Don’t know whether this is an auto discussion or a painting discussion. I’m usually an armor diorama guy, but I have an idea on an auto scene I want to try. The chrome parts on the sprue in the kit look really fake. What can I do to make these parts look more presentable? Is there a paint finish I can use to make it look more like a chrome finish?
Foil and Alclad paints come to mind for a better chrome finish.
Soak the chrome parts in Clorox and after a few minutes the chrome will be dissolved. Next rinse with water and dry the parts, then shoot gloss black enamel and set aside overnight. I use Testors gloss black enamel in the small square bottle. The black paint needs to be smooth as glass in order to get a realistic chrome finish. Then shoot Alclad Chrome in very light coats. The trick is to not completely cover the black but letting a hint of the black come thru giving it depth.
Using this method with Alclad will produce a very realistic chrome finish.
I have been using Molotow liquid chrome refill that I spray though an airbrush and it works really well. I have also used Alclad Chrome but it has sweet spot and particular spray method that you need to use to get a good finish.
All is cool! 
And, in between stripping and painting- take the opportunity to clean up all of the mold part lines. I find those to be as annoying as anything with “chrome” parts.
Thanks everyone for the coments. Clorox and I don’t play well together but I’ll get my hazmat suit on and give it a try. Thanks for the tips.
Oven cleaner such as Easy Off also removes chrome very well. I put the parts in a zip top bag and spray the cleaner inside and seal it. An hour or two later there’s no more chrome. Afetr a good wash and the Alclad method as described above you’re good to go.
Oh man, that would be so much better for me. I can’t take the smell of Clorox. Must just be me, nobody else I know is bothered as much by the smell. Thanks for the tip.
I have had good luck spraying right over kit chromed parts with a good primer, then a gloss black, then polished aluminum alclad. Not much difference between chrome and a good polished aluminum. I use the latter because I also do a lot of aluminum airplanes.
Indeed, there is a sweet spot. You must put on just the right amount. Too little and while it has a beautiful sheen, it looks too dark. Too much and the sheen goes away, and it takes on a matt sheen. To put on the right amount I dial the paint flow way back on my SA airbrush, and build it up very slowly. I find an SA brush better because it is going on at a controlled rate- my airbrush finger isn’t that steady.