Making your car attractive and vibrant is the dream of most car owners. To do this, many resort to a process such as chrome parts. Such a design allows you to change any specific part of the machine, for example, a body, logo or attachments. Features of this process we will consider in this article.
When is required?
In industrial environments, chromium plating is used to make metal surfaces harder and stronger. In terms of car design, this procedure is needed to give it a protective and decorative properties. In addition, the chrome-plating of parts is a guarantee that the machine will be protected from corrosion and oxidation and in general will be more reliable in operation. Along with vehicles, plumbing elements, furniture fittings, interior details and various souvenirs can be chrome plated. However, most often the car is still chrome plated.
Process features
Chrome-plating of car parts is an opportunity for its significant transformation, especially if, for example, airbrushing is applied to the body. After applying chrome, the surface will become shiny, bright, attracting attention, and therefore many believe that they just have a car in front of them. Thanks to this, in a generally simple process, it is possible to give your car an interesting look and at the same time increase its mechanical strength. It is noteworthy that until recently it was possible to create a surface precisely in the color of chrome, whereas today new technologies have appeared, respectively, and the color of the machine can be any.
The technology of chrome plating parts suggests that it is a particular part of the machine that is being painted. For example, it’s ridiculous to chrome the entire car, since the mirror surface of the body is simply not safe for the driver. But when some details of the car shine , it looks advantageous and interesting. Today, there are several technologies for applying chromium:
- Film.
- Electrochemical.
- Catalytic.
Film
The most reliable way of chrome plating is film. It is applied simply, while the consumption is very small, and therefore this method is considered economical. Due to the wide color range, it is possible to give your car almost any look. It is important that the film can be easily removed, while it will reliably protect the factory paint from various damage.
Electrochemical method
The most expensive way is the electrochemical, because special equipment is required for chrome-plating parts, while craftsmen must have special skills. To give the surface a fashionable effect, you will first need to apply a rough layer of metal, for example nickel, and only then, chromium is deposited directly by means of the electrolytic deposition method. To make the part more wear-resistant, it will also require chrome plating of the upper layer, however, already without a metal sublayer.
Catalytic chromium plating
The third method is catalytic chromium plating, when several layers of a special liquid in which there are no acids are applied to the surface of the part. That is, working with her is absolutely safe for humans. The peculiarity of the catalytic method is that it is possible to make a coating with an unusual effect. In addition, such chromium plating allows you to work even with flexible parts, which is impossible with the electrolytic method, since the coating will peel off.
As a complement
To get the effect of chromium plating, it is also possible to carry out processing under chrome with the help of a special paint. The essence of the process is as follows:
- On the surface of the car, which must be pre-prepared, first black paint is applied in a thin layer.
- After it dries, the surface is carefully polished, after which it is degreased and heated with hot air. These measures will allow a new layer of paint to “lie” well to the surface.
- Now you can apply the paint “under the chrome”, which contains the smallest particles of aluminum.
- The surface should dry, after which it is polished again, and then it is given a certain texture using various tools.
Today, the chrome plating of parts in Moscow is carried out in more modern ways. So, the prepared surface is first treated with a primer, for example, automotive varnish class HS, which has a special pigment. Thanks to it, glare is created on the surface, and the adhesion of the composition to the metal becomes better. This varnish is an excellent base directly for a coating of chrome. Chrome paint is sprayed onto the primer, which creates a mirror effect. To avoid the appearance of haze and dull spots, specialists use a distiller. The final layer is a protective coating of class HS, in which special colored pigments are added - they give the surface of the parts the effect of steel or gilding.
Independent work
Every motorist wants to make his car special not only in terms of color choice, but also in design as a whole. At the same time, chrome-plating of parts with one's own hands is a completely affordable measure, the main thing is to have the necessary materials and tools. For chromium plating you will need to stock up:
- good atomizer;
- a heat fan or hairdryer;
- automotive paint - black and chrome reflective;
- polishing compound;
- alcohol-based products.
The order of work will consist of several stages. First you need to prepare the surface for applying paint - for this we well clean it from the old coating, grind it. Using a spray gun, we perform surface priming with black paint, while first we protect it from getting the glass composition and parts that we are not going to paint. Now we wait until the paint dries.
Do-it-yourself chrome plating suggests that we will make the parts mirrored and shiny. To do this, you first need to polish the surface, then clean it and degrease with the help of agents that do not contain alcohol. Using a hair dryer or a heat fan, we heat the place to be painted. We will apply chrome paint with a spray gun, and it is important to spray it well and evenly. We are waiting for complete drying indoors. Now our task is to polish our details to a mirror shine. In this work, the chromium plating process can be considered complete.
Surface preparation requirements
Chrome plating of parts is a process consisting of several operations, which together allow you to give the car an individual look. In this case, technological processes are performed in a certain sequence:
- first, the surface is machined (sanded or polished);
- the surface must be washed with organic solvents that remove grease;
- holes are closed, those areas that will not be chrome-plated are isolated.
Before covering the surface, the part is first processed depending on the cleanliness class that is specified for a particular component. The essence of machining is to remove all non-metallic inclusions, cracks, deep risks from the surface, and chrome is just different in its ability to remove such defects well. If there are holes on the surface, then they must be covered with a material that is resistant to chromic acid before chromium plating.
When removing contaminants from the workpiece, it should be remembered that steel elements with thin walls cannot be degreased in the cathode. In such cases, it is advisable to use anode degreasing or chemical degreasing.
Parts restoration: chrome plating to help!
A feature of the chromium plating process is that it can also be used if necessary to increase the wear resistance of parts. For example, restoration of parts by chromium plating It is made for those elements that are subject to mechanical wear during operation. In addition, wear-resistant chrome plating helps to restore the dimensions of worn parts, as well as to fix parts whose dimensions were changed during machining. In this kind of coating, the thickness of chromium is a maximum of 1 mm. To achieve maximum effect, solid materials should be chosen as the main layer. This is especially advisable for those parts that will be operated at high specific load.
Chrome plating
Plastic and any other dielectric are chrome plated as the final layer of a multilayer decorative protective coating. It is noteworthy, but the chrome plating of plastic parts can significantly increase their resistance to corrosion and at the same time make the surface stronger. Whatever method of chromium plating is chosen, it is important to properly prepare the surface of the plastic. First, it must be processed by grinding, after which etching is performed. Several methods can be used for this. So, the universal composition for etching consists of chromic anhydride, phosphoric and sulfuric acid. However, some types of plastics may require a special formulation. So, for the etching of polystyrene, a combination of chromic anhydride and sulfuric acid is necessary. And parts made of fluoroplastic should be processed with a composition of sodium and naphthalene.
After the etching of the plastic is performed, it is necessary to metallize or apply a heat-conducting layer. There are two ways to do this. The first involves the application of graphite-containing varnish or powder, which conducts current. In the second method, chemical copper is applied. To make the heat-conducting layer stronger, a coating of "addictive" copper is applied. After this, the chrome parts of plastic are carried out.
Galvanic method: what is special?
Galvanic chrome plating of parts is widespread today, since such a coating is wear-resistant, hard, durable, resistant to chemical and thermal environments. Attracts this method of chrome plating motorists and the fact that it allows you to keep the coating aesthetic for a long time. Electroplated chrome coatings are used in several cases:
- In the manufacture of reflectors, searchlights, mirrors, since the coating has high reflective properties and is second only to silver and aluminum in these indicators.
- If you need a coating that meets protective and decorative tasks.
- If restoration is required, which allows you to extend the life of parts and return them to their original dimensions.
- If necessary, increase the service life of parts important to mechanisms.
The thickness of the plating depends on the conditions under which the parts will be used. For example, if worn sizes are restored, the layer thickness will be approximately 500 microns. If you want to make parts more durable and wear-resistant, then the thickness of the chrome layer can be 9-60 microns.
How is galvanic chrome plating performed?
The quality of the chrome coating will depend on the mode in which it was applied. During this process, oxygen is intensively released on the surface of the anode, and hydrogen is generated at the cathode. In order to form a coating on the inside of the parts, it is important to install additional anodes. Moreover, they must be mounted so that they do not interfere with the exit of gases.
In some cases, it is advisable to form a protective layer with a high level of heat transfer. In this embodiment, black chromium plating is best used: it will create a stable and reliable coating, while retaining its properties even with temperature changes. If you need to remove a poor-quality galvanic coating, a chemical or electrochemical method is used for this.
Chrome plating parts in Moscow
Prices in the services of Moscow and St. Petersburg for such services vary. Most companies offer a wide range of services - from electroplating and galvanizing to anodizing and nickel plating. However, not in every company the cost of coating preparation is included in the price of chromium plating in general. In addition, the final price depends on how many materials and what shape and size were spent. On average, in a car service, the cost of work is from 500 rubles. up to 700 rub. for a part measuring 10 x 10 cm. In other companies, the price for processing a plot of 1 dm 2 starts at 150 rubles. depending on the thickness of the coating. Additional processing (grinding, surfacing, polishing, gansing) is paid separately. Some companies in St. Petersburg focus on the fact that they do not perform galvanic coating, for example, motorcycle bumpers, headlamp rims or silencers. This is explained by the fact that it is cheaper to buy the part itself than to give it an updated look. As for prices, in St. Petersburg, chromium plating is offered on average for 15,000 rubles: that is, a specific part of a car with material will be processed. And painting the car as a whole will cost approximately 200,000 rubles. In Moscow, a passenger car is covered with a film for about 30-50 thousand rubles, and covering a certain part of a car’s interior will cost, on average, one part for 2000 rubles.