I cleaned and sanded some chrome pieces down with 180 grit last night, cleaned them again, then handled them appropriately with gloves on as not to deposit oils from my hands on to the scuffed surface.

God I hate dealing with chrome. Oddly you can go buy some muriatic acid (HCI) at a hardware store and basically dip/vat the chrome pieces in the solution to completely remove the chromium layer. But then you're still left with an entire layer of nickle, which doesn't etch much better than chrome. At which point you suddenly discover you have a very nasty and toxic solution of chromium and HCI to somehow dispose of, plus all the regular prep work that goes in to just dealing with the chromium anyway. In the past, even thorough sand-blasting didn't remove the entire chroming process from the metal, although it certainly saves a load of time.

After the generic and basic sanding, I painted the pieces in VHT wrinkle.



Three coats on each pieces in a cross hatch pattern with five minutes between each coat. Mirrors, headlamp fairing and ring. The lamp fairing was the only pieces that wasn't technically chrome, so it might adhere and last longer, which is right ok with me. Finally, the pieces were hung and given a final coat, then allowed to cure for about 12 hours before being moved.

How long do you guys think until the paint starts flaking and peeling away? I give it two months tops.

 

I will be interested to know how he VHT works for you. I used VHT Twice (Flame Proof version) on my Exhaust Shields twice. Both times the paint failed miserably. I did not have chipping problems, it seemed plenty tough on road debris, etc.

I "Cured" the paint as listed on the can specified as "On the Vehicle", the second time letting them Air Cure for 8 days prior to "Curing" them.

Both times the paint on the rear exhaust shield was screwed up by my Pant Leg rubbing it while parking the bike.

PS: Did you use "Etching Primer" after you sanded your chrome?

 

My little brother painted some of his chrome parts on his Dyna with flat black rustoleum and its still holding strong after 3 months. Never had any experience with VHT wrinkle...

 

Curious...why 180 grit on base? I use 600 grit, alcohol wipe, primer, VHT black (wrinkle) & bake @ 200-degrees for 2-hours...paint holds w/no flaws. Works every time...

 

Hmmm...I suppose it depends on what type of paint you use..I sandblasted and rattlecanned a cowbell for one of my drummers once, and it's still in great shape, no chipping, peeling...
And he beats the crap out of it.

 

180 grit is tough. Minimum for a nice finish is 320, but I like 400-600 wetsand to prep stuff. Since you used the wrinkle finish you'll be ok and not see any sand scratches, though. I've painted chrome - it should hold up really well. You'll be surprised. It's not a bumper on a new Honda that takes a lot of abuse. They should be fine.

 

They make a paint adhesion promoter called Bulldog. You spray this stuff on before you spray the paint. This product will allow paint to adhere to any surface. You spray this stuff on a beach ball the spray your color on it. Let half of the air out of the ball twist punch or whatever and the paint stays on. GOOD STUFF