MAN! Those look fantastic! What's the proccess for painting the chrome?...
...Light's in Black Satin,... o.k. i'll stop..
FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTION
This is from a website
http://alsacorp.com/products/mirrachrome/mirra_prodinfo.htmPREPARATION :
The key to a successful mirror-like shine is with a glass smooth surface, free of dust and other imperfections. If your material does not already have a very smooth finish, the quickest way to get that is by spraying a clearcoat. The usual method is with an airbrush or paint gun. We have even used a spray can of acrylic clear as a base.
CLEARCOAT: We have tested several clearcoats and have settled on Alsa Corp.'s Speed Clear. It is by far the easiest to use to produce a mirror shine with Mirra Chrome.
Alsa recommends a dry time on the base clearcoat of 6-7 days, but it depends on what you are using and the size of the job (heat reduces the drying time). Do not wet sand: You want as smooth as possible a finish. Before spraying the chrome paint, clean your surface of dust with air or a dry cotton cloth. A mirror shine will reveal every detail.
This paint reflects its background unless more is sprayed, then it doesn't matter. I have found that when working with metal, it is best to strip off all the paint and clearcoat the metal: No primer. However, if you use a primer, or your surface has color other than metallic, these are the results I’ve seen:
1) Black background — Dark mirror shine, like mica. You can lighten this up with more chrome paint. NOTE: Many users including Alsa say that black is the best background to begin with. I've had better results with metal, so try that if black doesn't suit.
2) Silver, metallic or grey primer background — Best background for me, next to chrome itself (I use bare metal, clearcoated). NOTE: For large jobs, use a black base, since it's easier to see the chrome go on.
3) White — Produces a high shine, but you have to use more paint than usual.
4) Other colors: You can produce a nice effect over colored backgrounds by giving them a highlight of chrome, without fully covering them.
APPLICATION :
• The key is to spray very little Mirra Chrome with a high volume of air. You want to “mist” on the paint. This will result in a mirror shine with some dust left over that you can wipe off. I use a double-action Iwata Eclipse HP-BCS airbrush and have the pressure at 45-55 psi. I have used 20 psi for a HVLP paint gun (Iwata LP-H50), with the volume down. Start out with a very light mist and work your way up as you get experienced.
TIP: When airbrushing small parts (less than a dime), it is possible to spray full volume, point blank and get a mirror shine.
• Keep spraying back and forth until you see the mirror reflection from the paint. If you spray too heavily the finish will look dull and you may have to start over. Wait at least 15 minutes before very lightly brushing off the excess paint dust with a cloth, like a cotton T-shirt. If you happen to rub off the paint, just paint some more on.
FINISHING :
• At this point you can try one of the two coloring methods, unless you want straight chrome. Alsa has candy colors, which can be mixed with thinner or clear. Spray whatever color or combinations over the chrome. The colored finish won’t look good until it is clearcoated. The other method is to tint your clearcoat.
TIP: If you are painting an area that won’t be handled or exposed to the elements, you can leave a straight chrome paint job without clearing it.
• Finish up by spraying a poly-urethane clearcoat. If the paint isn’t dry enough, the shine will decrease a lot unless you have colored it.
TIP: Before clearcoating, you can try the second method of coloring. Using a candy concentrate such as provided by Alsa, add the color into the clear before spraying it.
Clearcoating over uncolored chrome paint is one of the trickiest parts of the process, so be careful.
TIP: If your finish dulls too much after spraying the clear, there is a solution. After the clearcoat has cured, go over the job once more with chrome paint, but very lightly. Then let dry and clearcoat one last time. The lighter second coat is less likely to dull because there is less of it to interact with the clear.
• Let the whole job cure before any final sanding or buffing you may wish to do.
NOTES
HEAT: After the chrome paint is applied it can withstand high heat, which will increase drying time. It may also increase the shine.
ADHESION: Mirra Chrome contains a self-etching solvent that allows it to stick to the smooth clearcoat base far better than most products. However, you will probably want to protect it with a topcoat, since it can still rub off.
DRY TIME: The paint dries very quickly, so you can polish and add color soon after spraying it.
