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General => Cosmetic and bodywork matters => Topic started by: Mr Blue on 20 March 2005, 19:39

Title: Can you chrome plastic
Post by: Mr Blue on 20 March 2005, 19:39
can you chrome plastic  :grin:
Title: Re: Can you chrome plastic
Post by: Stu.750 on 20 March 2005, 19:55
depends what you mean by chrome , i know Carisma "look on the nonsence part of the forum "PIMP MY RIDE UK" section , the chromed the bodykit on there r5 show car looked pretty much spot on too
Title: Re: Can you chrome plastic
Post by: G6dub on 21 March 2005, 12:04
You can buy chrome paint, but don't know how lobg before it starts to fall off!
Title: Re: Can you chrome plastic
Post by: Mr Blue on 21 March 2005, 13:59
You can buy chrome paint, but don't know how lobg before it starts to fall off!

trust me ive tried that. its pants  :grin:
Title: Re: Can you chrome plastic
Post by: piggy on 21 March 2005, 16:27
I'm sure you can chrome plastic as lots of Motorbikes have plastic chrome bits, especially the Japs :rolleyes:
Title: Re: Can you chrome plastic
Post by: Flidster_uk on 21 March 2005, 17:55
you can chrome plastic there are a few companies on the net that do aint cheap though as you probably want one ofs.
Title: Re: Can you chrome plastic
Post by: Mr Blue on 21 March 2005, 19:59
I'm sure you can chrome plastic as lots of Motorbikes have plastic chrome bits, especially the Japs :rolleyes:

that says it all. plastic jap crap  :grin:
Title: Re: Can you chrome plastic
Post by: VR6_ROB on 28 March 2005, 23:34
what you plannin on chromin blue?
Title: Re: Can you chrome plastic
Post by: ...joe on 29 March 2005, 11:54
i've asked around about chroming plastic and the general answer seems to be its too hard and too expensive for most people to bother with.
Title: Re: Can you chrome plastic
Post by: Mr Blue on 30 March 2005, 19:47
what you plannin on chromin blue?

nothing  :rolleyes:
Title: Re: Can you chrome plastic
Post by: ridgers on 30 March 2005, 21:37
You can chrome plastic.

Think of stanley tape measures and car badges, but its not long lasting as its vaccuum formed onto the plastic, because of this it is also expensive compared to the normal dipping process and not many companies have the equipment to do it.
Title: Re: Can you chrome plastic
Post by: ...joe on 31 March 2005, 17:15
^^^ thats what i meant, obviously you can chrome plastic as loads of stuff is..... but trying to find someone who'll do the odd bit for you is nigh on impossible. a guy in germany got his inner a-pillars done but god knows where or how much he paid.
Title: Re: Can you chrome plastic
Post by: G6dub on 07 April 2005, 11:36
have taken some metal bits into a Chromers this week and was asking them about it.
It all depends on the type of plasic as well and they said it is to time comsuming and works out to expensive to do stuff.
Title: Re: Can you chrome plastic
Post by: mix on 07 April 2005, 22:05
i would have thought that the chromed plastci would have been a kinda sticky vinyl that was then coated.  real chrome is a thin layer of metal (i think) that is electroplated to other metals, and from what i know, you cant electroplate plastic.  i could be worng tho, the video i saw for my a-level product design was very old....
Title: Re: Can you chrome plastic
Post by: G6dub on 08 April 2005, 15:35
Glad you were taking note mix!
Title: Re: Can you chrome plastic
Post by: mix on 08 April 2005, 15:51
got a memory like a sponge me..... remeber some, forget others....

but as im planning on being an engineer, always good to know these sorts a thing :smiley:
Title: Re: Can you chrome plastic
Post by: steelrat on 11 April 2005, 19:19
hi , yes you can Chrome plastic, wood, metals , rubber, and glass,
this company does it for you   htpp//www.chromapart.co.uk
they are near Branshatch race track Kent, worth a look :)
Title: Re: Can you chrome plastic
Post by: ...joe on 12 April 2005, 15:27
^^^ they got some good finishes on that but is it actual chrome? at the bottom of the gallery with the bikes on it, it says its a paint process? what ever it is its bloody good!
Title: Re: Can you chrome plastic
Post by: mix on 12 April 2005, 16:01
yeah, looks good!!  but as you say joe, most likely is a paint/vinyl coating cos chrome is a metal and i cant see a way to adhere it decently to plastic etc unless its a thin layer of chrome that they glue to it... :huh: my head hurts thinking about it
Title: Re: Can you chrome plastic
Post by: diagnosis-dub on 14 April 2005, 13:31
To chrome plastic you use a process called Vacuum metallizing.

Vacuum metallizing is the process of evaporating aluminum in a vacuum chamber forming an aluminum cloud which than condenses back on and bonds to the plastic to form a uniform layer, which shines like chrome. To protect it you spray over it with a lacquer which is why it has the appearance of a sprayed on effect.

 :wink:
Title: Re: Can you chrome plastic
Post by: ...joe on 14 April 2005, 13:40
ahhh, good stuff!! i assume that its an expensive process??
Title: Re: Can you chrome plastic
Post by: mix on 14 April 2005, 14:11
To chrome plastic you use a process called Vacuum metallizing.

Vacuum metallizing is the process of evaporating aluminum in a vacuum chamber forming an aluminum cloud which than condenses back on and bonds to the plastic to form a uniform layer, which shines like chrome. To protect it you spray over it with a lacquer which is why it has the appearance of a sprayed on effect.

 :wink:

thats a new one for me to know about....
Title: Re: Can you chrome plastic
Post by: steelrat on 24 April 2005, 14:39
you can at www.chromapart.co.uk , not Metallization (vacuum deposition) or Hard Chrome but a chemical spray process, im putting this here not to spam but inform, as Chromapart is the only company that is doing this as a service in the uk rather than selling the paint machines.