alclad chrome results

[shood23]

I know it's not a actual model but it is preparation for one

Here is the finish I got with alclads chrome paint recently after 2 months of practicing to get the right technique for a good finish, i have already finished a car with chrome but the finish wasn't as good as it could of been

If anyone knows how to get a good way or any advice on alclad feel free to share

Cheers shaun

[roymattblack]

Bin the Alclad.

I gave up on it long ago. I was totally fed up with a chrome finish you could never touch, and one that dulls down to an ordinary silver after a year or so.

I now use a mist coat of Halfords chrome from a rattle can, over a base of Halfords gloss black. 'Almost' as good as fresh Alclad - and it lasts.

Also, VASTLY cheaper, and easier.

Roy.

[bentwaters81tfw]

^Wot E Said!

An alternative is Plasti Kote Chrome Silver, but it does need some Klear to stop the finger marks.

[Smudge]

Well, that's the 'can of worms' opened up.

You seem to have got a good finish there, so the practice is paying off. If it's a nice deep shine that your looking for, the key is a good deep glossy black undercoat. That will reflect light back through the Alclad and give the reflective shine of chrome or polished aluminium etc. Build the coats up lightly, misting it on gradually. Don't put it on too thick, or the light wont reflect back through, and you will just have silver paint.

My 'issues' with Alclad were with the base coats. The black is just not glossy enough, I ended up using Humbrol Gloss Black enamel, which worked very well. For the less shiny metals, the Alclad base coats are probably fine.

Word of warning though, I came unstuck, literally, when I tried to mask it off to apply another shade. It peeled away with the masking tape. I have yet to resolve the issue, and my F7U Cutlass remains unfinished as a result.

As the guy's above stated, it is a very tricky medium to get the hang of, it isn't always as durable as it could be, and there are alternatives that are easier to live with. But when you get it right, for polished shiny metal it probably is the best finish you can get.

Good luck!

[F1 Insider]

PlastiKote Chrome silver is the way forward!

[Planebuilder62]

To mask over high shine Alcad then using damp paper masks works well. It doesn't lift off the alclad underneath when you remove the mask. Another way is to use Alclad glosskote over the alclad but that dulls it down a touch.

[Tomjw]

I have read in several locations that Alclad needs seven days to cure. Anything shorter can lead to lifting when masking tape is removed. Using this rule, I have yet to experience any lifting.