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yes it's this thread again

is it possible to use powder chrome to paint a mini :?

how much detail will be lost? how well will it take paint afterwards :?

 DPBellathrom wrote:
yes it's this thread again

is it possible to use powder chrome to paint a mini :?

how much detail will be lost? how well will it take paint afterwards :?

If you have an airbrush, look in to Alclad II Chrome. It is a lacquer paint that has very specific requirements/instructions for use but the results are phenomenal.

Long of it? Sure - you can chrome anything (or nearly so).

The easiest way, though not strictly chrome is to use a metallic paint. ALCLAD II are one of the easiest to come by and provide one of the best chrome finishes of the paint on chromes. Killer Chrome is about the only one I can think of that is better - but I don't think they deal in hobby sizes (Killer Chrome deal primarily with automotive restoration and customization - so think dash boards and bumpers in terms of the volumes of paint they sell).

You can also do electroplating of plastic via copper deposition followed by normal chrome plating. This is pretty complicated for doing at home - but there are several shops out there who do contract work. You will probably have to pay a base fee for the shop time even with a single miniature.

The "chrome" on things like flashlight reflectors is usually vacuum deposited aluminum - again, a bit beyond the scope of your average DIY modeler. However, again - it is something that contract shops do deal with.

Of course, if you are talking about metal miniatures - those can be electroplated fine as is - and you can get DIY kits for that, though there are some chemicals involved that might scare off some people.

For the three plating methods - almost no detail is lost. The metals are deposited at nearly the atomic level (in the case of the aluminum - it is at the atomic level). You can plate it repeatedly to build up thicknesses - but it will generally be no thicker than paints...unless you are trying to.

The paint methods will not be much thicker than paint either - since that is what they are.

For taking paint afterwards - not well. Chrome shines largely because it is so smooth. Paints don't stick well to smooth things - so you will need to add some tooth to it to get the paint to stick. When you add tooth to the surface - it will no longer shine and will look less like chrome and more like something along the lines of brushed or milled stainless steel.

I can second (or third...) the allclad chrome, it is indeed amazing.

However, chrome is also NOT easy to work with if you want to paint over it or shade it etc.

I have used the allclad metallic paints on a variety of projects, and while they give amazing results, they do have quite a bit of fumes and require a bit of discipline and skill to use (for example, when they say let the second coat of primer dry 24 hours....they are not kidding....).