First, I take no credit for this. I found it on another forum and thought it might be helpful to everyone here. I haven't tried it myself but I plan on doing some painting in the near future.
Here I will share how I paint chrome pieces.
This is the method I have been using for over 10 years with no problems.
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What you will need : (pictured left to right)
1) The part you want to paint (I am painting tappet block covers)
2) Self Etching Primer (I use Rust-oleum bought at wal-mart)
Self etching primer grabs the metal, or almost impregnates itself into the metal. Make sure you get etching primer, and not regular primer
3) The paint you want to use (here I'm using Harley 98606AW, Powder Black Wrinkle Finish)
4) Wax and grease remover (I use Prep-all bought at Wal-mart)
5) Tack Cloth (can be bought at any auto parts store)
6) Paper towels (to get specific, I use Kleenex Viva)
7) Red scotch brite pad (lower left of picture)
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Step 1 :
Wipe the entire part down with the prep-all wax and grease remover on a paper towel.
This step is important, because it will remove any foreign particles on the surface before sanding.
Even oil from your fingers are harmful, and if not removed first you could grind in grease or oil into the metal. Let the part air dry completely before continuing.
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Step 2 :
Take the scotch brite pad, and start sanding.
Try to keep sanding over areas you have touched with your fingers to a minimum.
If you need to stop and rewipe the part down, that is perfectly fine.
Its fine to hold onto a part you have already scuffed, just try to keep from touching the part it to many places.
When you sand, do it in all directions.. thats called crosshatching.
You can even go in circular motions if the part is big enough.
You want to scuff it up enough, to remove the reflection giving the part a dull or stainless steel finish (this is also how Exile dulls parts out).
See in the picture above how the part on the right that I have scuffed does not have a reflection in it any longer.
Once you are finished scuffing the part up, take a new clean paper towel with the prep-all on it, and give the part a good scrubbing.
Hold the part from underneath, so you don't leave any finger prints on it.
__________________________________________________ _
Step 3:
Once the part has air dried from the wax and grease remover, take your tack clotch and wipe it all down good.
Make sure you don't touch where you have scuffed with your fingers, keep holding the part from the underneath of it.
Keep the tack cloth moving, try not to stop in the middle.
Tack cloths are very "sticky" and could leave a little bit of stick on the part, so just keep it moving.
__________________________________________________ _
Step 4:
Now we are going to lay down the self etching primer.
You want to lay thin light even coats of the etching primer on the part, to make it grab into the metal. This should take 3 coats to completely cover.
The first coat, you should still see about 50% of the metal showing through,.. just a light feathering coat.
The second coat should be the same, and that will cover about 70-90%.
The 3rd and final coat should completely cover the part, and you should see no metal, just the primer.
I cannot stress how important it is to lay these coats on THIN.
If you lay the etching primer on to thick, it will not bond to both the metal and top coat and you will have a better chance of the paint flaking off later.
____________________________________________________
Step 5:
This step is easy. Just follow the instructions on the paint can.
My instructions said to lay 2-3 even coats somewhat heavy to achieve the wrinkle effect.
It is okay to wipe the part down with your tack cloth between the etching primer and top coat, but I don't suggest using the prep-all because it could wipe off the etching primer... not good. Today was a terrible day to paint outside, and I did get a few boo boo's in my paint.. good thing its not a glossy finish!
That is basically it. Follow the instructions on the paint for drying and handleing time, and you should be fine. I usually let my parts sit for a good 3-4 days in my house at 70 degrees to ensure a good bond for everything.
I also use the same method for painting exhaust, however I don't use etching primer. I can't say for sure if it would stand up to the heat, but I've never experimented to find out.
I just lay the high heat paint directly on the scuffed part, and again never had a problem with the paint flaking or peeling off.
Finally got around to taking a pic of the final product.
_____________________________________________________
Here I will share how I paint chrome pieces.
This is the method I have been using for over 10 years with no problems.
__________________________________________________
What you will need : (pictured left to right)
1) The part you want to paint (I am painting tappet block covers)
2) Self Etching Primer (I use Rust-oleum bought at wal-mart)
Self etching primer grabs the metal, or almost impregnates itself into the metal. Make sure you get etching primer, and not regular primer
3) The paint you want to use (here I'm using Harley 98606AW, Powder Black Wrinkle Finish)
4) Wax and grease remover (I use Prep-all bought at Wal-mart)
5) Tack Cloth (can be bought at any auto parts store)
6) Paper towels (to get specific, I use Kleenex Viva)
7) Red scotch brite pad (lower left of picture)
__________________________________________________ _
Step 1 :
Wipe the entire part down with the prep-all wax and grease remover on a paper towel.
This step is important, because it will remove any foreign particles on the surface before sanding.
Even oil from your fingers are harmful, and if not removed first you could grind in grease or oil into the metal. Let the part air dry completely before continuing.
__________________________________________________ _
Step 2 :
Take the scotch brite pad, and start sanding.
Try to keep sanding over areas you have touched with your fingers to a minimum.
If you need to stop and rewipe the part down, that is perfectly fine.
Its fine to hold onto a part you have already scuffed, just try to keep from touching the part it to many places.
When you sand, do it in all directions.. thats called crosshatching.
You can even go in circular motions if the part is big enough.
You want to scuff it up enough, to remove the reflection giving the part a dull or stainless steel finish (this is also how Exile dulls parts out).
See in the picture above how the part on the right that I have scuffed does not have a reflection in it any longer.
Once you are finished scuffing the part up, take a new clean paper towel with the prep-all on it, and give the part a good scrubbing.
Hold the part from underneath, so you don't leave any finger prints on it.
__________________________________________________ _
Step 3:
Once the part has air dried from the wax and grease remover, take your tack clotch and wipe it all down good.
Make sure you don't touch where you have scuffed with your fingers, keep holding the part from the underneath of it.
Keep the tack cloth moving, try not to stop in the middle.
Tack cloths are very "sticky" and could leave a little bit of stick on the part, so just keep it moving.
__________________________________________________ _
Step 4:
Now we are going to lay down the self etching primer.
You want to lay thin light even coats of the etching primer on the part, to make it grab into the metal. This should take 3 coats to completely cover.
The first coat, you should still see about 50% of the metal showing through,.. just a light feathering coat.
The second coat should be the same, and that will cover about 70-90%.
The 3rd and final coat should completely cover the part, and you should see no metal, just the primer.
I cannot stress how important it is to lay these coats on THIN.
If you lay the etching primer on to thick, it will not bond to both the metal and top coat and you will have a better chance of the paint flaking off later.
____________________________________________________
Step 5:
This step is easy. Just follow the instructions on the paint can.
My instructions said to lay 2-3 even coats somewhat heavy to achieve the wrinkle effect.
It is okay to wipe the part down with your tack cloth between the etching primer and top coat, but I don't suggest using the prep-all because it could wipe off the etching primer... not good. Today was a terrible day to paint outside, and I did get a few boo boo's in my paint.. good thing its not a glossy finish!
That is basically it. Follow the instructions on the paint for drying and handleing time, and you should be fine. I usually let my parts sit for a good 3-4 days in my house at 70 degrees to ensure a good bond for everything.
I also use the same method for painting exhaust, however I don't use etching primer. I can't say for sure if it would stand up to the heat, but I've never experimented to find out.
I just lay the high heat paint directly on the scuffed part, and again never had a problem with the paint flaking or peeling off.
Finally got around to taking a pic of the final product.
_____________________________________________________
