Success at painting detail on aluminum and chrome trim - finally

[AR67GTX]

I’ve had a bunch of aluminum and chrome trim the last couple of years that I had either restored or had restored and I couldn’t seem to come up with a process or paint for blackout detail that wouldn’t chip back as the fine line tape was carefully pulled off, leaving a ragged edge. No combination of paint or primer seemed to help. Finally someone mentioned self-etching primer and it dawned in my crusty brain cells that that was exactly what I used to prime the aluminum side louvers on my ERA Cobra years ago before painting them. I needed to paint the headlight surrounds and interior front window trim on my 66 Satellite so I got a can of SEM self-etching primer in back and I had a can of SEM Trim Black for a top coat. Finally, success. Ever tape line pulled off perfectly clean with no chipped edges.

Maybe someone else can benefit from this.

 

[69 Sleeper Bee]

Looks great !
What kind of tape are you using ?

 

[R413]

Looks excellent. The area around the headlamp was painted silver from factory.

 

[Ron H]

Looks great, thanks. With the detailing on my '63 grille to be done yet, this is something I'll try.

 

[dcmason69]

So you sanded and polished I take it.
So do you use anything on aluminum to seal your work to keep it from oxidizing or fading? If so what?
Looks amazing

 

[VFilms]

So you sanded and polished I take it.
So do you use anything on aluminum to seal your work to keep it from oxidizing or fading? If so what?
Looks amazing

@AR67GTX nice work. I did the same on my Belvedere trim. To answer the question above about the bare aluminum, there are a few posts here about de-anodizing the trim and what to do afterward. I chose to de-anodize and polish it. It will dull with time so I use Mother’s Aluminum polish. A lot of work but brings it right back.

 

[zyzzyx]

I wonder if this would work with the Argent paint on a 68 GTX rear finish panel? It's Chrome.

 

[AR67GTX]

Looks excellent. The area around the headlamp was painted silver from factory.

That’s something I wasn’t aware of. I have the heavy texture silver argent. Was that used or was it the smoother silver argent?

The grill and buckets were stripped and polished. I chose not to have anodized as that leads to all matter of complication on the grill. I just apply Meguiars ceramic wax on them and they will probably be good longer than I have left on earth. But if not, a little Mothers aluminum polish shines them right back up.

I used 3M fine line vinyl masking tape.

 

[VFilms]

That’s something I wasn’t aware of. I have the heavy texture silver argent. Was that used or was it the smoother silver argent?

The grill and buckets were stripped and polished. I chose not to have anodized as that leads to all matter of complication on the grill. I just apply Meguiars ceramic wax on them and they will probably be good longer than I have left on earth. But if not, a little Mothers aluminum polish shines them right back up.

I used 3M fine line vinyl masking tape.

Light argent, the smoother paint

 

[MarPar]

I wonder if this would work with the Argent paint on a 68 GTX rear finish panel? It's Chrome.

But you still have to tape. The spraying is the easy part

 

[69L48Z27]

@AR67GTX I had a bit of deja vu. Saw this same post on the Corvette forum.

 

[AR67GTX]

@AR67GTX I had a bit of deja vu. Saw this same post on the Corvette forum.

Correct - I own a 66 427 Coupe. One of the guys jogged my brain there about using the semi-etching primer and there had been a couple threads there lately about problems painting trim on console plates, etc.

 

[AR67GTX]

Looks excellent. The area around the headlamp was painted silver from factory.

For some reason it seems I once knew that but until you mentioned it I didn’t recall it. But it’s seeming more familiar now - maybe my 67 GTX are detailed like that - it’s over at another garage right now. More taping.

What about the grill - anything painted anywhere on it other than the grill brackets and turn signal brackets? None of this stuff was painted on the car when I bought it.

 

[69L48Z27]

Correct - I own a 66 427 Coupe. One of the guys jogged my brain there about using the semi-etching primer and there had been a couple threads there lately about problems painting trim on console plates, etc.

Too funny. I have 66 427 Convertible. Small world I guess.

 

[MarPar]

Too funny. I have 66 427 Convertible. Small world I guess.

Well...Ill just keep my mouth shut.

 

[VFilms]

For some reason it seems I once knew that but until you mentioned it I didn’t recall it. But it’s seeming more familiar now - maybe my 67 GTX are detailed like that - it’s over at another garage right now. More taping.

What about the grill - anything painted anywhere on it other than the grill brackets and turn signal brackets? None of this stuff was painted on the car when I bought it.

Hope these photos help.
Also, you may want to get a standard gas cap as the factory caps have a tendency to go missing at car shows. If you don't have a factory cap they can be found but are expensive. I keep a close eye on mine when it's on the car. Some guys have even installed a tether wire to prevent them from getting stolen.
Again, really nice work on the trim. I know first hand what you have gone through.

 

[AR67GTX]

Thanks. I had wondered about that center rib in the aluminum grill and if the connecting areas should be blacked out.

 

[dcmason69]

@AR67GTX nice work. I did the same on my Belvedere trim. To answer the question above about the bare aluminum, there are a few posts here about de-anodizing the trim and what to do afterward. I chose to de-anodize and polish it. It will dull with time so I use Mother’s Aluminum polish. A lot of work but brings it right back.

View attachment 1175584

So what do you use to deanodize the aluminum?

 

[VFilms]

So what do you use to deanodize the aluminum?

I started with basic oven cleaner. Let it soak for hours but did not get the results I wanted.
Then I used caustic soda (lye) available at any hardware store. For the longer pieces I bought some household rain gutter and capped the ends to make a vessel for the piece. Used Sodium Hydroxide: Also known as caustic soda or lye (NaOH), it is the most common method for stripping anodized coating. The concentration of caustic soda is generally 2-10% of 50% liquid caustic soda by volume in water. Depending on the bath concentration and temperature, the anodic coating should strip in a few seconds to a few minutes. Sometimes longer, must keep a close eye on the process.
LEGAL DISCLAIMER: FOLLOW ALL SAFETY DIRECTIONS AND WARNINGS!!! THIS CHEMICAL CAN BE DANGEROUS IF NOT USED PROPERLY. USE PROPER SKIN AND EYE PROTECTION. KEEP AWAY FROM CHILDREN AND ANIMALS. USE IN A WELL VENTILATED AREA.
After the coating was stripped, I carefully and gently tapped out all the dings and dents. Sanded starting with 400 grit and continued to 2000 grit. Then buffed starting with a course rouge to fine rouge (changing the buffing pad with each rouge change). I do not do this professionally and some professionals may have different ideas. This is just how I did it.
https://aerospacemetalsllc.com/how-to-remove-anodized-aluminum/

 

[rich hourigan]

can you explain a little more about what color rouge you used... thanks Rich