California black plate restoration

getting some schooling here, good thread

 

I can do them for you, have done lots of Ca. plates lately.

www.vintageplaterestoration.com

 

I figured I would practice on a vanity plate that I have on my '66. I did the handpainting the lettering over the top method.
here is the before shot:


This one is showing the masking method... reasonably effective...


... and the finished product...




*The letters are a bit glossier than they should be...is there anything to be gained by spraying a satin clear over the top?

*would I be able to just spray a clear over the top of what I have, or would I have to scuff it first?
A clear code that is peeling is not a pretty thing...
peace

 

All California plates are made at Folsom Prison.

 

... their work is superior to mine. I guess that repetition trumps passion. Thank you for that factoid. Johnny Cash will now remind me of my license plates .

 

I guess it's fitting you have Fake Black Plates on a Fake Shelby...

 

Major Bummer! The matte clear shrunk all the paint! I have to sandblast it all off and start over! Grrrrrrr! It looks like a google earth image of the grand canyon...

 

I've used imitation gold One Shot, Not as bright as other yellows, like school bus yellow, but lower chroma, looks a bit vintage like older plates I was trying to match-

 

also my friend did his and he used frisket paper and cut out the letters

 

Great threat, thanksa to all who have contributed, I sure have a better idea how to do mine now.

 

So, are a matched pair of '63 plates worth anything?

 

they're getting more $$$ as california let '63-'69 blk/yel plates into the yom program last year.

 

Go with automotive paint. The Testors hobby enamel won't hold up and will eventually turn almost white. See it all the time. Makes an otherwise vintage car look like crap. On top of that, it'll be a reason for the Cops to take a closer look at you (if that's a concern depending on the car).

 

Falkonizer,

Have you had enough self abuse yet?

Like I said in an earlier post: "you can't clear over one-shot unless you use a hardener"

If you would like me to paint them for you let me know. Or, at least ask me some questions before you make another mistake. ie: "sandblasting an aluminum plate" not good!

I've attached a photo of everthing you will need to do the job.

 

My ability to tolerate self abuse has no limits .
The first time through was just for practice which is why I used the extra vanity plate that I had.
I did not sand blast the aluminum plate thankfully. I could see the outcome of that in advance.
The originals are steel, so I won't have any problem sand blasting those.
The paint stripper, with all those layers of reflective weirdness that the newer plates have, wasn't too pretty either.
The second time around I followed your advice and bought the chrome yellow one shot instead of what I had. I also paid the extra for the squirrel brush. I also block sanded the letters before taping so I could have a better edge to work off of. I am also allowing more drying time between coats and or touchups since it is not catalyzed. The result so far is much better. I will post some pics when I finish them off.
Thank you again for sharing your expert knowledge and advice. These things really are a lot of work!

 

Cool! stop by any time if you have questions. I work out of my house in Tustin. I'm around all day long. Call first 7one4-eight75-three2one6

 

I used a wire brush to get most of the dirt and gunk off my plates. The front one was in great shape but the back needed to some TLC. I hammered out the dings and painted both the black and yellow with painter's touch semi gloss paint. It's the same paint that comes in spraypaint but I used a brush. I had to do some mixing to get the right shade, not exact but pretty damn close. No tape for me though, just a steady hand.

 

There's also a One-shot color called Primrose yellow. It's the lightest of the yellows.

Tape would take forever to apply. There's a couple of other masking techniques if your not so steady handed. Lemme know if you need the low down on masking...

 

I'll take the lowdown on anything! I love to learn.

 

There are two things I use, one is called Spraylat. You can roll-it, brush-it or spray-it on. It's like rubber, real easy to use and cut. The other is vinyl die-cut transfer mask. It's the same thing they use when vinyl die-cut letters are transfered from their backing roll to the truck, window, sign etc. It's a little harder to cut. But both work well with solvent based paint. Use a NEW, sharp x-acto blade and you should have no problems. Both are available at most art supply places. Or if you live in SoCal at Coast Airbrush in Anaheim.

 

"yom program"

What's this?

 

Yesterday, I took my 1963 Falcon original plates that I sand blasted two weeks ago, hammered straight and started on paint.
First I primed, then sprayed yellow, then black. Today, I hope to lightly sand off the black over the letters, then clear coat. I'll stop back after I'm done to report.

 

Your headed for disaster!

You will most likely sand through the yellow as well. And if you don't you will have sand scratches in the yellow making it dull. The scratches will attract dirt and grime. Not to mention you won't get a clean transition between the black and yellow.

You live 10 minutes from me. if you need help hit me up.

 

I don't know Stroupedesign, but I sure think he is a nice, patient, helpful guy; and a credit to this site.

 

amen...

 

Stroupedesign,
yeah, you are 100% correct, it didn't work. I appreciate the offer, but I was laid-off recently and money is tight.

 

Here is the paint stripper are hard at work eating away my labor... it is really nice when you view things in life as a learning curve. I don't care that I had to redo it, it's just part of the process.


Once the paint stripper got to the original rubbery stuff it was a major pain! I don't anticipate this problem with vintage plates. I did nine coats of paint stripper and used scouring cloths and there was still a slight rubbery haze...


The etching primer took to it well so I didn't sweat it...


I sanded off the black and tried to get to the etching primer so I could have a good line to tape off of. Sanding it was not easy, and the stampings are not flat, so there are high spots that quickly went right to the metal and spots that stayed black.


Next was the taping that actually wasn't that bad. I didn't tape off everything, opting to freehand some of it.


Picture 2 1/2 hours doing this...



And the finished product...
Needless to say, I will not be clear coating this one

 

Tell you what, it's your lucky day!

You sand down the plates (or strip them), drop them off, and I'll do a step-by-step tutorial for this thread. I'll take pictures of each step and post them for others to learn from.

That way anyone who wants me to do them for them in the future will get to see my work.

 

Really? This is my lucky day. I'll drop them off today. I'll give you a call just before I leave to make sure you're there. Awesome, thanks!

 

My number is in a earlier post. Pm me if you can't find it.