Clear coat over chrome?

I'll have a large part that's chrome that'll be hard to get at to polish once its installed. It could be exposed to road debris. I figure clear coat will keep the finish nice, shiny and protected. I would wax it but I'd rather have a more permanent solution as it would not be fun to clean, polish and wax this three or four times a year.

So how would I go about prepping the piece for clear? Give me any and all info you have with this area.

Thanks a ton!

 

I don't think the clear will stick good on the chrome??

 

That's my number one question. How to prep the part without damaging the chrome?

Or, what can I do better (tougher, longer lasting) than just polishing then waxing chrome?

 

Yea what I'm saying without saying it, is it won't stick.... unless you sand it to give it something to bite on! Wax would be your best bet.

 

That's what I'd be afraid of. I just don't want to be polishing and waxing underneath my pickup three or four times a year. But if that's what it takes...that's what I'll do to keep it nice.

 

What about clear powdercoat?

 

What part is it.??

You might could wash it with carb, or brake cleaner and have it powder coated clear...... But that still might not stick good.

I type slow...........

 

I don't really want to say what part it is right now til the deal is done and its in my hands. But it is totally ridiculous. Shouldn't really matter for the info though, chrome is chrome.

I don't know anything about clear powdercoating chrome. What can y'all tell me?

And thanks for the help!

 

Por 15 carrys a clear formlated for chrome or polished surfaces. Maybe there might be other manufactures also.

 

Sounds promising...do you know what the steps for preperation of the part are?

 

The reason I asked what part, was because if it gets hot, then cold, then hot......... nothing is going to really stick. If it has alot of little nooks and cranies the powder coating will stick better than just a flat piece.

I would trust the powder coat over the por15 stuff. Its way thick and britle.

 

what about adhesion promoter?

 

I don't see the point in clear coating a chrome piece. In order to keep a chrome piece shiny you have to wash it to remove all grit and then polish it. In order to keep a clear coated piece shiny you have to wash it to remove the grit and then wax it. You don't have to polish chrome any more often than you have to wax clear coat. If it's too much work to keep your part clean it's probably not something you should chrome in the first place. Any clear coat whether it's powder coat or paint will end up peeling at some point.

 

Tell me more. What is it, what's the prep for that? Spray it on then spray clear? Or more involved?

 

It definately shouldn't be chromed. But it is. For me, its like that idol statue Indiana Jones stole and replaced with the bag of sand. Its mezmerizing. Just looking for maybe some more protection.

 

Zoop

 

I have seen it but never used it. Check out their website, they should have more info about it. Also, I think I saw something simliar in Eastwood catalog. Can't be certain. Hope this was helpful.

 

Thanks fellers! Now I've got some stuff to research...

 

I'm with ya on the chroming. I've done the same thing myself. I'm just saying clear coating chrome is a waste of money. If the piece is something you' re going to want to keep clean and shiny you can do it without adding the extra expense of a clear coat.

 

Zoop Seal was created to try to slow down the oxidation of aluminum. Chrome doesn't oxidize nearly as quickly as aluminum. Zoop seal is a waste of money on stainless and chrome.

 

I personally would give a thumbs-down to the powder coating. We tried running clear powder coated wheels on our dirt car, and by mid-season they were foggy. They ended up looking like s**t, and we s****ped them. My 2 cents.

 

Thanks for clearing that up, I just threw a sugestion out there......... I have never used it, but always wanted to give it a try on some chrome. Zoop is expensive anyway.

 

Zoop is a good product for polished aluminum. You'r right about it being expensive. It's definitely not cost effective for stainless or chrome.

 

There's a lacquer product you can get for polished br*** on boats and in the home. Really slows down the br*** tarnishing. It's cheap but needs to be stripped every couple of years - but it comes straight of with a solvent. It would probably be fine for chrome.

 

I'm not sure I'm getting the point.
You have chrome, which is a pretty tough metal (chrome was used to protect the steel under it, as well as for decoration.
You want to put paint on top of it.
Paint is much less tough than chrome! Requires even MORE maintenance that chrome does. More polishing, waxing a couple times a year. Chrome just needs cleaning, even with carb cleaner, if it's real bad.
Besides, if it gets chipped, then even the best "adhesived" clear on a polished surface will go bad REAL fast!
We used Imron clear over polished copper, on the Kopper Kart, to keep maintenance down. It dulled down the finished a little bit, and now requires the same mantenance as the the paint job does. Also, one of the platers clearcoated a bunch of pieces for us, and they are starting to go bad. So even pros cannot get it right all the time.
In the end, due to the hight maintenance of copper, it was still the best way to go, IMHO. But NOT for chrome!

 

be careful with the "clear paint" as it turns a light gray color and in my opinion makes alum and chrome look worse. i have been told to just do maintenance on the chrome, wipe it down with good old wd40 every few weeks.

 

If you don't want to clean it what is the point of making it stand out anyway?

 

Back when shopping carts were chrome plated they were also sprayed with clear laquer to provide extra protection against rust. It does dull the finish somewhat. Look into Alsa clear. It's expensive but it works.

 

Doesn't matter what you cover it with, won't you still need to clean and polish that finish also??!!!!! So, why not just get whatever it is hard chromed?????

 

Any coating applied over a mirror smooth surface like chrome will fail. Powder coating, phenolic, or polyurethane will last for a while, but when those fail they hard to remove. You could go with an easier to remove coating like clear lacquer or uncatalyzed clear enamel, but those won't last very long before lifting. All things considered your best option is a coat of wax and nothing more. As was pointed out by several, a proper chrome job shouldn't need additional protection.

If the part is bright but not mirror smooth a clear coating will adhere. Because no primer would be used, powder coating would protect the bare metal part longer than a paint-type product.

Depending on what the part is, one made of stainless and polished is another option.