Alcohol-based colours form a small but irreplaceable group in scale modelling. The binder is dissolved in alcohol, so it flashes off quickly and leaves an extremely thin film. That is what makes these paints the usual route to believable chrome on mirrors, trim strips, bumpers and canopy frames.
The condition is a perfectly smooth, glossy surface underneath. Any scratch or dull patch shows through chrome immediately, so the preparation matters more than the spraying.
Chrome stands or falls on the groundwork. Smooth the area first, lay a gloss coat, let it cure properly, then apply the alcohol-based colour in one thin even pass without going back over it. Because the binder is alcohol, it will not take the thinner you use for other paint types, and it cannot be overcoated with water-based acrylic unless you put a barrier coat in between. For a comparison with other bare-metal finishes, see the metallic model paints category; for the whole map of binder types, the model paints section. Cleaning tools and surfaces afterwards is covered by thinners and cleaners.
