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
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
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.
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
if i use a high gloss metalic paint and then polish it would that be any better or not?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.