Tail light lenses--are they chromed?

[Hirsch <Catenary@domain.elided>]

Dear Alfisti,

I too have a set of tail light lenses that need to be
"re-chromed" and have been considering how to go about it.
I'm working with a pair of Duetto lenses, but a set of GTV
lenses ('67) I have would also benefit from an effective
treatment.

My first question is, how were these lenses originally
"chromed"? Was the bright silver reflective surface
painted on? Or was some other method used such as plating
or the application of a mirror film?

It doesn't seem like a plating technique that lays down
copper, nickel, and then chrome would work, since you'd
end up looking at the copper layer!

I've tried a high quality silver paint (Nybco's Silver
Touch) applied with a paint brush and although the result
looks better than the mottled surface I started with,
the surface is not really as reflective as the original.

Any comments are appreciated.

Rich Hirsch
'87 Milano
'78 Spider
'67 Duetto
'66 Sprint GTV
Editor, i Saluti, St Louis AROC
Website: http://www.catenary.com/isaluti

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