Lunajammer Posted April 12, 2013 Posted April 12, 2013 I want to use some custom rims for a project, they look great, but i think the chrome is just too bright. Yes, I can strip them and Alclad them, but I'd rather not unnecessarily complicate things. My question is, can you tone down kit chrome by clear coating with gloss or will clear coat do nothing? My line of thinking is the clear coat may not be as brilliant as the chrome, thusly softening the chrome's intensity. Thoughts?
jeffs396 Posted April 12, 2013 Posted April 12, 2013 Testors dullcote works well to tone down overly bright chrome, try it on a sprue or part that will get stripped later to see if you like the result...
cobraman Posted April 12, 2013 Posted April 12, 2013 Jeff is right. Dullcoat works very good. I use it quite often.
rickd13 Posted April 12, 2013 Posted April 12, 2013 Testors dullcote works well to tone down overly bright chrome, try it on a sprue or part that will get stripped later to see if you like the result... He is right. I do this as well.
Lunajammer Posted April 12, 2013 Author Posted April 12, 2013 Well that seems pretty unanimous and encouraging. My only hesitation is I recall putting dull on chrome (though not airbrushed) as a kid and it just turned everything silver like bottle paint.
Jantrix Posted April 12, 2013 Posted April 12, 2013 (edited) Mike, that's the best you can expect with dull coat. It kills the shine and the color. It's not very appealing to me. I use it over chrome I want to look weathered. To me it looks just like any rattle can silver. Edited April 12, 2013 by Jantrix
Chief Joseph Posted April 12, 2013 Posted April 12, 2013 You could try Testors acrylic clear to apply a "friendlier" coating. It comes in gloss, semi-gloss, and flat. You can customize the level of gloss by mixing them together. If you don't like the result, stripping it off with Windex should not harm the chrome. If you have access to Tamiya paint, they have a flat base that you can mix with Future to make different levels of gloss. The Dullcote works well, but it's a one-way operation-- definitely test it before committing it to your rims.
Guest Posted April 12, 2013 Posted April 12, 2013 I just used dull cote on a set of wheels and IMO, it's a little too much. Next trip to the LHS, I'm going to pick up a can of Tamiya's satin clear coat and see how it works.
Lunajammer Posted April 12, 2013 Author Posted April 12, 2013 Great responses guys. Thanks a lot. Joseph sounds like he's got the system I should explore. I like the versatility and its forgiving qualities.
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