How to Paint With Mirra Chrome
MirraChrome paint creates a chromelike metallic finish when applied to smoothly prepped surfaces. Achieve mirrorlike shine with MirraChrome by bringing surfaces to a glasslike state before painting them. This is accomplished through the use of a black base coat covered by a top coat. Over these preparations, evenly mist the surface with a standard HVLP spray gun, or air-brush using heavy air and a light volume of paint. The smoother the prepped surface is, the more reflective the final appearance will be.
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Things You'll Need
- Primed surface
- Alsa Jet Black Stylin’ Basecoat ASB-13 and Reducer
- One-component clear coat (MirraClear, Alsa Speed Clear or Lightning Clear)
- MirraChrome paint
- Airbrush (preferably double action)
- HVLP spray gun (for projects larger than 6 square inches)
- Soft, lint-free cloth
Instructions
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Prepare and prime the surface as for any paint job.
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Mix Alsa Jet Black Stylin’ Basecoat (ASB-13) paint and the included reducer in a 1-to-1 ratio. The paint and reducer come together as one product.
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Apply two to three medium to wet coats of basecoat, leaving the paint to dry for 10 to 15 minutes between coats.
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Dry the base coat for 15 to 30 minutes after applying the final coat.
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Top-coat the black base coat. Do this by using an airbrush or paint gun to apply MirraClear, Speed Clear or Lightning Clear. If using Speed Clear (SC-1230), apply two coats and air-dry it for four hours or bake for an hour at 140 degrees Fahrenheit. Speed Clear further requires a rest of seven to 10 days after application to allow for all tail solvents to evaporate. If using MirraClear, apply one to two wet coats and fully air dry it for 24 hours or bake it at 140 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes before further working on the surface. Lightning Clear offers the quickest results, air-drying in four hours or baking at 140 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes.
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Buff out any defects and clean the surface thoroughly with a cloth dipped in a half-and-half solution of alcohol and water.
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Apply two to three coats of MirraChrome (MC-101) using a dusting effect (minimal material and substantial air) until achieving the desired result.
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Air dry the painted surface for at least 30 minutes but ideally for four to six hours.
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Remove all excess dust with a soft, clean cloth.
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Remove all moisture before applying a top coat, preferably by baking the painted and cleaned surface at 140 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes.
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Seal the paint job with a coat of MirraClear over the MirraChrome and allow it to either air dry for 30 minutes or bake at 140 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes.
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Protect vehicles and other surfaces that will be either exposed to the elements or handled frequently by finishing with a coat of Alsa Speed Clear.
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Leave the Speed Clear to air dry for four hours or bake at 140 degrees Fahrenheit for one hour.
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Tips & Warnings
Shake the MirraChrome paint container before use.
Protect MirraChrome paint by applying a top coat.
Mix Alsa Speed Clear at a ratio of 4 to 1 with hardener.
Clean the spray gun or airbrush with lacquer thinner after using Alsa Speed Clear.
Get the best results after prepping with Speed Clear by letting the surface sit a week before painting.
Obtain a streak-free surface by removing all compounds and wax residues with rubbing alcohol before applying MirraChrome.
Use a back-and-forth motion when painting with MirraChrome to achieve a mirror-like shine.
Achieve the best results by letting MirraChrome dry at room temperature for four to six hours rather than baking it dry.
Use the recommended air pressure for your gun, or 20 p.s.i. if you're using an HVLP spray gun.
Tint MirraClear with Candy Concentrate for striking colored chrome results.
Allow a long enough dry time between the application of MirraChrome and any final top coats.
Wipe off excess MirraChrome before applying a top coat.
MirraChrome paint is poisonous. Use and store it away from children and pets.
MirraChrome is highly flammable. Use and store it away from high temperatures and open sources of flames.
Use a half- or full-mask respirator when painting with MirraChrome.
Even a fingerprint left unbuffed after applying the clearcoat to the black base coat will cause an imperfection in the finished paint job.
Speed Clear is a "2K" clearcoat that needs to be mixed with a hardener and requires a wait of 7 to 10 days for all the evaporation of all tail solvents before you can buff and sand the surface.
Do not wet-sand.
Do not overapply MirraChrome, as coverage that's too heavy results in a lack of shine and reflectivity.
