painting chrome trim/body

[peter havriluk]

I'm in the midst of assembling a Moebius 1955 Chrysler 300 racer, and I'd like some advice about order of operation to paint the body exterior.  The most straightforward path is to prime, paint body color, mask, spray trim.  Anything work better?  And, no, I don't want to use rub-on foil for the brightwork. 

Thanks, folks  

[Dave G.]

I've gone to Molotow pens almost exclusively for chrome trim fwiw. Around windows I don't even mask, I do mask the sides. It does a great job imo and very easy. I close the pens back up and then wrap them up in a baggie wrapped/rolled up nice and tight for storage.

I keep getting little sparks of interest for those Mobius Chryslers myself. But what I really wish is they would release a 56 Buick hardtop, nobody ever releases Buicks lol !

Edited May 29, 2020 by Dave G.

[peter havriluk]

Dave, I used a Molotow pen on a prior project.  My experience was that these things are very expensive for what little coverage is available with the pen.  Ran out before the car was finished and there wasn't much to do (this was a couple of years ago and I've forgotten which project that was).   

But I appreciate the reply, thanks very much. 

[espo]

I have had good luck using the Molotaw Chrome Pins for small areas and touch up on other chrome trim. I use Chrome Foil for a majority of chrome trim on my models. One thing I have found useful if you aren't already doing this, is to out line any trim with a #11 blade before applying any color coats. The reason is that the paint buildup will make the departing line between the trim and the body harder to find when applying the foil. I started using this method back when you had to use chrome paint for trim before the foil was around. This may help with the Molotaw Pin also as the chrome fluid flows on the trim it will stop at the blades mark as it acts like a dam to stop the flow.   

[peter havriluk]

Please refer to my initial comment about foil. 

Thanks. 

[BlackSheep214]

I use both - Molotov pen and Bare Metal Foil. The trick in using BMF is go slow and work in sections. I use as little width as possible to cover the trims. Measure the length you need. Rub down using a Q-tip and score using those extremely sharp Z series Xacto blades. I got mine at Walmart in the crafting section. Molotov pens especially the fine points can suddenly burst out more than you need while doing the trim work. 

I usually like to pump out a few drops from the Molotov pen on a pallet dish of sorts and use those disposable/reusable  detailing brushes for touch up work. Worked for me. Hope this helps.

[Dave G.]

4 hours ago, peter havriluk said:

Dave, I used a Molotow pen on a prior project.  My experience was that these things are very expensive for what little coverage is available with the pen.  Ran out before the car was finished and there wasn't much to do (this was a couple of years ago and I've forgotten which project that was).   

But I appreciate the reply, thanks very much. 

Just putting it out there, if you don't like them so be it. Haven't had that problem though. Gotta pump em up.

[peteski]

If foil is not an option (why?), and Molotow is not an option then the next best (and cheap) solution would be the old fashion Testors 'chrome' paint in the little square glass bottles. It looks decent, but never really fully hardens.  But still, generations of modelers used it for chrome trim for decades.  I don't know what else to say.  You are limiting yourself quite severely.

[espo]

There is also Tamiya X-11 Chrome Silver. The trick with the old square bottle Testors was to lay it on thick and then gently blow on it. Somehow it would make it dry shinier that way.  

[StevenGuthmiller]

28 minutes ago, peteski said:

If foil is not an option (why?), and Molotow is not an option then the next best (and cheap) solution would be the old fashion Testors 'chrome' paint in the little square glass bottles. It looks decent, but never really fully hardens.  But still, generations of modelers used it for chrome trim for decades.  I don't know what else to say.  You are limiting yourself quite severely.

That's my thought.

If you have no interest in using the "best" materials available for your projects, you have pretty much limited yourself to silver paint or Sharpie markers.

If you want it to actually look like chrome, foil is the only answer in my opinion.

 

There are a couple of other even more difficult options than foil if you want to go that route.

You can use silver leaf, which is much more difficult to work with than foil, or you can mask off all of your trim and spray it with one of any number of "chrome" spray paints, none of which really look like chrome.

Either way, you can save yourself a whole bunch of headaches by just learning to work with foil.

 

 

 

Steve

[GeeBee]

Although I prefer the Bare Metal foil route, another option is to mask off the trim,and use Alclad lacquer, you need to airbrush a good glossy black coat first, but done correctly, Alclad  is very realistic.

[StevenGuthmiller]

24 minutes ago, GeeBee said:

Although I prefer the Bare Metal foil route, another option is to mask off the trim,and use Alclad lacquer, you need to airbrush a good glossy black coat first, but done correctly, Alclad  is very realistic.

Agreed.

But it's really no more difficult to learn to use BMF than it is to do all of that masking.

Plus the fact that paints like Alclad and especially a product like Molotow are quite fragile and prone to deterioration with time and handling.

Who among us does not have, or remember models with painted trim where the trim paint was half wore off after a few years?

Alclad and Molotow are very unlikely to fare much better.

 

 

 

Steve

[GeeBee]

10 hours ago, StevenGuthmiller said:

Agreed.

But it's really no more difficult to learn to use BMF than it is to do all of that masking.

Plus the fact that paints like Alclad and especially a product like Molotow are quite fragile and prone to deterioration with time and handling.

Who among us does not have, or remember models with painted trim where the trim paint was half wore off after a few years?

Alclad and Molotow are very unlikely to fare much better.

Agreed that either Molotow or Alclad really don't like being handled, and since the early 1990's I've been using Bare Metal foil, although a few years I built the MPC/Airfix 32 Chrysler, the chrome was shot, so got stripped and everything was redone using Alclad, it's been sitting in the display cabinet and still looks as good as it did the day it was built.

 

[Dave G.]

GeeBee, nice looking Chrysler !! I love those classics kits, I did the Lincoln roadster, a few Model As, two different Monogram Duesenbergs but I can't remember if I ever did the Chrysler and it's been on my list for a while. The Packard is another I kind of keep an eye out for that isn't a scam at Ebay.

[jchrisf]

2 hours ago, GeeBee said:

Agreed that either Molotow or Alclad really don't like being handled, and since the early 1990's I've been using Bare Metal foil, although a few years I built the MPC/Airfix 32 Chrysler, the chrome was shot, so got stripped and everything was redone using Alclad, it's been sitting in the display cabinet and still looks as good as it did the day it was built.

 

Wow!  Excellent work Geoff!

[peter havriluk]

GeeBee: What a gorgeous Chrysler!  I'm ignorant about the kit, its scale, age of the kit.  Can you please help?  Thanks!

[Mike999]

The headlights and searchlight on this 1/35 scale Rolls were painted with Alclad Chrome about 10 years ago. The fuel can and side-lights were painted with Alclad Polished Brass.  The photo is recent, from just a few days ago.  

The chrome parts were base-coated with Tamiya Gloss Black acrylic, then sprayed with Alclad and polished with a soft cloth. I think the brass parts were hand-painted (even though Alclad tells us not to do that).  Anyway, they're still nice and shiny!

 

Edited May 30, 2020 by Mike999
goof2

[StevenGuthmiller]

As long as you don't have to handle them too much or clean them very often, the Alclad and maybe Molotow, (nobody really knows at this point) will probably hold up okay.

But I think it's obvious to all of us that neither of them possess the durability of foil.

 

Alclad has it's place.

I use it myself.

But it's paint, and not a particularly tough one, so you're always taking a risk with longevity when using it.

 

I don't know about anyone else, but when moving a model around, which is inevitable at some point, I will generally pick them up by the sides of the roof.

Personally, I would never use Molotow or Alclad on the drip rail trim of a model for that reason.

 

I suppose it could just be me, but I really shy away from using materials on a project that I won't feel comfortable touching down the road.

 

Just my opinion.

 

 

 

 

 

Steve

Edited May 30, 2020 by StevenGuthmiller

[gtx6970]

I used the pen on all the trim on a Thunderbolt build a few years ago. And only the side trim on another one about the same time.And this was maybe 3 or 4 years ago

To this day they still look good . But I dont handle them either. As once in the  case, they tend to stay there

[Dave G.]

3 hours ago, peter havriluk said:

GeeBee: What a gorgeous Chrysler!  I'm ignorant about the kit, its scale, age of the kit.  Can you please help?  Thanks!

You can find them used ( the kits) on Ebay, made by MPC 1/25 scale. Several iterations of box art but the same kit. oldmodelkits,com might have some too. I'll let GeeBee fill in the details since it's him you asked not me.

[GeeBee]

7 hours ago, peter havriluk said:

GeeBee: What a gorgeous Chrysler!  I'm ignorant about the kit, its scale, age of the kit.  Can you please help?  Thanks!

The one I built was the Airfix version, bringing back memories of the one I built back when i was 15, originally an MPC kit that's been released in quite a few different box arts, there all the same kit though, and builds up very nice.

 

[Mike999]

10 hours ago, peter havriluk said:

GeeBee: What a gorgeous Chrysler!  I'm ignorant about the kit, its scale, age of the kit.  Can you please help?  Thanks!

The kit dates back to the 1960's, and was originally in the MPC "Gangbusters" series.  It came with gangster figures, weapons, a safe for the gangsters to crack and other fun stuff.  Like a bullet-riddled windshield and radiator. 

If you want all those gangster parts, you'll have to find an original. The '32 Chrysler 2-door roadster has been reissued several times with the Gangbuster parts, but AFAIK the Imperial 4-door was only re-issued as a stock kit without those parts.  All of them are pretty easy to find on eBay. Round 2 is about to re-issue the Roadster, with the vintage motorcycle that originally came in it.

Here's the box:

[SCRWDRVR]

I use a Molotow pen for all my chrome. It looks great for chrome out of a paint pen. I have learned a few things about it in the year I've been using it (2 pens the whole time by the way 1- 1mm and 1- 2mm) 1st the wetter you put it on the better it looks but it takes time to get used to doing fine lines with it and keeping it wet without putting to much on and 2nd don't touch it!!! after handled it looks more like aluminum than chrome so if your work is left out and not cased after you dust it will lose its shine.

This kit is a rebuild of a kit I did 20ish years ago, all the chrome on it including bumpers are done with a Molotow 2mm pen

 

[Bills72sj]

I am somewhat agreeing with Steve here. I started with silver paint. Rubs off of drip rails, doesn't really look like chrome. Did a short stint with silver Sharpie. Rubs off easier still not chrome. BMF is the best appearing and longest lasting. Stays down fantastic if coated with Future. Molotow is a recent addition to my arsenal. I love the ease of use and the true Chrome finish. I have not been using it long enough to have any longevity issues yet. I think it tolerates clear depending on which type you use. It works great when you have a raised ridge to highlight. Straight lines on flat surfaces make it look like hand painted bumpy lines.

[Dave Van]

I've been using Molotow spray cans on the past few builds. I apply body color, then on the Superbird the rook color. I then masked off the chrome trim and spray it. LOTS of masking but I liked the results and foiling has become difficult for me......