How Does One Turn Chrome into Polished Gold?

[Luuke]

I have a prop that already has a chrome finish and now I need to turn it into a polished gold. Much like the gold Raiders idol or C-3PO. I did a test with a translucent yellow on a piece of chrome but it just looks yellow. Any proven techniques? Please post your process and pics. Thanks.

 

[PoopaPapaPalps]

I've not done it myself but I've read a lot into it for upcoming/future projects and the gist of it seems to be that you need to a clean and smooth surface to begin with your chrome layer (so if you've already got a chromed finish, just make sure it's dust free) and then you add your 2k urethane top coat over that. The clear should be mixed with the translucent yellow of choice and sprayed over the chrome to achieve that gold color. It should be applied in light coats and layered on top so it better mimics a gold finish.

 

[KSKS]

Any kind of yellow ends up looking yellow even with metal flake and pigments. Just recently did a job where we learned that the hard way. You want gold candy pigment which you mix into your lacquer and build up the colour with successive coats, the more coats the deeper the finish.

Candy Concentrate - Olympic Gold - Perfect Pearls and Pigments

Candy Concentrate - Olympic Gold

perfectpearlsandpigments.co.uk

 

[Mr Mold Maker]

I may have painted something gold once or twice.. my preferred method is mixing Candy2O into UVLS gloss. I always custom mix mine but tequila yellow is a great gold out of the bottle. Just apply it over your chrome until you’ve got a tone you’re happy with and finish with one wet coat of 2K clear on top. This system lets you “sneak up” on the color with multiple coats if needed without building up the thickness you’d get from many coats of 2K. It’s also a lot more friendly to masking. On the damaged Iron man I was able to shoot the chrome, mask off the damage, shoot the UVLS Candy mix, demask and clear it all in at once.