Okay, seriously, who has a fool proof method for Alclad?

[edward smith]

I have tried all the methods and have seen some of the stuff posted here and I am still not satisfied, please help me.

[meaneyme]

Dude, talk to Cruz, I had a chance to share with him at the club meeting yesterday and he explained to me the method he utilizes, I am positive you will like it. He will have a seminar on this thing a few months down the road, hopefully I have a chance to attend.

[sjordan2]

Also Donn Yost, and look at the tutorial at the Alclad website.

http://alclad2.com/how-to/

Edited December 16, 2012 by sjordan2

[Erik Smith]

What exactly is going wrong? Chrome? How does it look? We can't help without knowing specifically what part of the process is causing the problem.

Overall, it is pretty simple. That doesn't mean it's fool proof, and I am by no means good at it. It requires a good base coat (gloss black for chrome) and very light coats of chrome. Low psi. I use my iwata gravity feed on about 12 psi and apply slow - very slow - until it gets a nice, chrome finish. My biggest problem is usually the base coat not being perfectly shiny or having small scratches - the chrome amplifies all mistakes.

[cruz]

Erik, a smooth glossy finish is certainly important but if you improve that finish greatly before applying the Alclad, that's where the trick is.

[sjordan2]

What exactly is going wrong? Chrome? How does it look? We can't help without knowing specifically what part of the process is causing the problem.

Overall, it is pretty simple. That doesn't mean it's fool proof, and I am by no means good at it. It requires a good base coat (gloss black for chrome) and very light coats of chrome. Low psi. I use my iwata gravity feed on about 12 psi and apply slow - very slow - until it gets a nice, chrome finish. My biggest problem is usually the base coat not being perfectly shiny or having small scratches - the chrome amplifies all mistakes.

You don't expect a true plated chrome look, do you? You won't get it with Alclad, just something close. Do you have pictures of what you've done?

This site has sen a thousand different posts on the subject, and here's one that's pinned at the top of the General section:

http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=62627&page=1

Edited December 17, 2012 by sjordan2

[Erik Smith]

You don't expect a true plated chrome look, do you? You won't get it with Alclad, just something close. Do you have pictures of what you've done?

This site has sen a thousand different posts on the subject, and here's one that's pinned at the top of the General section:

http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=62627&page=1

I was responding to the OP from Edward Smith. I don't know if you meant to quote me and ask me the same question I asked Edward or not. My name is Erik Smith.

[diymirage]

i just watched the how to video and i wa very surpirsed to see how wel it worked on flat grey primer

i was always told (and have always used) high gloss black laquer

i guess ill try the primer next time...it might save me a step

[Guest]

John Teresi is the best there is with Alclad. Check his work and you'll see. It's sometimes tough to distinguish his work from kit chrome. He is that good.

[Chas SCR]

John Teresi told me a lot about the stuff at the last GSL, and yes you can get a chrome look to the point of real chrome from this stuff. He would be the one to do an "How To" on it as it would take a lot to type on each step and there is a part of it that the more you put urathane clear on it the brighter the chrome is.

[GeeBee]

Been using Alclad for a while now, and get on with it pretty well, but it took some time to get the chrome finish I wanted using the stuff.

For me I find the following the best to get the finish I want,

Airbrush with a 0.3 needle,

P.S.I set to around 12-15 p.s.i

Remove any imperfections from the part to be painted, mold lines, etc, prime with etch primer, then the best gloss black finish you can get, for this I use either Revell or Testors gloss black enamel thinned out with lacquer thinners, then let to dry before starting the Alclad, I find light coats are the way to go, the first coat you won't even see properly, leave to dry for around 30 seconds, and keep going like that until you see the chrome pop, once you have the shine, STOP ! otherwise anymore coats and you'll start to loose the shine.

This is the radiator I did for one of my builds, and I'm pretty happy with the results.

[cruz]

Every time I use this stuff I have more fun than ever, I am always looking for better ways to make it look good. Lately, what I have been doing is polishing the gloss black to perfection just as you would your paintjobs on your models. The idea is not only to get a wet and glossy look on your black base but to also get it as near as perfect as possible because as many of you guys know, if you have a speck of dust or whatever, it will show on that part.

Since I personally like using Testor's enamel gloss black, I make sure that it's completely dry after shooting 4 wet coats on the part. I place it in the dehydrator for at least 36 hours and after that, I sand it down and level it with 3600 and 4000 grit sanding paper or better yet, my sanding cloths. After this, I use the Tamiya compounds and finish off with them. After I shoot the Alclad, I wait half and hour and buff the piece to a high luster using flannel cloth. To me this is what really brings on the reflectiveness....

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Would it ever match the kit chrome? I don't think so but with a bit of patience you can make this thing look very good.

[edward smith]

Wow Cruz, thoroughly convinced, sounds like a tedious but good method. I will PM you a little later and talk, want to see if you are interested on a business proposition.

[Guest]

For me, it's well worth the money spent to have Dale at LittleMotorKarCo rechrome my parts that have to have nice looking chrome. His rates are cheap and his service is really fast! Turn around is usually two weeks and his chrome is leaps and bounds better than kit chrome! If you give him a try, you'll never think about trying to rechrome parts yourself. I know I haven't.

[cruz]

For me, it's well worth the money spent to have Dale at LittleMotorKarCo rechrome my parts that have to have nice looking chrome. His rates are cheap and his service is really fast! Turn around is usually two weeks and his chrome is leaps and bounds better than kit chrome! If you give him a try, you'll never think about trying to rechrome parts yourself. I know I haven't.

I have always thought about that myself bro, i must admit though that I have had a lot of fun playing around with this but yes, I agree with you, it is best to have the real chrome in there specially when it's a bumper or a larger piece.

[cotto]

Cruz, 'nough said, that looks absolutely awesome!

[cruz]

Best part is that you get to remove the piece of BLAH_BLAH_BLAH_BLAH chrome work that comes with the kit.

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