Chrome powder dulls with clear pleas help!!!!!!

[scline74]

I have recently purchased the reflectra 525 chrome and the HFSD clear from caswells when apply and bake the chrome at 400 for 15 min the finish is beautiful but when i apply the hfsd clear at 400 for 15 the finish dulls dramatically . What is the problem ! Please help

[Fireblade]

The problem.....Nothing. You are doing it correctly, that is just the nature of the beast. My take on it is this, The chrome powder reflects light differently than chrome or polished aluminum does, so when you put the clear on, it absorbs the light reflecting capabilities it had when the clear was non-existant. Got me? Kinda confused myself, but basically I think the chrome powder has aluminum in it, and this aluminum no matter how smooth a finish is not going to reflect the same amount of light thanthe real stuff will. I have a pic posted in the album, ALBUM is listed at top of the webpage, that shows a chrome with clear on it, still looks good, but not like it was without. So, it is not you, llol

[tomg552001]

Yep, no problem at all. "Chrome" powder with clear coat basically turns out to be a shiny silver, no matter what you do, or so it seems :P

[duke]

if you are chrome p/cing a "widget" that is for interior use, do you have to clear coat it?
cheers

[tomg552001]

If you dont't clear coat a chrome powder it will look like **** after a while.

[duke]

xxxx can't win for losing.
cheers

[non-stick]

if dfrjr has posted a pic and has had success with it, no doubt he will chime in and advise you how he got to that level. Sometimes we don't always check the board everyday (myself included). I suggest a brief "cooling off" period for you my friend and give people here a little time. Posts last forever here and no doubt eventually you will have your answer. THIS IS NOT PRODUCT SUPPORT. I don't type in caps to box your ears about the matter.... but this is not an "instant messanger" service. If you have a problem with something and need an immediate explanation, then the Caswell phone is always open to you. If perhaps you've done something that wasn't quite "by the book" and perhaps you need some help, then we are ALL here for you. Chill out,relax,think things over. Just because "others" in here have not had luck with a product, does not mean that it isn't a viable product,k? If I find out through watching everything that somebody has mis-represented thier picture and called it reflectra only to post a pic.... guess what happens?*bip*.... I gotta erase the picture and use that stupid moderator button that I hate using. Then who's the bad guy? me, of course. Feathers get ruffled, attitudes flare..... frogs rain from the heavens.... it's a sign of the apocylypse, I assure you.

All's I can say is this...... take it easy for a moment on the cussing. There's no point in it and it's a sign of foolishness on part of a person whom I know is a very smart individual (that's the only warning I will give you on that one. I understand and comprehend and have been there a million times moreso than you, so this one slides. You have my word). I know tempers flare and things may have been overloooked. You spent your money with a company that is an ace, visit a forum full of people who are top-notch and have a problem that is extremely minor. Bear with it and be patient. Rushing through something gets you nowhere. Keep your eye on this thread for the coater to respond his process and perhaps you may just find yourself overlooking something and all will be right in the world again. That's the best I can tell you right now until I know more, bud....... Russ

[non-stick]

I just read the entire thread and I give the same warning to all of you. We're extremely smart people and have clever ways of explaining our disgust at a great number of things besides using the "*$^%^**&^$%" symbols and typing out ****, or whatever that is. First,last, and ONLY warning I'll give you. This isn't the "boys" club of coating even though I myself use that language on a one-to-one basis. The last thing I need is the board owner keeping an eye on us and not letting everybody "do thier thing" in here. We've got a good slack atmosphere and I'd like to keep it that way. . I assure you.... you'd rather have me "moderate" it this way as opposed to that big silvery looking name in the upper left hand corner come in and clear house,lol. The entire post stays for benefit of the product, no recourse on anybody who's posted up until this point ( I gave the "warning" let it stand at that) and if nobody minds..... move the hockey net back into the street so we can get back to playing........ ""GAME ON!!!!!!!!""...... Russ

[Fireblade]

I have something to add to this post as well. Scline74, if you go back and read the many posts about chrome powder, whether the people bought it from here or not, the end result is always the same when using the clear. Hemi-T did some parts he owns in the Reflectra, but he did not clear, maybe you want to check with him and see what he has found it with it. How is it holding up? etc... I have some parts lying around my shop that have no clear on them, I left them this way, just to see if they turn colors. I think the aluminum, again if I am right on this, absorbs moisture or oils from the atmosphere or people touching them. Hence the reason it turns a dull primer color. One piece I have, actually a motorcycle wheel, appears to be more hazy than the day I sprayed it, almost a year ago. The other pieces, which are a different chrome powder, seem to appear the way I sprayed them, about 10 months ago. I can say one thing on any subject you may have, LOOK BACK IN THE PAGES! The question you have may of been answered numerous times before, and may help you make a better judgment of what you may want to do. I am not yelling or downgrading you, just bringing it to your attention. Another thing, I may be wrong with this too, but the guy who sprayed those Air intake tubes, I THINK, said they had no clear on them. Maybe he will chime in and say, the post above the pic mentions nothing about a clearcoat.

[duke]

cheers