TheSamba.com :: View topic - Spray-on chrome products ....any good?

Thu Jul 23, 2015 8:46 pm

With the cost of traditional re-chroming of existing OG bumpers, and the cost of replacement, decent quality bumpers, have any of us frugal-minded VW enthusiasts tried these relatively new (and not so inexpensive) liquid spray-on chrome products (Hydro-Chrome, etc)? The video demonstrations look convincing ...even saw one with Jay Leno endorsing a product. Looks like most need to be applied over a painted surface, so that would allow some 'body work' to smooth out an imperfect bumper or hub cap. Anyone have experience to share??

Thu Jul 23, 2015 9:08 pm

Check out one of your local powder coating businesses. I have one local to me that gave me the tour of the place and showed me some recent work they had done in chrome finish. One piece was a dual 4 barrel manifold for a 392 Chrysler Hemi - and some wheels. They all looked very good. I'm seriously thinking of having my stock Ghia wheels and the front nose grilles done by them - and the front and rear bumpers if I like the results of my wheels. I was quoted $120 for 4 wheels. I'll probably have them done after the driving season is over around here which is late October early November. I'll have some new tires put on after since that needs to be done too.

Stainless steel bumpers are available from Viet Nam for our cars. The price is right around $1k for both pieces.

The powder coating is very durable but can't match chrome or stainless steel for appearance. My impression was it looked like chrome but with a film on it - almost but not quite shiny. I doubt you could get a very durable finish from a can without baking it on and thats where powder coating gets its durability.

Thu Jul 23, 2015 11:46 pm

Thanks for chiming in ...however, I wasn't asking about 'powder coating' (which is an electro-static painting process) ...I was asking about spray-on liquid chrome products ...such as this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6kypid0XG0. Once you watch the video, you will understand that this process is totally unrelated to painting or powder coating ...

Fri Jul 24, 2015 12:07 pm

I used to do CosmiChrome which is a "spray on chrome". Takes a ton of prep and a proprietary base coat. It can be tinted any shade you'd like and can be durable with the right clear but in the long run chrome wins.

Fri Jul 24, 2015 4:57 pm

I implore you to visit the paint forums with such a notion. You may learn something.

Sat Jul 25, 2015 8:15 am

I will say that the chrome paint sprays have gotten better. My comment is strictly about appearance. ......longevity is a totally different equation.

The improvements they have been making are finer and finer particles. Also making resins that are hard enough when dry..... to polish ...just like you would an auto paint. The metallic and mica type particles must be fine enough to be crammed close enough together to reflect light without breaking up the image.....because poor reflection quality...not overall luster, gloss or color...are what these paints really, suffer from. Its not that they are not, bright.....they are generally just not polished enough or cant be polished. ....and as such are missing a degree of chrome-esque realism that the brain and eye tweaks onto immediately.

In this respect, they look about 85-90% of chrome....but that last 10% is a lot....and what it is missing ......as mentioned....is more than luster, gloss or shine......its primarily (slightly) a coloration and (mostly) reflection issue. For example.....this stuff could never be made into a mirror like chrome, could....but its very nice.

I personally would never use it for something like bumpers. Chrome bumpers are expected to be, clean, perfect and reflective. However, parts that stay a little dirtier and just need to be bright and smooth....like wheels....or a motorcycle helmet. ...or a roll bar.....this stuff is perfect.

The one I have found that is pretty nice is Dupli-Color perfect match series universal chrome.

The real trick is that it must be shaken like you have never shaken paint before.....and you need to stop religiously every 2 minutes and shake some more. Ray

Sat Jul 25, 2015 1:04 pm

Ray, Are you familiar with the product in the video? It does not appear to be a paint but rather some other chemical reaction. It does look pretty good In the video . The one thing that confused me was why you would spray on an activator only to immediately wash it off before the final product is applied.

Sat Jul 25, 2015 2:38 pm

dirtkeeper wrote: Ray, Are you familiar with the product in the video? It does not appear to be a paint but rather some other chemical reaction. It does look pretty good In the video . The one thing that confused me was why you would spray on an activator only to immediately wash it off before the final product is applied.

Hydro chrome. ...or more accurately...hydro graphics which is the base chemical process that process that hydrochrome is...uses inkjet printed imagew, sometimes vapor deposition films (in the case of the chrome finish)...and in rare cases....flexo printo films.

It is a derivitive of water slide decal technology. It is how very fine woodgrain on some car dashes are done and how the camouflage on many gun stocks is done these days.

The primer is sprayed kn to attack and clean the surface, you, are applyjng it to.....to make the part more "wettable" or hydrophylic.

The design or coating can be jettee straight onto the surface or the water tank....or tloated off a water slide decal sheet onto the surface of the support liquid. Then the item or part is raised up from below and the coating or graphic....only microns thick....wraps itself atound and flows onto the part.

For permanence....some parts or plastics are hen sublimated. ....meaning because the inks and coatings have specific chemistry.....after the part is dry (and only if its in the polyester, ertain nylon alloy families etc.).....it is placed under a vacuum sheet...vaccumed down snd then heated to glass transition temperature of the ink or coating....which should be close to the glass transition temp of the plastic of the part.
At that temp......the coating or ink......held tight to the surface of the plastic by a silicone vacuum blanket...turns to a gas and flows into the pores of the plastic held open by the heat. Cool it slightly. ....and the pores close and its permanent.

But....if the part you are eoing this fo....is the wrong plastic alloy for sublimation. ...you hsve to spray on a polyester film....that the coating can sublimate to. Then when its dry you wash it well to make sure the oils from the propellant don5 keep the water and ikage from flowing onto it.

Its not real chrome "plating".......but its as close as you can get. The hydrochrome....is exploiting some of the same technology in a spray method. Its all about getting the product to wet out and attsche itself.....and be thin enough to polish. Ray

Sat Jul 25, 2015 2:51 pm

I use those same types of wetting agents in my industry (part of the same industry as hydrographic work).....they are amazing products.

The demo shows a two stage base primer down first...just like painting a car...a foundation.

The wetting agent breaks surface tension to allow water and any liquid to sheet perfectly without beading up....but the setting agent itself is a hindrance to adhesion....so you rinse it off with distilled or deionized water. Whatever you put on next.....in this case most probably a colloidal suspension of fine metals or plastics...appied with its hardener.......will flow out perfectly and then harden. Same exact chemical technology as i described for dunk tank hydro graphics......just done with sprays because there is no required image or masking.

Ingenious actually. Ray

Sat Jul 25, 2015 9:05 pm

Thanks for adding some more knowledge to the discussion, Ray. So, in your experience, is this process (ie: Hydro Chrome) durable enough for use on VW bumpers, hub caps, trim, etc?

Sun Jul 26, 2015 8:34 am

Digger89L wrote: Thanks for adding some more knowledge to the discussion, Ray. So, in your experience, is this process (ie: Hydro Chrome) durable enough for use on VW bumpers, hub caps, trim, etc?

Its purely decorative. I don't know how it will wear or survive UV and weather. It does not mean it, wont....I just dont know. Bear in mind that its just a coating....held on by chemistry/reain/activator.....not a plating held on by metallic/ionic bonding.

The application method is there to make sure it disperses properly....and looks good. I dont know if it makes it any more durable.

Tue Jul 28, 2015 2:36 pm

If you're doing it for automotive use you should be putting a high-gloss 2K Clear coat over the top of the hydro-chrome. That's even what the video above suggests.

In that sense it'll be just as durable as any 2K product (ie... ideally the rest of your car).

Doesn't mean it won't chip of course - it will, but it'll be as solid as any other paint when clear coated.

Sat Aug 01, 2015 2:58 pm

From what I have seen, the spray on chrome stuff would be good for interior stuff, scripts, bezels.....that sort of small stuff. Probably not for bumpers.