sledge wheels... bling them out?

[SRTracer121]

well i got my sledge back and since the chrome is non-existant on the rims i was thinking of trying to paint them with either a faux gold (match the aluminum bits) or faux crome (match the original style) from krylon. what do yall think? despite my sig it will mostly be a shelf queen (although it will be played with often)

anyone done this before with another car perchance? any suggestions?

http://www.krylon.com/products/premium_metallic/ (first saw it in hell-mart)

i already tried a few things in descreet areas to take the current paint off, so far the best is lacquer thinner.

i want to try acetone but ive had mixed results in the past. had a bunch of sledge parts with paint and glue on them and the acetone worked on everything but the tamiya rims and the chassis tub... which melted .

ill get pics of the rims up in a bit

[Coelacanth]

Honestly, I have yet to find a paint that provides a true metallic sheen like chrome or gold/silver foil. None of them end up looking like what you see on the cap. The caps are actually plated by a plater, not painted with the paint inside the can, so they cannot be trusted as true representations of the paint. I tried a Krylon Original Chrome paint in a computer case I modded years ago, and it came out relatively shiny, but nothing like the cap. I'd suggest it would never hold up to actual running conditions, only good for a shelf-queen.

I painted the drive bay doors, horns, teeth & fan with Original Chrome. It has a satiny shine to it, but nothing like the chrome-plated cap.

EDIT: Acetone works to remove most kinds of paint from nylon. I've found Easy-Off works even better. Both of those will attack plastic, though...that's why the acetone ate up your Tamiya parts. But it's safe on nylon.

Why not dye the wheels with RIT dye or something? It won't be as "bling" but it'll be a lot more durable of a finish.

[SRTracer121]

im hesitant to use the acetone tho, its not like sledge rims are are all over ebay and id rather not wait a year till a set pops up on ebay and i have to bid 200 bucks for 2 of them

gave me some things to think about. i think i will get a can and try it, worst possiblity, i can go out and tag some stuff with style jk

[klavy69]

worth a shot but durability is nil. Worse case scenario is you don't like it and have to strip them again. If you have any Castrol Super Clean in your neighborhood parts store give it a shot. It'll clear that chrome off overnight soaking...did for my HPI 5stars and some of my traxxas chromies.
If you did find new ones they would also do the same if they aren't allready deteriorating in the bag. I've got a NIP set of those wheels that are just as shineless as yours .
Rit Dye gets my vote...
Todd

[Lowgear]

im hesitant to use the acetone tho, its not like sledge rims are are all over ebay and id rather not wait a year till a set pops up on ebay and i have to bid 200 bucks for 2 of them

gave me some things to think about. i think i will get a can and try it, worst possiblity, i can go out and tag some stuff with style jk

I have a NIB set of satin ones. If they're that sought after I'll put them on eBay because I'm currently looking for money..

[airdreams1]

to tackle the chrome removal issue.... I too say Super clean (or cheep walmart purple power)

the only way youll ever get anything close to chrome out of a can is to paint gloss black first & them use the chrome... That said there is also the factor of heat. If the temp is wrong you still wont have a chrome finish....
Also paint doesnt dry hard like clear coat. thats why it has no durability. So you would need to clear it when done. (use the wrong clear or coat at the wrong time & it will blister up!)


Alclad II works very well, but has the same issues listed above (minus the heat part). + you need an airbrush to apply it. But the shine is 10x better than any rattle can that Ive ever tryed.
Oh & then there is the price..... last time i bought some it was about $8 for a 1oz bottle. (that was aboyt 5 years back. may be higher priced now)

[SRTracer121]

yeah i thought about dyeing them but imo dye only looks good for full do ups and [matching] accent bits, i want to make it look as ready for a concourse as i can and if it were for goofing around id be all for it but not this one, ive got another sledge i may do some dye work on tho (in hot pink to match my blue eagle of course )

i will try castrol super clean, the local stores are pretty pricy when it comes to acetone and the like and are only sold in the larger size (too tired to use units of measure )

ive got a track work party tomorrow so ill have all day to thnk about it.

edit: i typed this up then went and rebuilt the dang thing. forgot to post it, some intersting feedback. and yes it is infact 0430 here im up anyway so why not play with the toys

[highwayracer]

Have you tried the Alcalad paints. They originally developed for ABS parts, but people began using them on lexam bodies. A few years ago, I painted a set of hornet wheels but it didn't turn out that great becasue the wheels had scratches. The paint was really thin and i didn't use a black base to cover the scratches. With the right type of prep work, I think it's possible to get a really nice finish.

Regards,
highwayracer

[Seabass]

Alcad is your best bet.

big thing with alcad is a good smooth gloss black base coat. It will really make the difference in the end result.

I beleive you can now get Alcad in a can but I am not sure. It is very easy to find on the net with a google or yahoo search.

[SRTracer121]

alright i man'd up and got some new acetone, tried it on the outside area between the beads and so far im hopeful, ill will be checking in on it every hour or so (if not, every 30) and we'll see how it goes

*crosses toes, fingers... and shoe laces

[Coelacanth]

If the wheels are nylon, you have nothing to worry about. I rather doubt they'd be made of plastic. Just don't soak your tires in acetone.

[SRTracer121]

i could care less about the tires not only does tower still have them in stock but the set ive got have almost no spike left on um

[Coelacanth]

That's good. If acetone isn't working fast enough, try Easy-Off, the oven cleaner with the yellow cap. It works even faster. I've left nylon wheels to soak in Easy-Off for over 24 hours with no effect on the nylon wheels. It might remove old chrome plating even better than acetone--just be sure to wear rubber gloves when touching it, and avoid inhaling the fumes.

[Lowgear]

Nobody ever mentions Aircraft Remover. I wonder what uses in the R/C world that stuff has besides removing powder coating.

[SRTracer121]

welp theyve been sitting over what 25+/- hours and the stuff is still on but it comes off with my finger nail now so at this pint im going to just sit down tomorrow inhale some acetone and put some elbow grease to the problem

i will try oven cleaner if i get nowhere, stupid vintage traxxas quality (notice i say vintage)