Painting Humbuckers Chrome....Help/Advise

[Lamf77]

So I love my new Ace Chibson.......I know, but it is what it is. Now just need to get the chrome pickups and rings like the real deal on the bottom. Chrome pickup rings are easy.....chrome open bobbin humbuckers not so much. Other than shelling out $450 for 3 real DiMarzio, there are no other chrome open bobbins to be found!
So I am going to make an attempt to paint them with chrome spray. I got a set of inexpensive Hexbuckers from eBay:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/284531249117

Has anyone out there taken this on? Looking for recommendations on primer, chrome paint and if a clear sealer will be needed. The entire rabbit hole is frustrating and the only prescription may be more cowbell or real DiMarzios!

Appreciate and help or advice.

[LightWingStudios]

Here's my 3 PUP FireFly that I paid $249, SHIPPED, for. Shockingly it's a GREAT guitar. It's not one of their "Classic" models but rather an "Elite" which has upgraded PUPS, switch and pots. I slapped a TP-6 Fine Tuning Tailpiece on it from Geykor that I purchase for $27 off ScamAzon. It's NOT a Silverburst but rather a sexy and understated yet elegant Greyburst.

It was my first 3 PUP guitar. I was so happy with it I went back to them and picked one up in Black. Installed a TP-6 on that too. Both look, sound and play well above their weight.

One thing I HATE about ALL their FF guitars is their Output Jacks. Stiff, PITA to remove your cable and cheap too. Actually broke one trying bend the connector a bit to take some stress off. So I went and picked up a few Swithcraft Jacks and replaced them.

[Floridian FX]

Once you top coat the chrome its going to look flat and silver. If you don't topcoat the chrome it will wear very quickly.

[BatUtilityBelt]

Funny timing. I have just started experimenting toward chrome painting a control plate. So far, my results are less than stellar, which is why I'm experimenting on other things, not the final part. I'm using Dupli-Color chrome paint I've had for I have no idea how long. Without primer, it came out duller than real chrome, and has little impurities in it (yikes). With primer, the results were no better. 800 grit sanding leaves it far too scratchy, needing another coat. The second coat looks as bad as the first with little impurities ruining the look. YMMV

What I can say is this - experiment on other things, not the pickups themselves until you know what to expect.

[Lamf77]

Here's my 3 PUP FireFly that I paid $249, SHIPPED, for. Shockingly it's a GREAT guitar. It's not one of their "Classic" models but rather an "Elite" which has upgraded PUPS, switch and pots. I slapped a TP-6 Fine Tuning Tailpiece on it from Geykor that I purchase for $27 off ScamAzon. It's NOT a Silverburst but rather a sexy and understated yet elegant Greyburst.

It was my first 3 PUP guitar. I was so happy with it I went back to them and picked one up in Black. Installed a TP-6 on that too. Both look, sound and play well above their weight.

One thing I HATE about ALL their FF guitars is their Output Jacks. Stiff, PITA to remove your cable and cheap too. Actually broke one trying bend the connector a bit to take some stress off. So I went and picked up a few Swithcraft Jacks and replaced them.

And this helps me how?

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[BatUtilityBelt]

Wow, this is weird. Like I said, I already had a can of chrome paint lying in wait, so I hadn't googled up anything on this topic. But after mentioning the Dupli-color chrome paint in this thread, YouTube just served me up an ad for something called Spectrachrome. I hope that was a big coincidence, but my background in data science tells me it's plausible that what we post here is mined and matched to our personal data for targeted ads. Not saying the forum has anything to do with it, just that it may be being actively mined by someone.

[mozz]

Targeted ads are not new by a long shot.

I have not painted chrome but gold. I used a primer first then slightly sanded before using the paint. No clear, came out alright but i was painting on metal not plastic. I think for pickup bobbin tops, it will be ok, not perfect but who is gonna see it?

[BatUtilityBelt]

Targeted ads are not new by a long shot.

I agree. What surprised me was that it was mined from this thread, same day.

[mickey]

Targeted ads are not new by a long shot.

I agree. What surprised me was that it was mined from this thread, same day.

More likely it was mined from the cookies on your computer today. This board puts no cookies/trackers on you. But you can bet that any links you click on here, like a can of chrome paint will!

[BatUtilityBelt]

More likely it was mined from the cookies on your computer today. This board puts no cookies/trackers on you. But you can bet that any links you click on here, like a can of chrome paint will!

Good to know about the site. But I had browsed no paint at all before this occurred. That's why I assumed it either came from my mention of a paint brand and "chrome" in context, or was a crazy coincidence. It could have been scraped with lucky timing, or it could have happened in a cloud provider. In my last job as a software architect for a cyber security provider, one of my big concerns moving processing into the cloud was that we had our own dedicated servers, even though that cost more. Data correlation is cheap and powerful.

[Lamf77]

It's official.

[BatUtilityBelt]

It's official.

Didn't mean to hijack the thread. By all means, I want to hear the best ideas for chrome painting.

[Buddha Pickups]

We need to wrap them in aluminum foil and call it a day.

[Lamf77]

We need to wrap them in aluminum foil and call it a day.

You may be right. Found a brand MEC from Germany...still $200 for all three. And can not find out much about them.

[Buddha Pickups]

We need to wrap them in aluminum foil and call it a day.

You may be right. Found a brand MEC from Germany...still $200 for all three. And can not find out much about them.

You could probably actually make some bobbin toppers with aluminum or a silver tape of some kind. Would be pretty cheap.

[honyock]

Chrome vinyl wrap like for automobile use?

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[Lamf77]

Chrome vinyl wrap like for automobile use?

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May just bite the bullet and fund the piggy bank for DiMarzios.

[BatUtilityBelt]

Chrome vinyl wrap like for automobile use?

I think you're onto something there. I was considering having to get into airbrushing before you mentioned this. Well worth a try for my control plate.

[Floridian FX]

Chrome vinyl wrap like for automobile use?

I think you're onto something there. I was considering having to get into airbrushing before you mentioned this. Well worth a try for my control plate.

If you can do a clear control cover you can back-paint it with this.

https://spazstix.com/collections/ultimate-mirror-chrome

I have used it before and it is as close to chrome as you are going to get with paint.

[Lamf77]

Chrome vinyl wrap like for automobile use?

I think you're onto something there. I was considering having to get into airbrushing before you mentioned this. Well worth a try for my control plate.

If you can do a clear control cover you can back-paint it with this.

https://spazstix.com/collections/ultimate-mirror-chrome

I have used it before and it is as close to chrome as you are going to get with paint.

So If you use this on pickups, you need the black backer, chrome paint...and what about the clear coat? I have heard mixed reviews on this. Do you think it will hold up? Thanks.

[Floridian FX]

I think you're onto something there. I was considering having to get into airbrushing before you mentioned this. Well worth a try for my control plate.

If you can do a clear control cover you can back-paint it with this.

https://spazstix.com/collections/ultimate-mirror-chrome

I have used it before and it is as close to chrome as you are going to get with paint.

So If you use this on pickups, you need the black backer, chrome paint...and what about the clear coat? I have heard mixed reviews on this. Do you think it will hold up? Thanks.

as long as nothing comes in contact with it. Clearcoat won't work. You can literally rub it off with your fingers.

[Buddha Pickups]

If you can do a clear control cover you can back-paint it with this.

https://spazstix.com/collections/ultimate-mirror-chrome

I have used it before and it is as close to chrome as you are going to get with paint.

So If you use this on pickups, you need the black backer, chrome paint...and what about the clear coat? I have heard mixed reviews on this. Do you think it will hold up? Thanks.

as long as nothing comes in contact with it. Clearcoat won't work. You can literally rub it off with your fingers.

Wonder if using neatly cut clear tape or seran wrap over it would seal it without messing it up.?

[Floridian FX]

So If you use this on pickups, you need the black backer, chrome paint...and what about the clear coat? I have heard mixed reviews on this. Do you think it will hold up? Thanks.

as long as nothing comes in contact with it. Clearcoat won't work. You can literally rub it off with your fingers.

Wonder if using neatly cut clear tape or seran wrap over it would seal it without messing it up.?

Since it is lacquer based it will continue to gas off and eventually react with the saran wrap. Tape might be an option.

Honestly I have spent the last 20+ years trying to figure out a way to apply a chrome finish to plastic parts. There isn't a way to do it cheaply/cleanly/effictively from a DIY perspective.

The best bet would be to spring for the chrome pickups, or do chrome pickup rings, and chrome covers.

[BatUtilityBelt]

After @honyock mentioning chrome vinyl wrap (which I didn't even know existed), I ordered some off Amazon here. Thanks for that! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B072Q2GFSK?ps ... ct_details A cheap 5 foot roll for under $10 for the experiment. It arrived an hour ago. I took a scrap of the same black plastic I am making my control plate from (2 shown), and covered one with the vinyl wrap. It had an orange peel look, so I used a heat gun on it. I guess I was a little too aggressive with the heat gun, because it started bubbling at the edges, but the orange peel went away. I am sure there is a happy medium between too little and too much heat. This is what I'm going with. It's not perfect, but for the price it is very decent and nobody will notice it's a wrap. So that's a wrap.

Edit: I forgot to demonstrate how reflective it is, so:

[mozz]

dupli