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Alclad Chrome - ARRRRGGHHH!!!!!


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IMG 3093

Note that Alclad also comes in a spray can.  I don't like to use an airbrush and this works well for me.

As Eric said, I use a Duplicolor gloss black under the Alclad.  I don't believe Testors enamel has the properties to make Alclad work. It's the same principle as a mirror, the black base is essential to the shine reflecting outward.   

 

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I have not tried Spaz Stix, it looks amazing.

I have limited experience with Alclad, but have not had major problems. I did a little research first and found a few tips that seemed to work:

1. Use gloss black enamel base coat, not the Alclad black lacquer (I use hardware store Krylon...if it's not shiny enough, I wait until it's cured and then polish it until it shines)

2.Thin, light coats of Alclad, just misted on, seems to produce the most "chrome-like" finish. Apply too much Alclad and you'll get a dull silver. Too little and the black will show through in crevices where the Alclad hasn't reached. For some parts, this can actually be a positive result, it saves the trouble of applying a black wash later.

3. A light dusting once the Alclad is dry (which doesn't take long) removes any dry particles of paint on the surface. Don't buff it though!

4. No clear coat; that will just make the Alclad look dull silver again.

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black gives the tone of the chrome, you don't need to use black. As long as your surface is extremely smooth and glossy, the chrome will be reflective and have depth. You can manipulate the hue, or color of the chrome with the color of the base coat. 

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If you can't get the Spaz Stix or Alclad techniques down some thing that's worked for me is to use Lowe's Valspar Primer + Valspar Gloss Black + Valspar Brite Metal Silver.  (Valspar seems to work the best for me.)  These are all enamel based paints so either accelerate drying with a hair dryer or dehydrator.  Use your polishing pads on the gloss black you want the shiniest smoothest surface for the silver to lay down on.  This won't give the chrome effect that Alclad or Spaz Stix will, close but not quite the same.   Using this technique first out of the can, then decanting is going to help your learning curve and at $3 - 4 bucks a rattle can is cheaper to practice with too.  

(This technique goes way back before either Chrome Paint products ever came on the market, sign guys have been using it for eons.)  this is basically the same base technique that airbrush artists used lacquers for to do headlights and chrome, tinted and highlighted with super-thinned blue.

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