Refresh a gauge bezel?

[78C10BigTen]

Some the the model guys have used Alclad Chrome laquer. If I recall you spray black laquer then the Alclad, then clear. Here's a model wheel with Alclad.

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Good looking model! A cat too lol

 

[Craig 85]

Good looking model! A cat too lol

Not to hijack the tread, but here's the completed model. All the chrome including the scratch built dump box is Alclad.

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[ajd89]

Not to hijack the tread, but here's the completed model. All the chrome including the scratch built dump box is Alclad.

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Thats pretty cool! Theres no way I have the patience for that! How many hours you think you have in it? You should start a thread on your models.

 

[78C10BigTen]

Not to hijack the tread, but here's the completed model. All the chrome including the scratch built dump box is Alclad.

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Nothing like a good ol pete!

 

[Goldie Driver]

Some the the model guys have used Alclad Chrome laquer. If I recall you spray black laquer then the Alclad, then clear. Here's a model wheel with Alclad.

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The chrome is awesome - wish I knew about that when I built models, but the engine detail is incredible!

I always liked the engine and chassis - the body not as much.

Liked weathering military vehicles and model train engines, too, but have not fooled with those in a while , either.

Once I got my drivers license, a lot of the model building fell by the wayside .

Anyway , great job, and OP - hope your bezel turns out that well !

 

[gmachinz]

The stuff I use comes from Illinois from a place called Angel Gilding. They are a distributor for Alsa which is NOT a laquer or a paint-its a clear chemical process unlike the stuff the guy with the model used. Yes you have to clear this too but only to protect the silvered layer. Then, you have to add a violet translucent dye to the clear because otherwise you get a gold tint to the chrome instead of a very slight bright blue. There isnt anything else like it.

 

[gmachinz]

And this is supposed to be sprayed over any gloss surface-thats why even spraying directly on a cheap plastic water bottle makes it pop! I order a 2-part simultaneous spraying pump bottle from the damn UK lol too....there are 2 chemicals sprayed 1:1 so you have to have a certain spray gun or in my case a fancy ass spray bottle lol. It’s insane how well the chrome looks! Mixing this stuff all up with beakers, rubber gloves I felt like a damn meth manufacturer lol...can’t imagine what my neighbors would be thinking...”hmm...let’s see here-a surfactant? An optimizing solution...? What is all this stuff for exactly?” LOL

 

[Kim Burke]

Nice

 

[Daveo91Burb]

Thanks all for all the info. The chrome application for models is really cool but I think for my bezel it’s going to be somewhere between “install it as is” or tidy it up just a bit with the chrome pen!

Loved the Peterbilt model!

 

[Craig 85]

Thats pretty cool! Theres no way I have the patience for that! How many hours you think you have in it? You should start a thread on your models.

It's not my model. I've done some similar details to some of my model trucks, but not to this level. I've put models on the back burner for the past 6-7 years. I hope to get back to it once the K30 is mostly complete cuz I know it will never be done.

 

[Daveo91Burb]

Well, I haven't made any progress on the refresh of my late 80s silverado Bezel, but I did successfully add some idiot lights in the top. Since I have a GM Sports tach with small fuel gauge in the bottom (I have a trans temp gauge in the fourth small gauge hole) I need to mount the two lights that are normally in the fuel gauge somewhere else. On mine it's brake light and fasten seat belts. Don't care about the seat belt one, but the brake light is important. Roamed around Pick-n-pull a couple weeks ago and found a Ford escort with a small light bezel that was just what I needed, but the lights were check engine and something else. Then I found a Ford Ranger that had it's dash taken apart and I grabbed the gauge face plate. Was able to cut out the small squares on that face plate that had the seat belt and brake lights and used those as the lenses.

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[Craig 85]

I used my Molotow Chrome pen last week on my bezel. It actually gives a chrome sheen and lays down pretty smooth.

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[Daveo91Burb]

That looks sharp! I bought one of those pens but haven’t tried it yet. That’s the inspiration I needed

 

[Craig 85]

Just make sure the pen is flowing well and try to move it in one direction.

 

[Daveo91Burb]

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Well the $10 swap meet bezel did not work out - that was a pre-89 one and it turns out the bottom corner by the radio is different for the double DIN radios. There would have been an ugly gap had I used it and nothing to screw the corner screw in to.

But..... I still had my heart set on a brushed aluminum gauge bezel so I bought the re-facing skin that LMC sells. $65 shipped. A little more spendy than the original plan but it turned out well, at least I think so.

Anyone have any guesses as to what I got the red lens that says “brake” out of???