Painting Chrome?

[d_day_6]

I have some chrome pieces I want to paint. I assume I need prime them or prep the chrome so the paint won't flake and peel. Any words of wisdom will be appreciatred. Thanks.

[medieval]

Go to the nearest, good automotive paint store. I'm thinking that you could use an acid etchant and/or a special primer. OR.......clean with wax and grease remover, scuff with a rough scotchbright pad (mounted on a drill or angle grinder), primer and paint.
I had some chromed parts (that I wanted to paint) on a custom car I built. Rather than risk peeling paint at some point, I took the parts to a chrome shop and had them remove the chrome (un-apply?). When the parts came back they had a satin copper coating left over from the original chroming process. I primed and painted them the same color as the body. They lasted very well.

[Ab544927]

If you simply want to paint the chrome without removing it, then a thorough scuffing with a red scotchbrite pad (equivalent to approx P400 grit sandpaper), then either a good quality epoxy primer will work great or if you need simplicity then a good 2 component self-etching primer will work too, then followed by either a primer to fill imperfections (because you don't sand self-etch primers you treat them more as an adhesion promoter) or you can actually apply topcoat enamels over most self-etch primers (enamels can do this as the pigments do not photochronically stain with sunlight as basecoats pigments can as the acid leeches upward in the paint film).

A simpler and very cheap solution is a metal cleaner and metal treatment that is about as good as it gets and applies with a scotchbrite, dilutes with tap water and uses a water rinse. The total cost would be about $14 for both products and you would have enough to do quite a lot of work in the future with it too.

I don't want to plug shamelessly here so if you need to get some part numbers PM me otherwise a good jobber store in your area would carry several products that fit this criteria.

[d_day_6]

Thanks for the tips....I should have the stuff locally, if not I will pm ya. Thanks again.

[dlearl476]

Dude, I just realized you screename "initials" are PPG. A clue?

Anyway, this is a timely subject for me as I'm getting ready to paint the tank on my '69 scrambler, which is a chrome tank with red paint over the chrome to come up with a somewhat "toaster tank" look.

I made a big mistake when I disassembled prior to a resto, and if I had to do it all again I WOULDN'T strip the old paint off, just sand and prime. Now I'm faced with the same "painting chrome" dilema.

I'm sending you a pm.