplated chrome is exactly how you would expect it to be, nice and bright, the right colour and tough as nails which is perfect for external parts.

So in summary, my recommendation is electroplated chrome but that’s just from my experience so I’d love to hear what others have to say.

Cheers
Axel

[TheStitt]

I think my dad looked at using those guys to redo our crown dashes..

What were the sail vents work, I have a few badges I would like to get re done.

[Axel]

I think my dad looked at using those guys to redo our crown dashes..

What were the sail vents work, I have a few badges I would like to get re done.

You'd be best off contacting ChromeTech for a quote on your badges.
I will say that they charged less than anyone else and I was more than happy enough to back 4 times so far with my TA22 vents.
Maybe try emailing them with a picture and dimensions, I found them very keen to work with me to meet my needs.

[ctrain]

theres a video on jaylenosgarage on youtube about spray on chrome, its worth the watch, comes out better then i expected.

[Axel]

theres a video on jaylenosgarage on youtube about spray on chrome, its worth the watch, comes out better then i expected.

Yeah I've seen it....believe me, if it's on youtube I've seen it.

[Javal]

I would be speaking to A-class metal finishers in SA.



The headlight surrounds are plastic, I don't know which method they used and it cost a fair bit but it'd be worth looking in to. PM me if you want more info re: cost.

[Axel]

I would be speaking to A-class metal finishers in SA.

The headlight surrounds are plastic, I don't know which method they used and it cost a fair bit but it'd be worth looking in to. .

Yeah they're the other guys I contacted, I can't comment on their work of course as I didn't use them.

[Kedderz]

what about hydrographics?

[Javal]

Yeah they're the other guys I contacted, I can't comment on their work of course as I didn't use them.

The work is great, but yeah, it's pricey. I think mainly because mine was a 'one off' job, so if you did larger orders, 3-4 or so, I imagine the unit price would be a little more reasonable as it just becomes a repeat process. Top work though.

[Lambolica]

I've looking into this for various projects and also recommend Chrometech for the best finish. Ther are pricey, especially if existing chrome needs to be stripped and the piece masked up (if only chroming sections)

My experience is whilst the quote may scare you away, when you understand the process of getting the factory level of chrome on a plastic part and that there is hours of work on even the smallest part you understand why the pricing is where it is.

End of the day,if you want the best Chrometech or other similar electroplaters with experience in plating plastic give the best results.

On the question of the professional spray on Chrome kits, I sent off test pieces so I could test the finish in Australian conditions, and if the part is bolted to the outside of a daily driven car it will turn yellow within 6 months. Show cars may yield better results.

Cheers
Simon

[Axel]

what about hydrographics?

There is a guy at Botany I think called Aquadip but he doesn't do chrome.
When I called and asked he referred me back to Chrometech.

[Youngy]

I have used Chrometech as well in the past and the parts are still looking great - and they are hands on parts as well.

For Hydrographics I used these guys. But not for chrome:

http://www.hydroconcepts.com.au/portfolio.htm

My dash is in there some where