Chrome Illusion Troubleshooting
As in any process, problems are sometimes encountered with respect to the appearance of the finished product. It is therefore important to know where to look in order to correct any problems that occur. Below is a list of possible encounters that may occur and a reason as to why it may have happened. Please read through any relevant ones carefully and take note at the instructions provided. If you are having any problems that are not listed within this section, please feel free to get in touch with us so we can find a solution together.
As in any process, problems are sometimes encountered with respect to the appearance of the finished product. It is therefore important to know where to look in order to correct any problems that occur.
IF THE SILVER DEPOSIT COMES OUT BLUE OR CLOUDY, IT MAY BE CAUSED BY ONE OR SEVERAL PROBLEMS
1.The base coat may not be dry enough.
2.The sensitizer may be too old and therefore should be changed.
3.The de-ionized water has gone bad and therefore the de-ionizer should be recharged.
4.The calibration of the gun has been changed. The silver to reducer/modifier ratio is off.
IF THE SILVER APPEARS DARK OR BROWNISH
The reducer is coming out much greater in quantities than the silver or the sensitizer was not completely washed off before silvering. Take more care in your quantities and cleaning.
IF NO SILVER APPEARS TO BE DEPOSITING
1. The temperature may be below 60°F.
2. We recommend at least 70°F for a proper job.
IN EXTREMELY HOT WEATHER ON SEVERAL SURFACES THE SILVER MAY APPEAR DULL IN SPOTS
1. This can be corrected by lowering the concentration of the reducer.
IF THE TOPCOATED PIECE LOOKS DULL OR FULL OF SPOTS
1. The topcoat has been applied on too heavy.
An effective first step in solving any problems is to determine in which part of the process the problem is occurring. Metallizing a clean piece of glass or tile (which has not been basecoated) can help. Always sensitize first. If the glass or tile is metallized without any probems, then the problem most likely lies in the basecoat or topcoat application. If, on the other hand, the glass or tile does not come out perfect after metalliszing, at least some part of the problem lies in the silvering step.
When trying to isolate a problem in either the basecoat, silvering or topcoat step, one should remember that either the chemicals or the technique could be the source. If you are still experiencing problems please do not hesitate to contact us for further technical assistance.
Having trouble producing a good mirror?
1. Keep your equipment clean.
2. Make sure the spray gun is balanced on both sides for equal volume delivery.
3. Watch shelf life on all chemicals.
4. Maintain proper quality of distilled or de-ionized water.
5. Use fresh sensitizer to eliminate poor adhesion and spotty deposits.
6. Too much silver spray results in a cloudy back and a shiny front appearance.
7. Darks streaks running side-to-side may mean an overlapped spray pattern or spray being applied too close to the glass. The two spray streams should meet two inches from the glass surface.
8. Spots that appear randomly while silvering may be caused by contamination in the air line.
9. Spots in the same place after redo are usually dirt on the glass not being removed during the polishing/cleaning of the glass.
10. Spots that appear after the mirror is finished (in a few days or weeks) could indicate either drying was not complete and water is trapped under the coating or pinholes in the paint film are exposing the silver to contamination.
11. Splotchy silver, cloudy on both sides, is caused by the gun being out of balance, dirt in the gun nozzle causing uneven flow, or using solution that is not fresh.
Our chemicals are sourced here, with chemists working to provide the very best in spray-on-chroming. Our chemicals come in concentrated form in containers that have their own measures so no need for all that pouring and measuring, simple squeeze the container to fill up a dispenser attached to the recommended amount and pour.
Our basecoat is of the highest quality with outstanding adhesion, it has excellent flo-out and covers a lot more imperfection.
Our goal is to ensure that our customers will receive technical support when they need it and not when it suits. The majority of feedback we get about other companies is the lack of technical support and customers have told us they just wanted to give up, we are here to make it work and support you through the learning curve.
We’ve been there ourselves and with our technical expertise and knowledge we can help you resolve any issues you encounter.
The most important point is that there is no need to purchase one basecoat and one hardener and thinner, and one topcoat and one hardener and one thinner.
It’s simply the same product? Our topcoat has hardener and thinner but for our basecoat you simply add a colour to the topcoat and so you are spending 50% less. Once you have silvered your part you can either colour the topcoat for a chrome effect finish or gold, brass, copper or almost any colour of the rainbow.
