SMS Hyperchrome can be applied over any color, not just black, like many other chrome paints. You don’t even have to apply it over a base coat at all! You will need a smooth, clean, glossy surface. For this Snapshot, I used Cold Tone (No. CHM01).
To show Hyperchrome’s versatility, I coated three plastic spoons with different primers: my favorite primer, Mr. Finishing Surfacer 1500 Black (No. B526); Splash Paints 1K Black Surfacer (No. SPP-007); and the third spoon with white Tamiya Fine Surface Primer (No. 87044).
I coated each primer with its corresponding clear: Mr. Super Clear UV Cut (No. B522) from the spray can, Splash 2K Ultra Gloss Clear (No. SP-UC1) through an airbrush, and Tamiya Gloss Clear (No. TS-13) from the can.
Shake the SMS Hyperchrome well. There isn’t an agitator inside, so don’t expect to hear one rattling around. I pour the Hyperchrome directly into my airbrush cup, set my air pressure to 25 psi, and mist the paint on. Here’s the result after one coat on each spoon.
SMS Hyperchrome dries fast and allows you to almost immediately apply a second coat. After a second mist coat, the spoons start to take on a chrome look. However, the black spoons are clearly darker than the white spoon, and the finish was starting to look kind of dusty or hazy.
After a third mist coat, the spoons appear chrome, and they all have the same color density regardless of the base-coat color. According to SMS, you can apply more coats to get the coverage and effect that you’re looking for. But we aren’t finished yet.
After 3-4 coats, the chrome appears dusty. This is expected. Let the paint dry for two hours, then buff it with a soft cloth. Be careful not to scratch your finish! The parts will shine right up.
For fun, I took a fourth spoon primed with Mr. Surfacer 1500 Black under Mr. Super Clear UV Cut and applied three coats of SMS Hyperchrome Cold Tone — one light and immediately with two wet coats.
Compared to the original with three misted coats and buffing (left), all the buffing in the world could not get the heavy, wet coats to shine brighter than typical metallic silver paint.