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Painting over chrome

Posted: Tue Dec 26, 2017 4:33 pm
by x01660
Hey, y'all.

Got a 78 GL1000, pretty much stock.

I REALLY hate chrome, and I wanna black out my whole bike.

Any recomendations on how to go about blacking out all the chrome? Do I have to clean and sand before applying paint? Or is there a paint that will stick to chrome without it being roughed with sandpaper?

Thanks! :mrgreen:

Re: Painting over chrome

Posted: Tue Dec 26, 2017 5:03 pm
by 5speed
if you want it to adhere good..you need to rough up the surface.
I'm going to media blast the chrome I am going to paint.

Re: Painting over chrome

Posted: Tue Dec 26, 2017 5:58 pm
by desertrefugee
Hate chrome? Ah, man, there's nothing wrong with a little shine . . . except that between say, 10:30AM and 2:00PM it can get a little bright on the eyes while riding.

My '97 Valk:
IMG_5188.JPG
IMG_5188.JPG (112.36 KiB) Viewed 587 times
<Sigh> if you really want the paint to stick, pay attention to what 5Speed said about surface prep.

Re: Painting over chrome

Posted: Tue Dec 26, 2017 6:21 pm
by x01660
desertrefugee wrote:Hate chrome? Ah, man, there's nothing wrong with a little shine . . . except that between say, 10:30AM and 2:00PM it can get a little bright on the eyes while riding.

My '97 Valk:
IMG_5188.JPG

<Sigh> if you really want the paint to stick, pay attention to what 5Speed said about surface prep.

BEAUTIFUL bike!!!

I want a Valk SO BAD.... but the newer one. Or even an F6B. That's actually the perfect bike for me. In black. Yummy...

That said, I have stock pipes, and I've heard that they're getting rare to find. I'm assuming it would be better to get aftermarket ones and keep my stockers stock?

Re: Painting over chrome

Posted: Wed Dec 27, 2017 10:13 pm
by Easter
I have turned several chrome fenders into painted fenders. So far no problems but I have had them professionally sand blasted first, then sprayed with an etching primer followed with several coats of a heavy sanding primer to make sure the surface was smooth. The first time I tried this I used a vibrating sander with 80 grit paper and worked on the surface till it was thoroughly scratched up. Apparently that worked also but the bike was sold after completion so I don't have a long term report.

Re: Painting over chrome

Posted: Thu Dec 28, 2017 12:17 am
by HOTT
you can use PLASTI DIP spray on chrome that you don't want to damage.
Will it last? ..for a while, but you can peel and redo or touch up.
It's a good way to see if you really like the color before you invade the chrome.

Me? I use 220 on a palm orbital sander. Epoxy prime and 2 or Single stage paint/clear.

HOTT

Re: Painting over chrome

Posted: Thu Dec 28, 2017 10:29 am
by tomk1960
I powder coat over old chrome all the time. I always media blast with aluminum oxide, wash, and outgas. Blast what you've got and clean it well before shooting and you should get good adhesion. The priming suggestion is a good one.

Re: Painting over chrome

Posted: Mon Jan 01, 2018 3:15 pm
by nvr2old
I, too wanted to eliminate every once of chrome on my Goldwing. I agree with all who have recommended sand blasting your chrome parts (including both sides of the fenders). Every tiny piece of shiny has to go or it won't stick. I did this '77 about 7 yrs. ago and it's held up really well. The wheels were especially tedious, but the time spent in a sand blaster cabinet has paid off in the long run.

ImageGoldwing-rt.-b by Larry Pearson, on Flickr

ImageGoldwing-left-b by Larry Pearson, on Flickr

Re: Painting over chrome

Posted: Tue Jan 02, 2018 10:43 pm
by NunzioGL
I can attest to nvr2old's methods. I've seen this bike in person it's awesome. I followed his advice.

I did the same thing sandblast, use a self etching primer for the first few coats, wet sand then, followed buy a good high build epoxy primer. Paint using your paint system of choice. 6 Years on this and a lot of miles.

Image
Image
Image

Re: Painting over chrome

Posted: Mon Jan 08, 2018 3:04 pm
by codyjames707
Yeah, the main thing with chrome is that it is a super smooth surface and it doesn't allow the paint to grip properly, which could make the paint chip in LARGE portions. If a sandblaster is willing to strip the chrome off, that is definitely a cheaper option. Around me, sandblasters weren't willing to do it because the chrome comes off like "small razor-blades" (California standards =/).
I was able to take it to a chrome shop and chemically get it de-chromed and stripped to bare metal.

Just keep in mind for a sturdy, quality paint job the paint will need GRIP.

Re: Painting over chrome

Posted: Mon Jan 08, 2018 4:06 pm
by desertrefugee
And oh boy have I lusted for quite some time after that faring - on the Nunzio GLX bike. Love that dang thing.

Re: Painting over chrome

Posted: Sat Feb 10, 2018 10:03 pm
by Crash7
I'm painting over some chrome. Sanding it down and epoxy painting it.