Restoring chrome painted trim on aluminum faceplates
- Thread starter djez
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Blue Shadow
Waiting for Vintage Gear from this century
Depends on what that chrome painted trim looks like originally. Many are just silver painted plastic sections of the faceplate such as a dial surround. If these are not chipped, a silver sharpie works well. If they are chipped, a filler, bondo works for everything, then textured, then sharpie should work.
The Sharpie works fine on a Sansui 9090 dial surround, pic from HiFiEngine:
For the shiny surrounds I don't know what to use, yet.
The Sharpie works fine on a Sansui 9090 dial surround, pic from HiFiEngine:
For the shiny surrounds I don't know what to use, yet.
I've tried different shades of silver sharpie, but none are shiny like chrome. I tried buying a chrome spray paint, spray a little into a container, then brush on. It drips too much that way. I may need to try a different type of brush & be careful with the quantity. It almost seems like a surround that needs a lot of work may look better with the paint removed & just left black. I appreciate your input & hope others have had success with any specific paints, brushes, or any other product or technique.Depends on what that chrome painted trim looks like originally. Many are just silver painted plastic sections of the faceplate such as a dial surround. If these are not chipped, a silver sharpie works well. If they are chipped, a filler, bondo works for everything, then textured, then sharpie should work.
The Sharpie works fine on a Sansui 9090 dial surround, pic from HiFiEngine:
For the shiny surrounds I don't know what to use, yet.
Thx, Dave
mgosdin
Super Member
A Silver Sharpie has worked fairly well for me, Testors makes metallic silver paint pens which might work as well. http://www.testors.com/product-catalog/testors-brands/testors/enamel-paint/markers
Mark Gosdin
Mark Gosdin
That's what I tried, but I created some runs in the paint. I probably need to look at a different brush as well as using just a small amount of paint. Regardless of what route you take, it's probably hard to make anything look original for more than touch-ups here and there. I wasn't careful enough cleaning the faceplate and have some longer stretches that I rubbed off the chrome paint. I'm not near artistic enough to recreate that straight and clean of a line. I ordered some of the pens mentioned earlier and will see how they look. Otherwise I guess it'll be acetone it all off & be happy with black! Thanks for all the feedback.
Dave
Boy, that would be tedious, but maybe I'll give it a shot. I have an old faceplate I've been practicing on, so it can't hurt. Thx
Westy56
A symphony of paradox
Are you getting runs with the faceplate facing the ceiling or are you painting it in its normal orientation?
Better yet, what model are we working with here? It would help to know the shape, dimensions, etc. more importantly how easy is it to remove this piece or is it even possible?? The testors paint marker is a great suggestion for small touch ups. What I would suggest if possible is removing the piece, sanding an prepping it very lightly with very fine grit sandpaper. Clean it up an spray the whole piece so that you get a nice even coat over the entire surface. If you don't have a steady hand, have someone do it that does. Lay it down flat but put tooth picks underneath it to prop it up a hair so you can spray the underside. This will also prevent damage the paint job when you pull it up. Keep in mind you can always alter the shades of paint by using lighter or darker shades of paint us a first layer. Colors like a flat black or white would be a start.
I just wanted to post an update. I ordered a couple pens including the Testor recommended by Mark. It's exactly what I was looking for. I'm new to learning about restorations both technical and cosmetic, and I definitely now know the first key is to not disturb the painted trim as much as possible. That's really hard when you need to try to polish scratches out of the plastic dial display, but touching up a few places is way easier that long sections as far as making them look close to factory. I'm probably going to leave my Sherwood faceplate as it is with all the paint taken off. It looks fine that way, and I think it'd look worse if I try to do the whole thing.
Thanks for everyone's input. This site is great, and I'll be asking for more advise on other subjects and projects soon.
Dave
The faceplate is off, but not sure if you're talking about removing the dial display plastic from the faceplate to polish and then reinstall. I haven't done that, and would be interested to know if that's possible on most units. If so, I'd like to know techniques such as how to separate it and what glue to use to reinstall.
I'm lost. What powder coating?
stevo137
Super Member
Powder coatings are basically a dry form of paint electostically applied and then cured in a curing oven to crosslink.
There are Chrome replacement powders that look very good.
You would need to take the faceplate to a coater or send it to be done.
It will cost more but one time, it will be much more durable than liquid touch up, you will never worry about it again and it will be beautiful if done correctly.
There are Chrome replacement powders that look very good.
You would need to take the faceplate to a coater or send it to be done.
It will cost more but one time, it will be much more durable than liquid touch up, you will never worry about it again and it will be beautiful if done correctly.
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Ah, didn't realize that was a powder coated application. Regardless, the units I'm working on so far aren't quite to the level that I'd spend the money just for that. I've removed the painted trim on a Sherwood I have, and you'd never know it unless you had another unit right beside it. It looks fine. Now I just need to fix the left channel that went out, but that's for another thread!
Dave
gdmoore28
Super Member
The only inexpensive way to restore the chrome look is by using the chrome spray paint - but not with a brush. I've had some very good results by using quality blue painter's masking tape to mask off the area needing restoration. Yes, it's tedious and time consuming. But, if the chrome paint is sprayed on the way it was intended, the results are quite nice. (And pay very close attention to the instructions on the can: spray on several very light coats. Do not try to do the job in one or two heavy coats. This is what makes or breaks the quality of the restoration.) I always follow up with two coats of clear coat. Otherwise, the new chrome paint will wear very quickly.
GeeDeeEmm
GeeDeeEmm