bluestringer Posted November 30, 2022 Share Posted November 30, 2022 Built this AMT 34 Ford Pickup about a year ago. It's been sitting on a shelf with some other models. Noticed the chrome parts are deteriorating. Anyone else see this with this kit? Bad chrome plating? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tcoat Posted November 30, 2022 Share Posted November 30, 2022 It almost looks like it was sprayed with something as there is a pattern but there is no residue left on any painted surfaces. I have had chrome react to vinyl tires before but never seen anything like that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stitchdup Posted November 30, 2022 Share Posted November 30, 2022 it looks like they didn't use a primer on the bare plastic and its flaking off Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluestringer Posted November 30, 2022 Author Share Posted November 30, 2022 36 minutes ago, Tcoat said: It almost looks like it was sprayed with something as there is a pattern but there is no residue left on any painted surfaces. I have had chrome react to vinyl tires before but never seen anything like that. It's in my shed where I build. The only thing I have sprayed in there is Odo-Ban, but I don't spray it up high where the shelf is. And I have other models on that shelf with chrome that is fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StevenGuthmiller Posted November 30, 2022 Share Posted November 30, 2022 (edited) It looks a lot to me like the model got misted with some sort of chemical solution that is removing the chrome. This is exactly how kit chrome would look if you shot a very small mist of one of the lye based solutions that a lot of us to remove chrome. One of the degreasing cleaners, like Super Clean, Simple Green, or Easy Off oven cleaner would probably give you the same affect. Even something as benign as Wesley's "Bleche White", or ammonia will take chrome right off of plastic. If you look at the pinned "removing chrome plating" thread in the Tips and Tricks section, you'll see that there are a thousand different ways to ruin your chrome. I would say that it's extremely likely that the Odo-Ban that you're spraying has something in it that's creating the problem. Active ingredients appear to be "Alkyl" and "Dimethyl Benzyl Ammonium Chloride". I don't like the sound of the ammonium chloride thing. Every kit is different as far as the chrome goes. Some are much thinner than others, which could explain why this one was affected, and others were not. Steve Edited November 30, 2022 by StevenGuthmiller 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peteski Posted November 30, 2022 Share Posted November 30, 2022 As I see it, Steve hit hit the nail on the head. Kit "chrome" is an atom-thick layer of aluminum. Any acidic or base liquid can easily eat away that thin layer of aluminum. It does look like something got sprayed accidentally on those models, and it affected the chrome. This might have happened some time ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fat Brian Posted November 30, 2022 Share Posted November 30, 2022 I've seen this on some of my kits that were stored in my shed for several years after handling them. I guess with enough time and heat your skin oils dissolve the chrome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluestringer Posted November 30, 2022 Author Share Posted November 30, 2022 I probably have not sprayed the Odo-Ban more than 3 times in the year it's been on the shelf. I only spray it because the shed is not climate controlled and gets a musky humid odor over time. I have several different models on the shelves and this is the only one affected. Nothing else has been sprayed in there. Could be the culprit though. Guess it's time to rebuild it, maybe with no chrome at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tcoat Posted November 30, 2022 Share Posted November 30, 2022 3 minutes ago, bluestringer said: I probably have not sprayed the Odo-Ban more than 3 times in the year it's been on the shelf. I only spray it because the shed is not climate controlled and gets a musky humid odor over time. I have several different models on the shelves and this is the only one affected. Nothing else has been sprayed in there. Could be the culprit though. Guess it's time to rebuild it, maybe with no chrome at all. Maybe just the position or type of chrome but as Steven said one of the chemicals involved is Ammonium Chloride and this would chrome easily. Misting would explain my confusion on why it looked so much like a spray pattern but there was no visible residue on the painted parts. Also explains why the outer edges are worse than the backset parts of the wheels. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peteski Posted December 1, 2022 Share Posted December 1, 2022 I have seen some "chrome" (vacuum metalized) parts come coated with a layer of clear lacquer. Those are much more resistant to damage. But that is rarely done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StevenGuthmiller Posted December 1, 2022 Share Posted December 1, 2022 (edited) My feeling is that if you have a high moisture level in your shed, that might also affect the chrome. Dealing with a lot of vintage kits, I can tell you that I’ve seen a lot of chrome that’s all but completely gone from kits that appear to have been stored in very humid conditions for long periods of time. The optimum solution would be to get your finished builds out of the shed and into a more climate controlled area, preferably inside of a clear acrylic case. Steve Edited December 1, 2022 by StevenGuthmiller Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluestringer Posted December 1, 2022 Author Share Posted December 1, 2022 I think I can rule out the Odo-Ban. These parts were leftovers stored in a plastic container with other parts inside a cabinet. They were not exposed to the Odo-Ban. I don't think the moisture level is bad enough to affect it, there is no effect on any others in there and there is a lot of kits that have been there longer. I also have a damp rid container in there that does a great job of removing humidity. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StevenGuthmiller Posted December 1, 2022 Share Posted December 1, 2022 (edited) 1 hour ago, bluestringer said: I think I can rule out the Odo-Ban. These parts were leftovers stored in a plastic container with other parts inside a cabinet. They were not exposed to the Odo-Ban. I don't think the moisture level is bad enough to affect it, there is no effect on any others in there and there is a lot of kits that have been there longer. I also have a damp rid container in there that does a great job of removing humidity. Might have been some sort of chemical that had gotten on the parts before the kit was built and there's some kind of delayed reaction happening? At this point, who knows. Chalk it up as a mystery. Did you happen to have cleaned the parts with anything before assembly that might have been the culprit? Steve Edited December 1, 2022 by StevenGuthmiller Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oldcarfan27 Posted December 3, 2022 Share Posted December 3, 2022 I had the same thing happen when air freshener was sprayed in the room that had my kits on a shelf. I'm positive that the spray drifted onto them and damaged the chrome but not the paint. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TooOld Posted December 3, 2022 Share Posted December 3, 2022 13 hours ago, Oldcarfan27 said: I had the same thing happen when air freshener was sprayed in the room that had my kits on a shelf. I'm positive that the spray drifted onto them and damaged the chrome but not the paint. Same here ! My finished models are in sealed cabinets but when air freshener was sprayed near my workbench it damaged all of the chrome parts the same way as the OP is showing . It also did some damage to freshly painted parts but not as severe , I was able to wipe them down and polish the spots out . Ever since then nothing ever gets sprayed anywhere near my workbench ! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glue fumes Posted December 5, 2022 Share Posted December 5, 2022 I had two of the same kit with the same problem. I had not built them, they were in the box like that. Round 2 replaced them. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oldcarfan27 Posted December 8, 2022 Share Posted December 8, 2022 On 12/1/2022 at 12:42 PM, bluestringer said: Maybe your kits got "the plague"? 😨 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluestringer Posted December 9, 2022 Author Share Posted December 9, 2022 On 12/5/2022 at 2:36 PM, glue fumes said: I had two of the same kit with the same problem. I had not built them, they were in the box like that. Round 2 replaced them. Yea, I'm blaming the kit because I have no problem with other finished builds on the same shelf. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluestringer Posted December 9, 2022 Author Share Posted December 9, 2022 19 hours ago, Oldcarfan27 said: Maybe your kits got "the plague"? 😨 LOL.........could be, but it only affected the one kit, but I have now cured it by removing the bad parts, stripping the chrome and painting them with bright coat metallic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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