Today, chrome plating of wheel rims is especially popular as one of the most budget-friendly and fastest tuning methods. Chrome, as you know, is a fairly inexpensive material with high technological and performance properties. It also has distinctive decorative characteristics and can decorate any car. Restoring chrome on wheels is a simple procedure that anyone can do. Let's consider the basic technologies of such tuning.
Chrome plating technologies
When performing this procedure independently, you do not need specialized equipment or special skills in the field of finishing work. The main thing is to strictly observe the key aspects of the selected type of processing. At home, chrome plating of wheels can be done using two technologies:
- Galvanization in a bath using a solution. This method takes a minimum of time and is excellent for chrome plating small parts: car wheels, household metal or plastic components, removable elements of a vehicle interior, etc. However, this method has one important drawback - when finishing large parts, you need a spacious room and special devices for pouring the electrolyte composition.
- Creation of a chrome coating by spraying. This method uses a galvanic brush or sprayer, which allows you to control the density and uniformity of the coating, but this takes a lot of time. It is also worth noting that wheels that are chrome-plated by spraying require more material consumption (more than twice as much as the previous method). That is why this technology is used only for decorating small non-removable elements.
Disc care
To maintain the proper quality of the surface of chrome wheels, you need to fulfill simple requirements:
- Wash and clean their surface with water and a soft cloth. The final rinse is carried out using a large amount of water. It is advisable to perform this operation twice a month. After drying, it is advisable to polish the coating to give it a mirror shine.
- To clean small defects on the coating, use chalk crushed to dust and napkins. Then the treated defects are coated with a colorless varnish, which preserves the oxide film and prevents further destruction of the coating.
- To wash chrome coatings, you need to use warm water. If dried dirt appears on the coating, it must first be soaked. Only after this can it be removed with a soft cloth. Plaque that appears on the coating must be removed with a soft sponge.
Cost-effectiveness of do-it-yourself processing
Chrome plating often refers to the chemical metallization of individual structural components, for example, car parts. As we have already said, this operation does not require special knowledge or professional skills. However, to obtain a high-quality processing result, it is worth studying in advance all the technological features of the material, application rules, consistency of the mixture and the approximate time of finishing work.
Before you decide to chrome plating your wheels yourself, decide on the end result and purpose of this process. So, for example, if you are only going to improve the appearance of the wheels, then it would be a good idea to learn about other methods of decoration.
There is a simpler way of decoration than restoring the chrome on car wheels: you can stick on a vinyl film, which in appearance cannot be distinguished from a real chrome coating.
On the other hand, if your task is to protect car components from further destruction, then chrome plating will come in handy. You can always contact a tuning center and order chrome plating of the wheels there. But maybe you shouldn’t waste money? All you need is to purchase the necessary materials and treat the surface in accordance with certain rules.
In the video: DIY chrome plating without equipment.
Chrome wheels
You can do chrome plating on wheels yourself. To carry out repairs and restoration you will need:
Restored disc
- special equipment for grinding;
- galvanic station;
- chemical electrolytes and reagents;
- weighing equipment;
- sandpaper;
- utensils are not made of metal;
- gasoline or kerosene.
The basis is knowledge in the field of chemical and physical reactions. In addition, restoring chrome wheels to 17, 18 or other diameters will require patience and time.
Restoration of car wheels begins with the preparatory process. It is necessary to prepare the surface of the car wheel, the chrome on which will be restored. First of all, it is necessary to process the element with a grinding machine, remove all irregularities by walking along the surface.
For your information!
To remove more efficiently, you should initially work with coarse sandpaper, gradually reducing its number, finishing with a felt nozzle.
The result of high-quality work will be a smooth surface. When grinding is finished, you need to degrease the discs, for this you will need:
- white alcohol;
- petrol;
- kerosene mixture.
All irregularities should be eliminated and dirt, traces of corrosion and scale should be removed from the product. In case of severe contamination, it may be necessary to carry out treatment in several baths filled with kerosene or gasoline liquid. After these measures, dark chrome or light chrome plated wheels should be washed thoroughly, making sure that there are no alkaline inclusions on the structure.
Before dipping the discs into a special bath, it is necessary to carry out pickling, which will not only determine the metal structure, but also guarantee high-quality adhesion. For this operation you will need a composition that consists of sulfuric and hydrochloric acid with the addition of water - 10:5:85.
Electrochemical chromium plating process
Important!
You cannot use electric current with a density of more than 10 A/dm2.
Copper plating is carried out using acidic or pyrophosphate electrolytes. The electric current density should be approximately 5-6 A/dm2. Then you will need an electrolyte of copper sulfate (1:5) and sulfuric acid (5:100).
When the operations described above have been completed, chrome plating of the alloy wheels begins.
A composition that combines:
- chromine;
- cryolite;
- sodium nitrate;
- chromium anhydride.
You may be interested in this About original wheels for Toyota Corolla (Toyota Corolla)
First you need to start with an electric current density of approximately 25-30 A/dm2, after 120 seconds. you need to increase it to 20 A/dm2, 10 minutes of operation in this mode will be enough, then you will be able to observe an excellent chrome surface.
Main advantages
Experts highlight several main advantages of chrome plating of wheel rims:
- Chrome-plated parts have higher heat transfer characteristics, which in turn helps to increase their service life;
- If you chrome rims at home in a timely manner (when the top layer of the coating cracks), you can significantly increase the strength of the surface and its resistance to mechanical stress, as well as to environmental factors;
- Metal coating with chrome plating effectively protects car wheels from precipitation, high air humidity and the influence of various chemical reagents.
Chrome application technology
Layers of chrome coatings are applied using one of two methods:
- Galvanic,
- Diffuse.
The first method is considered to be of higher quality, since the coating lasts for a long time. However, it is also more complex. Electroplating, as such, involves the introduction of the substance used into the molecular lattice of the metal coatings of the disks. As a result, their moisture resistance and heat resistance improve.
A similar technique for chrome-plated casting of auto parts is more improved in terms of protection against anti-corrosion formations. It ensures the formation of a protective film on an oxide basis, which slows down the appearance of rust.
At the same time, the diffuse method is, in fact, the usual painting of castings with powder paints. This operation is much cheaper than electroplating.
At the output, diffusion also gives a mirror effect with a fairly thin layer of paint, but the painted surface is not protected from the risk of the formation of corrosion spots and various types of damage.
Chrome plating is very popular among fans of tuning and restyling, as it significantly increases the strength of a number of automotive parts to which chrome treatment can be applied.
What will you need for work?
To carry out galvanic chrome plating of parts at home, you need the following materials and equipment:
- spacious glass container;
- tubular type electric heater;
- mineral wool;
- non-metallic container (for example, a basin);
- wooden box;
- several durable wire clamps;
- fiberglass;
- plate or rod anode.
A wooden box is used to create a base, similar to a large thermos, after which it is covered with fiberglass and filled with mineral wool and sand to form a thermal insulation layer. The clamps act as a cathode, they are connected to the negative, the glass container is placed in a basin - then the anode is secured.
Restoring chromium at home involves making your own electrolyte. To do this, you need to mix sulfuric acid and diluted chrome anhydride in the required proportion (for example, 2.5 g of H2SO4 per 250 g of chrome anhydride).
To make really high-quality chrome plating, a liter of distilled water heated to 60 degrees is poured into a glass container, anhydrite is added, then acid. After the solution is ready to restore the coating of the discs, a current is passed through the liquid (until a red-burgundy tint appears).
Painting cast and stamped car wheels in chrome
The process at home does not exclude preparatory activities. Painting chrome wheels outdoors is prohibited, as dust and contamination can harm the paint result. You need to define a small area in the room and cover it with PE. In addition, there should be no drafts.
The next step is to prime the discs. The service life and quality of varnishing depend on priming. In order for the primer to adhere well, the starting layer of the mixture is applied very thinly. Once dry, you can apply thickly. It should dry for 6 hours. The exact time is indicated by the manufacturer on the primer package.
The next step is to sand the surface with No. 0 sandpaper. As a result, you can observe an ideal surface.
Then the sanded areas need to be degreased again, after which they can be painted. The container must be shaken well in advance. The first layer is the thinnest, as with a primer. It is important to spray carefully, evenly, keeping the can at all times at a distance from the surface to be painted (250 mm). After the first layer has dried, apply a second, thicker one.
Beautiful painted disc
You can’t paint outside; the result can be ruined by:
- rain;
- dust;
- dirt.
If chrome wheels R18 or another radius are colored, then you can paint the rim one color and the main part another.
Initially, paint the rim; when it dries, you need to cover it with masking tape and paint the rest of the disk in the required shade. To avoid a smooth transition, you do not need to glue tape to the border between zones, but start applying new paint from an already painted surface, grabbing the edge of the stream. When it dries, for example, on a shelf, you can apply a protective coating.
You may be interested in this About the wheels on the Lada Vesta Cross
It should be noted that a varnishing process will be required if standard car paint is used. To varnish, you need to degrease the disc in advance. Then the surface is varnished, the principle is the same as when applying paint. Usually 3 layers are applied. If gloss is used, after it dries, you need to polish the surface.
On a note.
Great for Kudo work (chrome paint). You can paint the wheels or rim (RIO3 or for another model) yourself.
You can also protect from external factors with other compounds, for example, a “liquid cover”. To do this you will need a rag or napkin. The composition is applied to the disc and then polished with your own hands with a rag, without using a grinder. If liquid rubber was used for painting, it does not require protection at all.
How to prepare disks?
The surface of the discs also requires preparatory work. It is necessary to clean the parts intended for chrome restoration. At the first stage, mechanical cleaning of the coating from various types of contaminants and dust accumulations is carried out. In production workshops, parts are often sanded, but this is quite problematic to do at home.
The main purpose of preparing wheels for chrome plating is to remove contamination, in particular rust, to ensure a more uniform application of the composition. Each disc is degreased using gasoline, solvent or another similar product.
Chrome plating price
You can carry out professional and successful chrome plating of car wheels for a very low price in the city of Moscow. Qualified and experienced specialists will carry out this procedure very quickly and as flawlessly as possible. This is a difficult process that requires not only special qualifications, but also a level of knowledge that will allow this complex process to be carried out not only painlessly, but also successfully. As a rule, chrome plating of vehicle rims has a very affordable price.
Chrome plating process
The final result of chrome plating directly depends on strict adherence to the rules. Work order:
- Immerse the part in the electrolyte and after a few seconds apply current, so the temperature of the chrome elements and the solution will be approximately equal.
- If the object is preheated to 50 degrees, then chemical metallization can be carried out immediately after immersion.
- During the chrome plating process, it is necessary to carefully monitor the visual condition of the object in order to achieve uniform distribution of the composition.
- Next, you should dry the car wheels or other vehicle parts using a special electrical cabinet in the “thermos” mode. Additional tuning work can also be carried out on chrome wheels, depending on personal preferences.
Secrets of chemical metallization (1 video)
Wheels after chrome plating (23 photos)
Main recommendations
Here are some basic tips on how to properly clean and care for chrome wheels:
- Flushing must be done regularly. Do not allow dirt to dry on the surface, as it can leave serious scratches later after washing.
- If it rains outside, it is not recommended to wipe the disc with a dry cloth. Because dirt hardens and forms microcracks and scratches.
- It is not recommended to clean under strong water pressure. This will cause additional problems with chips and dents. In addition, the chrome shine is removed.
- Do not use aggressive chemicals for cleaning. Regular use of chemicals such as ammonia, chlorine, and acetone deforms the shiny coating. It is best to use a soap solution and a soft sponge to avoid damaging the surface.
If you follow these recommendations, the car owner does not have to worry about the preservation of the appearance of the chrome-plated product.
