Restoring Emblems?

[Guest lordfeyr]

Hey guys,

I have a 1957 Buick Special that I am working on. While I am straying from the purist ways I want to make the emblems at least look pretty close to original

On the grill and trunk there are emblems that have a medallion in the center. This medallion says 1957 in black on it and has red white and blue plastic inserts.

The plastic pieces unfortunately are old and have the pale streaks running through them so I was thinking of just painting them red white and blue.

The hard part is going to be filling and finishing the part that says 1957. Also that same piece looks to be brushed stainless but the brush strokes are in a circular pattern.

How can I go about fixing that piece?

My ideas are to use a drill press with a sanding pad scotchbrite etc... to reproduct the circular pattern. After that I would then have to figure out how to paint within the numbers. I could do it by hand with a small brush but that would leave brush strokes... I could also mask and spray but I am worried about overspray and scratches being put into the new finish.

Any ideas? The other option would be to just have the stainless part chromed or polished to get rid of the brush strokes all together.

My plan for these is to use them as decoration on the interior of the car. For example the scriping that says special would be mounted to the custom panels in the trunk and the grill bar would be on the rear package tray...

Edited February 23, 2011 by lordfeyr (see edit history)

[Bhigdog]

Your drill press idea is correct. You must make an arbor to mount the medallion. As it spins use 600 grit paper to brush the surface. It souldn't take much so don't over-do. If I remember correctly the finish is chrome plating over stainless and you do not want to wear through. Fill the date with black Testor's paint and a small brush. Flow the paint in thick. Wipe whatever is outside the script with a piece of smooth leather. It will take a few trys to get the hang of it but it's easily cleaned with a rag and thinner to try again..................Bob

[Guest lordfeyr]

Thanks for the follow up. Do they make a bit already that has a 600 grit that would be perfect for this? and should I cross sand by hand first to try and remove the existing scraches with progressively finer papers?

My only other issue is that the piece has a slight curve to it and is not flat so I think I would almost need something spongy.

Is my idea of painting that plastic piece a good idea or are the plastic piece repoped anywhere?

Edited February 23, 2011 by lordfeyr (see edit history)

[Bhigdog]

Thanks for the follow up. Do they make a bit already that has a 600 grit that would be perfect for this? and should I cross sand by hand first to try and remove the existing scraches with progressively finer papers?

My only other issue is that the piece has a slight curve to it and is not flat so I think I would almost need something spongy.

Is my idea of painting that plastic piece a good idea or are the plastic piece repoped anywhere?

You misunderstand. The EMBLEM is spun and a person would just hold a small piece of paper against the spinning emblem. They would start start at the center and move the paper to the edge. Once or twice should be enough. A person would have to make an arbor or fixture to hold the emblem. I think I used a piece of wood with a bolt for a shaft to go in the chuck. I did not spin it very fast

DISCLAIMER. Any home made tool or fixture, especially ones that spin or otherwise move, subject the user to the very real possibility of injury to themselves or others. I cannot and do not advocate that you try this at home. The method described is for informational use only.............Bob

[Guest lordfeyr]

LOL nice disclaimer. Mounting the emblem to a drill press wont be a problem. The base itself has 3 holes that can easily be used to attach it to a piece of wood like you stated.

Looking at the emblem it looks like used a specific tool to do it because the very center tip is a itsy bitsy circle with no scratches inside it. Any pictures of you doing the process would help... im not gettin the whole start in the center....

[NTX5467]

Rather than move the Scotchbrite from the center to the edge, it looks to me like it was all done at once, similar to "engine turned" rather than circles from the center to the outside--the pattern appears parallel to me. For that, it might be best to use one piece of 600 (red) Scotchbrite and gently apply it to the spinning (AND properly secured) emblem for just long enough to re-establish the existing pattern. Key word is "DISCRETION", I suspect, as mentioned.

After you get it all repainted and such, a thin coat of clearcoat enamel might help preserve it.

Having no experience with these emblems, what might be the possibility of it being stamped aluminum with clear anodize rather than stamped stainless? If there IS anodize on it, you'll need to remove it prior to any work with the Scotchbrite (or similar) . . . and that might take some doing. DupliColor makes some spray anodize coatings.

Just some thoughts,

NTX5467

[Bhigdog]

LOL nice disclaimer. Mounting the emblem to a drill press wont be a problem. The base itself has 3 holes that can easily be used to attach it to a piece of wood like you stated.

Looking at the emblem it looks like used a specific tool to do it because the very center tip is a itsy bitsy circle with no scratches inside it. Any pictures of you doing the process would help... im not gettin the whole start in the center....

It doesn't matter where you start or finish. Just making the point that you only need a small piece of abrasive and move it across the face while it is spinning. With a small piece and the tip of one finger you can control the pressure and feel what you are doing. Make a pass, stop, and look at it. If you need more do it again. The piece is spinning a lot faster than you are moving your finger tip. The pattern WILL be concentric. I think it is aluminum come to think about it..............Bob

[Guest lordfeyr]

Thats pretty much what I had thought of doing. I was thinking of using a folded over scotchbrite to give some cushion for it to form around the face of the emblem.

I dont believe the piece is anodized. Nothing appears to be wearing through on it. In fact I just did a little clean up on it using a towel at 1500 wet/dry paper and it looks much better.

I think I will start by filing down the plastic tabs on the back that hold the colored pieces. From there I will go ahead and sand them down a bit and paint their respective colors and clear coat.

Then I will strip out whatever black paint is left and proceed with the creation of the new marks followed by the black numbers and an additional clear coat.

[Bhigdog]

Now you've got the idea. It's really quite straight forward. The 1957 is very shallow so it might take a few tries until you get it filled neatly. Testor's paint is good to use since it dries quickly. I don't know of any repro plastics. Enjoy...............Bob

[NTX5467]

Looks like you're getting it figured out! Whatever works best for you!

Enjoy!

NTX5467

[1957buickjim]

Outstanding job on the medallion. I think the red , white, and blue paint will work well, however, not knowing what type of plastic that is, make sure you test the paint on the BACK of the plastic to make sure that it does not craze the plastic. Regarding the black painted 1957, I concur with Bhigdog and NTX5467, especially with the leather wipe. Should work well for you.

BTW, haven't forgot about the taillights either..just waiting to get the car out of storage for pics.

[Guest lordfeyr]

Thanks everyone. When you say leather wipe do you mean something like a shammy? wheres the best place to get a piece of leather to use?

[Guest Jim_Edwards]

Thanks everyone. When you say leather wipe do you mean something like a shammy? wheres the best place to get a piece of leather to use?

You should be able to find suitable leather at a crafts store like Hobby Lobby or Micheal's. Or if you live someplace where there are saddle shops you could probably get a piece there.

[Guest lordfeyr]

Thats what I figured. I just dont want to go out and buy something that is rough, too thick etc... so thats why I was comparing it to a shammy. I think I have heard of people using those before.

[Bhigdog]

Err........Ahh.........Time to start using your head here rather than your fingers. If the goal is to wipe paint off of a surface and not from a groove which do you think would work best, soft chamois or firm leather? Do you think it would matter how thick it is? Would the smooth or back side work best? Would your yellow pages know where to buy leather? Might a shoe repair shop have a bit of leather? Would an old pair of shoes you don't want be made of leather? All questions easily answered ....................Bob

[Guest lordfeyr]

WOW thanks for making me feel like an idiot.... This is my first time working on an old card and each part is a learning experience. Speaking through words on a forum is hard to imagine what exactly is being described which is why I ask a million questions.

Obviously i realize I do not want a textured piece of leather that can dip into the valley and remove paint at the same time. But shoes these days are not made from very thick firm leather, belts have a smooth side and a hairy rough side etc...

Just trying to get clarification from friendly and helpful people who share a common interest with me.

[Bhigdog]

Understood! And by and large most on this forum are friendly and eager to help. But you should expect to add to the equation by using a bit of intuitive knowledge. It's the old "give a guy a fish and he'll eat for a day. Teach him to fish and he'll eat for life."

In this case the good folks on the forum provided every bit of information that you will need to restore your emblem. Yes, there will be a bit of experimentation required on your part, and yes you will make a few errors along the way. But you will learn far far more doing it that way than by being led by the hand without any thought process or problem solving on your part.

Restoring an old car is nothing more than being presented with and solving one problem after another. Usually on your own.

So......... time to get started. Figure out where to get some leather, 600 grit paper, some paint, a bit of wood and a bolt.

Send us a pix of the finished project. I bet it'll be georgeous...........Bob

[buick5563]

Send us a pix of the finished project. I bet it'll be georgeous...........Bob

plus one.

[stealthbob]

+2.....

[NTX5467]

One thing about the leather is that it will probably be a little absorbant on the back side of it, which would be the "rough" side rather than the finished side. Using a chamois might be problematic, as if it's a good "oil tanned" product, it might not be a "clean wipe" per se and then you'd have to remove the residual oil left behind on the emblem. Plus, if it was still a decent chamois, you'd have to get the paint off of it before you used it again. There are also imitation and synthetic chamois products too . . . sometimes it's hard to tell which is which.

If I was looking for leather "scraps", I'd head to one of the hobby stores mentioned or (locally) Tandy Leathers (which is geared toward leather working by individuals) for a thinner and pliable piece of un-coated/tanned/dyed leather. It's a good idea to get a piece a little larger than you think you might need, even if you might have some left over. They (Tandy) usually has a table of various pieces of various sizes which customers can pick from for their projects. But it might be better to aim for a "medium" thickness piece of leather so it'll have enough body to leave the paint more level (before it completes drying).

Rather than using a fine-grade of small paint brush to apply the black paint, what if you used the blunted end of a toothpick to daub the paint in the numbers, AFTER the surface texture of the metal is complete? This might do two things -- it would probably make for an initially neater application (less clean-up!) and also put a little texture into the paint (as I suspect the original factory paint had in it).

Just some thoughts . . .

NTX5467