stripping chrome / alclad

[mgruenwald]

Is there a reason some of you strip the kit chromed parts before applying alclad? I have been leaving the kit chrome intact and over spraying with gloss black then applying the alclad with what appears to be great results. Just curious.

[Tom Geiger]

Part of replacing the chrome finish with Alclad is the ability to remove imperfections from the chrome. Many kit bumpers had big seam lines in very visible places that most folks would take care of prior to sending out for rechroming, or now a days Alcladding.

For quick repairs I have shot Alclad from my spray can right onto kit chrome and it's worked out well too. I've done that on a few parts that had yellowed clear coat over the chrome or chrome that had oxidized but the part was otherwise good to go.

[Swamp Dog]

u luckly it dont pill off..thats a slick surface you are spraying on..in the futher i would light buff it up with thin steel wool..it may do great for a while but i would think in the long run it would crack or flake off...just saying..

Edited October 18, 2013 by Swamp Dog

[Foxer]

In addition to that mentioned above I strip more to remove the undercoat under the chrome. Many times this is quite thick and acts like thick coats of paint that hide detail.

[Modelbuilder Mark]

Same here, to clean up the part, "un"-hide the buried detail and basically make sure the chrome lays down even.

If I could afford it, I would buy one of those liquid chrome kits I have seen advertized.