Technical Mercury valve cover lettering

How would a guy go about painting the valve cover lettering paint on a y block mercury? It looks like it was rolled on with an ink roller. I would like to reproduce this look rather than hand paint the lettering. Thanks

 

I'd be interested in the answer myself. I custom made some valve covers for a 500ci Caddy by combining earlier valve covers with the late model covers. The earlier, mid 50's Caddy covers have embossed lettering.
I tried my hand at rolling them but it didn't work out well. In my case the embossing is not very different from the surrounding area and I couldn't get a good delineation. Maybe I harder rubber roller would have helped.
I think I ended up taping it off and spraying it. They are in need of a redo

 

It may have been screen printed. Maybe check at a T-shirt place about making you a screen.

 

Find a local pin stripper or a guy doing license plate restorations. I tried with a printer roller and One Shot once on a license plate with out good results but I believe on a rocker cover with tape just to the outside of the letters it would work.

 

Paint the raised letters first, and let dry thoroughly.
Then paint the tin valve cover the base color. While still wet, use a rag with a little paint thinner to wipe the base color off the raised letters.

Just a suggestion. Your results may vary.

 

My old-school sign painter takes care of all of my work.

It takes him more time to clean his kit than it takes to do the work.

 

I would try paining it with a brayer. It's a small diameter rubber ink or paint roller. An art supply store should be able to come up with one for you. They may be available in harder or softer rubber compounds. I don't think I would try using the hardest rubber for a project like this. Load the roller by pouring out a bit of unthinned paint on a dead flat surface, like a piece of gl***.

Don't press too hard when transferring the paint to the raised lettering or the roller may try to slide instead of rolling on the paint. And maybe plan on a couple of thin coats to get the best coverage. Also figure on maybe having to wipe it off and redoing it a time or two.

 

Ahh, like the rollers on an old-school printing press!

I bet that would work well!

 

The lettering is not really stamped sharp enough to give a consistent letter shape. Taping would be tough.

 

Thanks, I think I will try that.

 

Years ago I was painting a set of valve covers for a buddies 348. I put a very light coat of grease on the embossed bow tie. I then painted the cover Chevy orange and while the paint was still a bit wet I wiped the bow tie clean. It worked pretty well and looked like a chrome emblem on the valve cover.

 

Paint pens you can get them at most hobby stores

 

This might also be a good technique, especially for smaller, more detailed areas. Plus you've likely got the needed materials on hand.


https://thepatriotwoodworker.com/forums/topic/12121-painting-raised-letters-pictorial/

 

Yep! The hard rubber rollers would work fine for inking a hard flat surface like a printing plate or type. But I'd think you would get better coverage with a softer roller for painting embossed lettering or designs like these valve covers. Or restoring an old license plate.

 

I was thinking of an even more old school press than that.

I am working on an 1898 Golding Pearl #3 that used to print company store script for a mining town.

The rollers on that are not super hard.

 

Paint the whole rocker cover!
Then go over the raised letters with a coloured "Sharpie" paint pen.
If you do a couple of coats with the pen, it looks like it's screen printed.

Here's an example on my '57 engine


You can touch it up easily , later if you need to.

 

Awesome technique!! I think this might be the winner. Like Browns Metal Mods, the letters and stampings on my Cadillac covers are not super defined. I have one spare old Cadillac cover hanging on the wall. I think I'll try some practice runs and see how it goes.

Thanks

 

@Mimilan Nice job!
All I could do on the Sharpies I tried was made a blob of paint. What am I doing wrong?

@ClayMart That paper towel trick is nuts!
Thanks!

 

I did this when I repainted my YOM tag. I painted the entire tag black. When it was dry, I used a bit of grease on each number and letter. It doesn't take much, just a light coating. I kept a rag handy to wipe off any I got where I didn't want it. Then I took a rag and dampened it with mineral spirits, you don't want it too wet, and carefully wiped everywhere there was no grease. After the mineral spirits flashed off, I sprayed the whole thing white. When that was dry, I took a dry rag and wiped off the grease. Turned out great.

 

I have done raised letters on pop coolers this way:
First I paint over the letters with base coat, then clear it. I then spray the 2nd color in base coat and let it dry. TI then take a rag dipped in enamel reducer and carefully wipe the base coat from the raised letters. When I am happy with the letters, I clear the whole item. Wiping the base coat from the raised part is easier than you think. You can sneak up on the shape with the rag tight on your finger or on the eraser end of a pencil. Works good on old license plates also.

 

Those Chevy rocker covers only took about 30 minutes to do.

Use a spare piece of s**** to blob the ink to get it flowing
Then you lay the sharpie on it's side to wipe the ink on.

And rest your hand [with the sharpie] across your other hand similar to using a "Mahl stick"

 

Extra points for using the word "mahl stick". And for spelling it correctly!

 

One way is this.
Prep the cover and paint the area with the letters.
Then paint the entire cover the other color
I’ve wet sanded the letters to reveal the lettering color. Leaves a smooth color transition. As nice as the original.

 

Hello,

The roller ideas are good, as the evenness of the letters will get the flow better. Now, we have used a simple thin, rubber cement coating on all of the surfaces surrounding the lettering getting the paint. If you spray, the same protective rubber cement coating will keep the overspray off of the areas you don’t want any paint. Rubber rollers cant provide a smooth consistent look, without using some kind of brush pattern on the actual roller.

The smaller the nap of the roller, the less patterning there will be on the surface. You can always glue on a variation of different surfaces to the smooth rubber rollers to give different looks in pattern and flow.

If you coat the areas you don’t want rolled on paint, apply the rubber cement on those surfaces, too. The more exact you are to the lettering edges, the smoother the finished product will be. Now, after the paint has dried, just roll off the rubber cement and you have a clean painted surface with a surrounding clean area. Sometimes, when an area of a small Hot Wheel style car needs a different color pattern that masking tape can’t provide, the rubber cement comes in handy.

This process works on most any product. We used rubber cement on our art projects for a design and dipped the whole aluminum sheet in acid. When dry, we just rolled off the rubber cement and our bowl, plate or cover/lid was etched in perfect drawn designs.

Jnaki

I even used rubber cement on a finished photo paper, blanking out part of an image to make something like rose colored wire frame gl***es on a face, that was still in black and white. The image was finished and the rubber cement was rubbed off and I had a black and white photo print with a pair of rose colored gl***es. Nowadays, that process can be done digitally. But in 1968, it was a new technique. The rubber cement has a lot of other features anyone can use for any applications. YRMV

 

Not a terrible idea.

 

The problem is the lettering is smooth , even and does not have full coverage. It looks to be done with some kind of rubber stamp or roller and has a stippled look . I experimented today using a roll of two inch tape as a roller. I think the roller technique is correct but the tape is too hard. Looking for soft rubber rollers.

 

I’m going to buy one of these and give it a try.

 

It sounds goofy. Ive done a tag this way.
Looked great.
We painted the letter coloring single stage. Gave it a day and scuffed all of it and it was sprayed the other color.
Cut some paint sticks into tiny sanding blocks.
Wet sanded until the desired look was achieved.
Then it was clear coated.
Looked amazing. The consistency of the letter coloring was great

 

The problem I had with the roller thing was that the tops of my old Cadillac valve covers have a gentle curve to the top of them. If they were flat across the top I think the roller would have worked out perfect (or if I had a better roller...I just had a hard foam roller).