17 replies to this topic

[Bobdude]

How important is it to remove the lacquer undercoat when a person strips chrome? Pertaining to recoating with paint or something else.

[plowboy]

Very important! Look at the difference in these wheels:

Before:



After:

[Roncla]

Very important! Look at the difference in these wheels:

Before:



After:

This exactly why I always remove it. I don't know why it has to be put on so thick by the manufactures.

[cruz]

Nothing like sharing your thoughts and answers accompanied by photos!

[Lunajammer]

Okay, so how do you remove the lacquer? Doesn't it become one with the plastic itself?

[Mike Kucaba]

Use your favorite paint stripper. Super clean,91% alcohol,easy off,dawn power dissolver,Elo....epsom salt.....

[Deathgoblin]

Brake fluid works pretty good.

[plowboy]

Okay, so how do you remove the lacquer? Doesn't it become one with the plastic itself?

The wheels in the photo were stripped with LA's Totally Awesome. It works tons better than Purple Power or Castrol Super Clean. I never had any luck with either of those when it came to stripping the clear coat under chrome.

Here's a photo of parts (except the engine and exhaust) that were painted black (Testors enamel) many years ago and stripped recently with the LA's Totally Awesome.

[Lunajammer]

Good info Plowboy. I think I've used most of the stuff mentioned above, but nothing really got after lacquer very well once it's etched into the plastic the way I would have expected the chrome undercoat would do. I'll look into your suggestion.

[Casey]

Good info Plowboy. I think I've used most of the stuff mentioned above, but nothing really got after lacquer very well once it's etched into the plastic the way I would have expected the chrome undercoat would do. I'll look into your suggestion.

I've never seen the undercoat (whatever it is, not totally sure it's a lacquer based product to be honest) etch itself nor become one with the styrene, but 24 hours soaking in Easy Off oven cleaner has always removed it for me.

[mikemodeler]

Where does one find LA Totally Awesome? Can't say that I have heard of that product before.


Inquiring minds need to know!

[cchapman195]

I buy my LA Totally Awesome at any Dollar Tree, All A Dollar, etc... 32 fl oz is a dollar and 1/2 gallon is 3 dollars. Works great for stripping anything fast. I did 2 old bodies in 1 day. Great stuff.

[Bobdude]

Thanks for recommending LA Awesome. It truly is. Even though,in Connecticut the bottle is 20 oz. it still is a bargain for a buck plus tax.

[Art Anderson]

There are two basic techniques used for applying the "non-penetrating" lacquer base coatings for vacuum metalizing (the process by which microthin aluminum is deposited on plastic for that "chrome look": Spraying and flow-coating. Years ago, when the Chevy Rallye wheels pictured above were plated, the base coat was most likely applied with a production spray gun. Flow coating is done by running chrome parts trees under a literal "waterfall" of very thinned lacquer, the parts trees being allowed to drain uniformly (not possible with the older spray gun technique (it's pretty much what all model companies use today, BTW).

Either way, that clear basecoat is what makes model car chrome really shiny.

Art

[plowboy]

Years ago, when the Chevy Rallye wheels pictured above were plated, the base coat was most likely applied with a production spray gun.
Art

That's not a Chevy ralley wheel. It's a '65 GTO ralley wheel. Huge difference between those two wheels.

[Art Anderson]

That's not a Chevy ralley wheel. It's a '65 GTO ralley wheel. Huge difference between those two wheels.

OK, so my bad; but the principle of what I wrote stays the same.

Art

[Danno]

That's not a Chevy ralley wheel. It's a '65 GTO ralley wheel. Huge difference between those two wheels.

Well, not a HUGE difference.

They're both round. They both hold tires onto a car. There's more, but ... well ... you know.

[Greg Wann]

I make certain the clear coat is removed before I attempt to resin cast a part. The clear coat will cover up good detail that needs to be in the new mold.