Another lesson learned

With the touch-up paint task behind me, I thought “why not use the silver paint on some of the parts that lost their chrome”.  Sounded good at the time, so I tried it out on a small piece, like the bobbin winder lever.  Here is what it looked like before I attempted to apply the silver paint:

Putting the paint on made the lever look better, in my opinion. Certainly not back to it’s original condition, but more aesthetically pleasing.

The next day I decided to check out how the painted piece would hold up to cleaning and oiling that Ms. Rusty would endure after she is back in operation (assuming I can get her there!).  So, I took a cotton swab and dipped one end in kerosene and the other end in oil.  Unfortunately, the paint DID NOT HOLD UP!
In fact, it rubbed right off.  So much for aesthetically pleasing.  One quick dip in kerosene returned the part back to it’s pre-paint condition.

Now, if you remember, I painted the inside of the lamp shade with that same silver paint so I had to find some solution to this problem.  Since the Krylon seemed to work on my decal test I tried it out as a clear coat on the lamp shade.  Here is a photo of the result -
After Clear Coat: 
The clear coated part passes the kerosene and oil tests with flying colors so the lamp shade is good to go.
Subsequent to these tests, and over a delicious Thai dinner, my dear husband informed me that you can actually buy chrome powder coat.  Can you believe that?!  Well, I have since ordered chrome and clear coat powder from Eastwood and they are on their way as I type.  I’m not sure it will look as good as real chrome but for $30 it’s worth a try. 
Stay tuned to see how the chrome powder coating works on the bobbin winder lever.  If the test is successful, I may try it out on some of the other parts that need a bit more chrome shine.