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Ted Mooney
, P.E. RET
- Pine Beach, NJ
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Q. My brother owns a Ford F250. He bought a new grill for it and it came in with the center partition just gray plastic. He wants it to match the outer part of the grill. He would like to know where this is done (chromed) or if there is a cheaper just as good process that won't flake off due to weather changes. We live in Michigan.
Nancy Taylor
Sister doing research for brother. - Fenton, Michigan
Ed. note: Sorry, this RFQ is old & outdated, so contact info is no longer available. However, if you feel that something technical should be said in reply, please post it; no public commercial suggestions please ( huh? why?)
A. Hi Nancy. Even if the center portion is plating-grade ABS and it's detachable (I don't know exactly how they are made), it will probably be impractical to plate part of the grill -- plus it will cost more than the replacement grill cost. "Chrome-look paint" is not as good as real chrome plating but some people are happy with it. Can he just get an oval Ford logo to attach there?
Luck & Regards,
Ted Mooney
, P.E. RET
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
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Q. Hi, found your site through google on the net!
My question is: Is there any way to cheaply chrome plastic parts (i.e., auto parts)? I am looking to start an auto customizing shop and would like some info on plating plastic emblems specifically. I've seen it done on high volume toys, etc., and they seem to sell for next to nothing. But is there a way to do this on a small scale?
Any help would be most appreciated.
Randy R
[last name deleted for privacy by Editor]
- Port Hardy, BC, CANADA
A. Every shiny finish isn't chrome plating, and the finishes that aren't chrome plating may not be suitable for automotive applications.
Cheap toys and even some low quality interior automotive parts like interior plastic emblems are vacuum metallized. This is a 3-step process involving applying a base coat of paint, then metallizing with aluminum vapor in a vacuum chamber, and then clear coating. But those finishes probably wouldn't last a week in a BC winter. Real chrome plating on plastic is a very difficult process of about 30 wet processing steps; you should probably farm it out to a plating shop not only because of difficulty, but because of the regulated carcinogenic toxins like hexavalent chromium that are involved in real chrome plating.
Yes, plastic can be vacuum metallized with aluminum very inexpensively in volume, but it utilizes a very expensive (say $1/2 million metallizing chamber), although I have heard of hobbyists cobbling together such chambers if you are really determined about it.
A third alternative these days is "chrome look paint", which is a finish very similar to vacuum metallizing, with the same 3-step process of base coat, shiny layer, and clear coat. But in this case the shiny layer is hand sprayed with silver nitrate and reducer or microscopic aluminum flakes. So "chrome look paint" is more expensive than vacuum metallizing for high volume parts because of the labor of hand spraying, but less capital intensive for lower volumes because paint spraying equipment is much less expensive than vacuum metallizing chambers.
If you can get a really good, hard, non-yellowing, smooth clear coat on the vacuum metallizing or the chrome look paint, it may have some limited utility as an exterior automotive finish, but OEMS all still use real chrome plating.
Ted Mooney
, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
A. I agree with Ted! I work for a company that makes chrome plated auto parts, and have audited this type of plating process. It is NOT easy. You just can't do that type of plating on an easy or small scale. Also, this chrome plating is probably the most expensive finish we use. Your best bet is to have it done by a professional plating shop. If it was easy, we would do it ourselves in our own plant, but we outsource it all.
Tim Neveau
Rochester Hills, Michigan
on Amazon
A. Go to a sign shop and buy some peel and stick chrome film.
It will stand up for years and looks just like real chrome. Easy to strip and re-do too.
david killam
mechanic - Woodville
[Nova Scotia, Canada? -- more Woodvilles in the world than Springfields :-) ][Nova Scotia, Canada? -- more Woodvilles in the world than Springfields :-) ]
Q. Please tell me which types of plastic materials are suitable for chrome plating?
Atul Vinchurkar
Link to Shuangcheng New Material
- India
A. Hi, Atul. Everything from aardvark skulls to zucchini gourds have been chrome plated. But the usual issue to be reckoned with is limited adhesion. It's one thing to plate a skull that will sit in a glass trophy case, but quite another thing to plate the plastic grill of an automobile and expect it to stand up to car washes, blistering dessert sun, frigid Alaskan winters, and salty road soot without peeling off.
ABS plastic contains two different molecules, one of which dissolves in an etchant and the other doesn't. Thus it can etched extremely effectively to develop great "tooth" and spectacular adhesion, so it's the first and most popular choice. Some polypropylenes and glass-filled nylons are pretty good. The plastics synthesizer/supplier will label the particular products "Plating Grade". Good luck.
Regards,
Ted Mooney
, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
RFQ: I'm very interested in chroming the front plastic grill for my pickup Ford F-150; it is possible? And how much money for the job.
Esteban G
[last name deleted for privacy by Editor]
- Puerto Rico, USA
Ed. note: Sorry, this RFQ is old & outdated, so contact info is no longer available. However, if you feel that something technical should be said in reply, please post it; no public commercial suggestions please ( huh? why?)
A. Hi Esteban. Yes, it is probably possible, but the very high cost of labor on onesy-twosies, compared to when automated equipment processes dozens of grills at a time, means that it probably costs a lot more than getting a chrome plated one from Ford if they make them. "Chrome-look paint", sometimes erroneously called "spray chrome" is not the equal of real chrome plating, but may be a practical alternative for cases like yours if chrome plated OEM parts are not made.
Good luck.
Regards,
Ted Mooney
, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
RFQ: I have two grills for my Olds Cutlass Supreme that are plastic and I want to get them chrome plated. They are 9" x 12 1/2" in size and are in pretty good condition.
Travis L
[last name deleted for privacy by Editor]
personal use - Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA
Ed. note: Sorry, this RFQ is old & outdated, so contact info is no longer available. However, if you feel that something technical should be said in reply, please post it; no public commercial suggestions please ( huh? why?)
RFQ: I would like to get the grill of a Plymouth Prowler chrome plated.
Jim B
[last name deleted for privacy by Editor]
hobbyist - Plainville, Connecticut, USA
Ed. note: Sorry, this RFQ is old & outdated, so contact info is no longer available. However, if you feel that something technical should be said in reply, please post it; no public commercial suggestions please ( huh? why?)
RFQ: Hello to whom it may concern,
I am a proud owner of a Infiniti M45 and I am desperately seeking someone that could chrome a few parts for me. The main project I want to focus on, being that the car is currently in the shop being painted, is the grill. I want my grill chromed can you help?
Dionne S
[last name deleted for privacy by Editor]
- Brooklyn, New York
Ed. note: Sorry, this RFQ is old & outdated, so contact info is no longer available. However, if you feel that something technical should be said in reply, please post it; no public commercial suggestions please ( huh? why?)
A. Chrome Plating on Plastic needs to be done on plating grade ABS plastic (more rubber content than regular ABS) and also needs to be in the natural material color (black contains carbon, which cannot be plated). You can plate onto general ABS, but the results may not be sufficient.
Companies can both mold and chrome plate parts, but usually will not take individual parts and replate them. Most large chrome platers will not rechrome parts.
Oren Braude
Romac Products - Thornhill Ontario Canada
jmeister said: Click to expand...I haven't tried the idea as I don't have the situation, but suppose you could use some of the industrial spray-on adhesives if there's enough material lifting off the surface to get much spray under it. Thinned contact cement aapplied with a pointed plastic "eyedropper" would be similar. The adhesive is strong and flexible, and any excess can be cleaned off the outside with solvent after the underside material is fully dried. These both require application to both surfaces, next some drying time (~15 min) and then tight contact followed by the final drying, probably a few hours to be safe.
I haven't tried the idea as I don't have the situation, but suppose you could use some of the industrial spray-on adhesives if there's enough material lifting off the surface to get much spray under it. Thinned contact cement aapplied with a pointed plastic "eyedropper" would be similar. The adhesive is strong and flexible, and any excess can be cleaned off the outside with solvent after the underside material is fully dried. These both require application to both surfaces, next some drying time (~15 min) and then tight contact followed by the final drying, probably a few hours to be safe.Super glue might also work but would probably require an activator be applied first. It can be problematical to use.
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