SPECIAL PROJECT: MONOPOLY
BASECOAT
An artist produces giant scale replicas of the ever-popular board game, Monopoly. He contacted Spectra Chrome to bring a reflective finish to the 8 iconic player pieces.
With each player piece measuring approximately 3″ x 3″, this was a perfect project to showcase the quality, capabilities, and performance of the Spectra Chrome LI System.
Although not shown, each molded plastic piece was first prepared for spraying by sanding off any rough edges. We then applied a sandable primer, following the procedure outlined on the Filler and Sandable Primers section.
Remember – it is OK if you can still see the grey primer color under your basecoat layer. As long as the entire surface of the part looks shiny, smooth, and glossy; your basecoat has been applied correctly. When in doubt, always let the glossiness of the surface be your indicator to prevent applying the basecoat too thick.
After spraying, each part was immediately placed into the warm space; where it was allowed to air-dry overnight (with the heater turned off). The following day, the drying process was completed by “baking” dry with the heater on at 135 °F for 2 hours, then allowing to cool to room temperature in preparation for metalizing – as outlined in the Drying the Basecoat section.
NOTE: It is extremely important that your basecoat is thoroughly dry before proceeding with silvering. You can never over-dry your basecoat; however, problems arise if your basecoat is not dry enough.
SPECIAL PROJECT: MONOPOLY
METAL SPRAY
The next day, once the basecoated Monopoly pieces were dry, we applied the Spectra Chrome silver layer.
The video shows silvering each piece in real time with no edits; so you can see exactly how much time it takes for each step of the sequential metalizing process.
The day of metalizing, the heater in the warm space was turned on low; so the temperature inside reached at least 75°F (but not exceeding 110°F) and the humidity dropped below 50%.
The “raw” metal spray layer is especially vulnerable to humidity. Pre-heating the warm space allows us to immediately transfer the freshly metalized parts into an ideal low-humidity environment for protection after spraying.
We mixed 600ml of metal spray solutions B1, B2, C1, and C2. However, we chose to mix only 300ml of Product A (sensitizer) chemistry.
The application of Product A is very fast, and uses only one wet coat – so you will use much less of the Product A solution overall, compared to products B and C. For this reason, we find that mixing only half the amount of Product A compared to the amount of Products B and C you plan to use is a great way to conserve your chemistry and minimize solution waste.
Each part was taken directly from the warm space, and then sensitized, rinsed, metalized, rinsed, and blown dry. Because of the complex shape of these Monopoly pieces, there are a few extra things to consider:
- After rinsing away the sensitizer, it is always best to apply the metal spray into a thin, even film of rinse water. Areas where solutions have “pooled” will dilute the silver chemistry; and the silver deposit will not take well.
- Watch for areas where chemistry solutions begin to collect – continually rotate, move, and invert your part while spraying to prevent solutions from pooling.
- Be sure to thoroughly rinse areas that can “trap” chemistry. Any left over sensitizer solution will cause yellow staining when it comes into contact with the metal spray solution.
Game pieces like the shoe and the race car have recessed areas where metalizing chemistry can collect and pool. Be sure to rinse recessed areas thoroughly between each step; and continually empty out any chemistry solutions as they begin to collect.
After blowing dry, each piece was immediately moved into the warm space for protection.
Technically, freshly silvered parts can be topcoated immediately after blowing dry. It is OK to leave the “raw” silver layer inside the protected environment of the warm space for a few hours – however, even inside the warm space, the unprotected silver layer should not be left overnight.
The next step is to apply a light protective “glossy/frosty” coating of Topcoat 311 (no color), to seal in the silver layer and preserve the perfect mirror reflection.
Although not shown, we mixed two volumes of Topcoat 311 (no color) and sprayed each part with a protective “glossy/frosty” coat.
“Glossy/frosty” describes the appearance of this initial coating – some areas will look glossy, and some areas will look frosty. This is perfectly normal in the process. The full shine will return when the final layer of Topcoat 311 (no color) is applied later.
After spraying, we immediately returned the parts to the warm space to air dry (with the heater turned off) overnight. Once dry, the silver layer is protected – parts can be left in the warm space with the glossy/frosty finish for several days if needed.
PROJECT: MONOPOLY
TOPCOAT
Our Monopoly pieces were left to air dry overnight with an initial glossy/frosty protective layer of Topcoat 311 (no color).
The next day, we applied the chrome color; as well as the final topcoat layer. The chrome color matches the appearance of the original game pieces, and the final topcoat provides a perfect mirror shine and scratch resistance.
We prepared two separate mixtures of Topcoat 311 – as outlined in the Topcoat Mixing Procedure section.
TOPCOAT 311 (NO COLOR)
First, we prepared (2) volumes of mixed Topcoat 311 (no color) for use as the final clear. The mixture was poured into a DPC liner and set aside.
As explained in the Applying the Chrome Color section, Topcoat 311 contains strong UV inhibitors, which impart a slight yellow hue when applied over the raw silver. To compensate for this yellowing, and match the appearance of real tank-plated chrome, we will apply a dusting of chrome color to counteract the yellow hue.
TOPCOAT 311 (CHROME COLOR)
We prepared another (2) volumes of mixed Topcoat 311 to be used as our chrome color. The chrome color was created by adding (1) drop of blue tint and (1) drop of violet tint to our mixed Topcoat 311. After stirring, the mixture was poured into a separate DPC liner.
Each glossy/frosty piece was taken from the warm space and given a very light “dusty” coat of Topcoat 311 (chrome color).
A very light coat is all that is needed to adjust for the slight yellow hue caused by the UV inhibitors in Topcoat 311.
The difference of adding the chrome color is easy to notice when viewed side-by-side. The battleship (right) has been given a light coating of chrome color; and appears noticeably less yellow than the iron (left), which has not yet been color corrected.
After spraying the chrome color, each part was returned to the warm space (with the heater turned off) to allow the solvents to flash out.
We saved the race car, shoe, and wheelbarrow pieces for last. These pieces have complex geometries with recessed areas, which require a little more finesse and careful application. When spraying into the recessed areas, be careful around the edges – too much chrome color will cause the edges to turn blue (instead of chrome).
To give a more controlled application of the chrome color, we adjust the spray gun to spray like an airbrush. The spray gun is adjusted to the following settings:
FAN SHAPE:
Knob turned all the way to the right; to the most narrow setting, “pencil”.
FLUID CONTROL:
One turn out from complete shutoff.
AIR PRESSURE (AT REGULATOR):
Only 10 to 15 PSI.
Once the recessed areas are sprayed, the gun is adjusted back to normal settings to finish applying the chrome color to the rest of the part.
To complete the finish, we will apply one last layer of Topcoat 311 (no color) as a final protective coating. We swapped in our reserved Topcoat 311 (no color) by following the lacquer thinner spray gun cleaning procedure, as shown in the Topcoating Practice Tiles section.
A final layer of Topcoat 311 (no color) was applied to each piece – this final layer “wets out” any dry-spray areas, and brings out the glossy shine, maximum reflection, and provides UV protection and scratch resistance.
Immediately after spraying, each part was returned to the warm space to air dry overnight (with the heater turned off). Wait at least 24 hours before handling your parts. The Spectra Chrome finish takes several days to fully cure.