[Entropy11]

Lol… looking back at my instructions this definitely does seem complicated! It’s really not that bad though. The current panel was a nice one I grabbed off eBay that was basically free of any finish.. The previous Molotow/Clear attempt came of rather easily with alcohol. I then hit it with 400-600.

The flame part was just a quick pass in hopes it might do something. I did test pieces without it so who knows. I wasn’t really a fan of the 2 adhesion promoters I have here, they don’t flow out in the slightest. Travel speed with the flame was about a foot to a foot and a half a second. It doesn’t need much.

Applying the powder is basically the hardest part. I did some tests where I applied it too soon and then you mar the finish and it’s all over. You can honestly apply this stuff to a completely dry surface and get the same results. Once buffed it doesn’t really seem to come off. If it does you can touch it up. I just figured if I could get it down after the tack was gone in the clear and I could possibly catch a little “free” adhesion.

Haha- your questions are hitting all the key points I should have addressed Shiny! Getting the powder on any surface you don’t plan to keep it on is trouble. If I did it right I would have applied the powder while still masked. It doesn’t like to let go. We’ll not completely at least. I was just worried about my edge lifting if I pulled the masking too late. In hindsight I should have sprayed it, waited for the right surface, applied the powder then pulled the tape. I honestly should have done the outer chrome area then the inner rings later. Too much intricate stuff to remove tape from at once.

I’ll post a link to the powder when I dig it up again. I bought the stuff months ago. It’s only like $10 I think.

My quote for having it just vacuum chromed from that dash place that restores dashes was like $600 and up depending on the condition of my piece. I often dig myself into these holes first out of cheapness and my unwillingness to pay that much (don’t get me wrong, if I had a true “show car” I’d pay to do it right). Part of it is also just curiosity and then the failed attempts bring out my stubbornness and things escalate, haha. I’ll painstakingly screw with stupid ideas till something finally works. I’ll play with clear protective coats on my next pieces (lower valence chrome trim), the instrument panel is just going to get installed and I’ll give it a real-world “test” and hope for the best.

It’s probably the same stuff you remember from years ago Data… I think it’s been around for quite a while. Thanks for the compliments guys.