Striping Chrome parts

[Pappy50]

I don't know about the rest of you, but the chrome plating on the kit parts just looks wrong to me. I don't see anything in the photos that has a bright chrome finish. So, all of the chrome trees went into the striping tank, and guess what? To my suprise, all of the chrome parts are made out of the same semi-transparant yellowish plastic as the fuel cell and cooling shroud. I just picked up 6 differant types of Alclad II metal paints and it is time to try to replicate some metal. Anyone else doing anything similar?

[admin]

Could you detail your stripping process? I've heard of using Easy Off oven cleaner, but is there anything less caustic?

I plan on doing the same thing, but I use testors metalizer. I paint my parts with Tamiya fine primer which drys to a semi gloss finish, then before painting with the metailzer I buff the primer with a soft cloth to give it more of a shine. Looks really nice with a mist coat of Testors on top. I've also heard of using gloss black underneath so I'm going to try that.

Kit is on hold this weekend while I revamp my building area. I found a jewelrs workbench at a local fleamarket and am moving the old workbench out and the new one in. I think it's going to work out really well. I'll post pictures when it's all done.

Tim

[Pappy50]

Tim -
I have always used Castol Super Clean engine degreaser. It is a little easier to handle. I get a tupperware(or any other plastic kitchen container) and submerge the parts. With a toothbrush you can get the chrome off in about an hour or I let it soak over night. The stuff is about $5 a gallon at most auto parts houses. It is reusable and bio-degradible. It does require some care in handling(safety glasses and gloves) as it will happily strip the oils out of your skin.

If you haven't used the Alclad IIs yet, I strongly recommend them. They are lacquer based and dry to the touch in about 2 minutes and can be masked over in about 30. They also do not require a clear coat and will not show fingerprints. The trick with black underneath comes from the recommendations for Alclad Chrome. That paint gives the most realistic chrome I have ever seen. They are a bit expensive but you use so little that it really doesn't make much differance. I have the first bottle of chrome I bought over two years ago and it is still half full. The coats are extreamly thin.

A jewlers bench you say? Man that does sound like a find. I would very much like to see it when you have it done.

[admin]

Here is my "corner" in progress. I'm picking up some shelving this afternoon at Lowes to give me some extra space above the bench. Looks like it's going to work out really well. The bench height is 38" which puts it at nearly eye level when sitting in front of it. This was weird at first but allows you to sit up and still get right in there to work on the details. Also has a cool slide out tray to catch small parts and hold tools within easy reach. I picked it up for a c-note, and you can buy them on the internet for about $200 plus shipping. There is also a watchmakers version with about 20 more drawers but they are up in the $500 range.

Funny how a "simple" modeling project gets out of hand real quick!! ;D

[ffracer]

I use Fantastik cleaner. It seems like for some reason, there is interaction between the Fantastik and light to strip the plating. For this reason, you will need to turn parts over to get both sides clean. I have already stripped all of the plated engine parts and refinished them using a variety of paints.

Paul