JanK Posted June 9, 2004 Share Posted June 9, 2004 A friend of ours has a license plate from 1947 that is made of cardboard or something like it. It was severely warped by moisture and he wants to return it to its original flatness. Have any of you ever tried flattening one of these license plates? Was your attempt successful? If so, how did you do it? (And if you tried something that was not successful, tell us what you did so we DON'T try that!)Jan K.Wis Region Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1937hd45 Posted June 9, 2004 Share Posted June 9, 2004 This is only a guess, try it on a scrap piece of cardboard like the one you wish to save. Soak it in water until it is soft then lay it on a flat surface that is covered with waxed paper. Place another piece of waxed paper on top and a heavy flat object on top. I should be flat once it dries out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest stude8 Posted June 9, 2004 Share Posted June 9, 2004 If it happens to be an Illinois plate the material is Soy Bean Resin not cardboard. You will be better to try heating it with a hair dryer to soften it then clamp it between two boards over night. The goats used to love the taste of these plates so many have bite marks around the edges. It was the WWII answer to save metal for the war effort with something that was weather resistant. Stude8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 9, 2004 Share Posted June 9, 2004 Jan ~ Some of those plates were made from a soybean product. Wyoming had one for one year. I think Illinois did too. The problem was that livestock liked to eat them right off the car. I'm betting that it is not a cardboard. But if it is not the soybean variety it might be something like masonite. I think 1937 is on the right track, but go slowly. However, why not try? What good is it badly warped.hvs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ex98thdrill Posted June 10, 2004 Share Posted June 10, 2004 I don't know what the intentions are with the plate, but a thought would be to put it between two pieces of plexiglass and drill holes in the plexiglass where you want to bolt the plate onto the car. It would keep the garbage off the plate as well as keep it flat without destroying the plate itself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JanK Posted June 10, 2004 Author Share Posted June 10, 2004 I don't know what he intends to do with the license plate. I suspect he just wants to flatten it so it looks better when he displays it.I wouldn't be surprised if the plate is made from soybeans. I vaguely remember some older relative talking about the goats nibbling on license plates. He said something about having to be careful where they parked their vehicles on the farm. The license plate is very brittle, so squashing it would likely result in it breaking into a number of pieces. That's why we decided to explore ways to make it more pliable first. If we could soften it, we might be able to flatten it. The hair dryer suggestion sounds intriguing. We also considered suspending it in a container filled with warm/hot water and sealing it up for a while. We figured that water was probably the original culprit and we might be able to use it to reverse the damage.Jan K.Wis Region Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Hal Davis (MODEL A HAL) Posted June 10, 2004 Share Posted June 10, 2004 I wonder if steam would be better than immersing it in water. I'd be afraid to submerge it for any extended period.Try this web site for license plate collectors. Maybe some one in their organization has some suggestions as well.http://www.alpca.org/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Paulsen Posted June 10, 2004 Share Posted June 10, 2004 If it is infact Illinois, that is one of the more common soybean plates. They are usually readily available on ebay for $10-15 for good flat ones. This may be an option if flattening this ones doesn't work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JanK Posted June 10, 2004 Author Share Posted June 10, 2004 Just to clarify our intentions, we have considered suspending the license plate ABOVE the water in a sealed container. We definitely do not want to immerse the plate for fear of damaging the ink/paint. We thought a moist environment might relax the plate enough to flatten it.Jan K.Wis Region Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter J.Heizmann Posted June 11, 2004 Share Posted June 11, 2004 Hi, Jan...Suspending it above water, in my opinion, would only distort it more, if not having any affect at all. Any moisture, or, humidity will penetrate the sub-surface and lift it without having any pressure on the total piece.As others mentioned above, pressure should be placed on both sides evenly. As Bob, I believe, mentioned, wet a piece of cardboard, let it dry, perform a simple test, which should not take to long, and, go from there. Unless time is of the essence, why risk ruining it further without a few tests.Cardboard should have the same results of any "sandwiched" composites within my thought pattern. Even flat configured grey iron castings warp, especially over 12" lengths. Regards, Peter J... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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