How do you make your frame have a chrome finish?

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How do you make your frame have a chrome finish?
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flag Rune-Penny
Posted: Nov 4, 2010 at 14:07 Quote
hey everyone,

i want to strip my dmr drone frame and paint it with a chrome finish. i have the basics on how to do it i was just wondering if anyone has done it before and has any tips. also a step by step guide would be nice too just to make sure im heading in the right dirrection. i just really want a shiny bike Drool

thanks Salute
flag SupremeDork
Posted: Nov 4, 2010 at 14:51 Quote
http://tinyurl.com/32q8r8b

EDIT: Sorry, I couldn't help myself. I've never done it, so I'm of no use to you.
flag Edwards693
Posted: Nov 4, 2010 at 16:58 Quote
Yoo Dude, I "shinyed" my bike not to long ago,
The best way i think is to youse paint stripper then some wet and dry sand paper using course stuff first then getting finer as you get down to your frame,if you want to preserve the shinyness buy some clear lacker which will protect it from the elements x
flag em-j
Posted: Nov 4, 2010 at 17:27 Quote
Chrome is not actually a paint. It's a finish achieved by electroplating, and it's not usually especially cheap.

You could try a high gloss metallic paint, but it wont have nearly the same finish.

The other option is to raw your frame and polish it with a metal polishing compound, then clearcoat with high gloss. It'll be shiny until the rust sets in, but it still wont look anything like chrome.

If you have an aluminium frame, you could raw it and then buff it to get a nice shiny finish. Then clearcoat with high gloss.
flag Rune-Penny
Posted: Nov 5, 2010 at 5:58 Quote
yea thanks guys.

nah its a steel comp frame. i know chrome plating is expensive i should have been more clear i want a cheap but effective option. the paint rout was the way i was thinking of going anyway and making it all shiny and silver Smile

if i use a high gloss metalic paint and then polish it would that be any better or not?
flag vr6ix
Posted: Nov 5, 2010 at 10:40 Quote
You can find metallic or "chrome" spray paint... but I bet it's not going to look like you want, or last very well. and, it's paint - you can't polish the paint to make it shinier. Try a model/hobby store, or automotive store.
http://www.finishing.com/264/15.shtml

you could strip all the parts off, plug-up all the threaded holes, and have the frame "sand-blasted" using walnut shells or glass beads... but that's spendy.
flag ricar
Posted: Nov 5, 2010 at 16:41 Quote
Quality chrome paint will run you about $70 a can. Durability??? You can do "browning" which is a pain but you let the frame rust (being the pain, getting a nice even coat) then you rub it with wax or grease that will stick to the rust and prevent it from going further. Definitely won't shine. You could get it nickel plated which may be cheaper, got a fork and crank done for $75.
flag road-psyclist
Posted: Nov 5, 2010 at 17:05 Quote
It's known as Sand Blasting which is the process taken to have a chrome finish...but it is not cheap...
flag ricar
Posted: Nov 5, 2010 at 17:56 Quote
Ummmmmm,,, Not exactly. Sand blasting is pretty cheap.
flag road-psyclist
Posted: Nov 5, 2010 at 18:11 Quote
Ah my mistake, well if you can get it done for a fiar price then go for it.
flag alreadyupsidedown
Posted: Nov 5, 2010 at 18:31 Quote
ricar wrote:
Quality chrome paint will run you about $70 a can. Durability??? You can do "browning" which is a pain but you let the frame rust (being the pain, getting a nice even coat) then you rub it with wax or grease that will stick to the rust and prevent it from going further. Definitely won't shine. You could get it nickel plated which may be cheaper, got a fork and crank done for $75.

It's kind of funny that the actual plating could be cheaper than the imitation. But what ever you do, prep work is everything. When your going for a super shinny finnish, your surface better be perfect, because it'll show. Figure on sanding to at least 2000 grit wet& dry for best results.Just suck it up and get the dam thing nickel platted.
flag ezekiel
Posted: Nov 6, 2010 at 5:20 Quote
Generic chrome spray paint is absolute garbage and looks nothing like chrome. Its a slightly more reflective silver basically. Even after buffing its still bright silver.

The best chrome spray paint on the market is made by Alsa Corp and it costs $115USD for the kit. However I do not know how durable the finish is.
flag ezekiel
Posted: Nov 6, 2010 at 5:24 Quote
kinetic-uk wrote:
It's known as Sand Blasting which is the process taken to have a chrome finish...but it is not cheap...

What does sand blasting have to do with a chrome finish? Sand blasting typically leaves steel with a dull smooth finish that needs to be polished.
flag ricar
Posted: Nov 6, 2010 at 6:50 Quote
To get the bike chromed you need it coated which was already covered. The Chrome is actually another plating that goes over the base. Chrome will not stick to bare metal. Sand blasting will just remove whatever coating you have on the frame but can be very bad on frames using triple butted tubes as they are very thin. Sand blasting will remove material. You can get it media blasted which may be glass beads or walnut shells, whatever, but it's a little gentler than sand. I blasted frame will start to rust if not treated but 4130 deals with rust very well. My frame has not seen paint in two years and it's just a bit of surface rust. Chrome plating is very expensive because the chemicals used are NASTY and the process has been banned in Cali outright. Dealing with the chemicals is expensive so you pay for that. Any shop will prep the frame no matter what you want done.

The cheapest option is the most work, strip the paint with a chemical stripper. Then pick up some 1000 or higher grit paper, go nuts. Then get some Autosol or other good metal polish and have at it. This will be a REAL pain until it is as shiny as you want. Then daily coats of WD40.
flag ezekiel
Posted: Nov 6, 2010 at 9:00 Quote
From what I've seen, most places just hot tank the part first. Sand blasting individual parts takes too much time and doesn't clean as thoroughly. That's why I was wondering what sand blasting has to do with chroming.
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