Saving Emblems?

[Jon Haigwood]

On one of my current builds I am going to paint a Testers Challenger that came pre-finished. If I can I would like to preserve the fender emblems and maybe the gas cap so they will still look the same after I paint the body. I thought maybe if I coated them with Windex or something else I could remove the coating after the painting and then clear coat. 

I am sure this has been done at one point by at east one of you knowledgeable Chaps. Any tips would be greatly appreciated

Thanks

Jon

 

 

[cobraman]

Maybe you could cover them with some BMF and then peel it off after painting ??? Just a thought, don't know it that would work well.

[fseva]

You could use a small piece of Silly Putty to cover the object - press it down and around the emblem so that it's entirely covered, without hiding surrounding details. Then, once your painting is done, just remove it.

[StevenGuthmiller]

Use some Bare Metal Foil.

I use it for masking all of the time.

But be warned, such a small area my be a bear to get off again after painting if your paint is pretty heavy.

 

Steve

[Snake45]

I think I'd mask those with white glue (Elmer's), using a toothpick (and an Optivisor). When you get your paint on and rubbed out/polished, the white glue will peel right off.

[Tom Geiger]

A question,  are you intending just to repaint a different color over the purple? Are you planning on using primer?  Are you going to strip it?  

Without knowing more, I usually strip diecast with aircraft stripper and start with bare metal.  I then use Duplicolor primers and paints over that.  If the lettering is raised, once painted, you could just hit it with silver, even a silver paint marker.  Or once stripped you could put BMF on it before your final color coat, so it will fill in the loops in lettering etc with body color.  Then polish the paint off the high areas to reveal the BMF.

If the cap is molded into the metal, that looks easy to BMF once painted.  If it's a separate piece and pegged into a hole in the body, drill it from behind to release the part.  Then just glue back on once painted.

 

[Jon Haigwood]

A question,  are you intending just to repaint a different color over the purple? Are you planning on using primer?  Are you going to strip it?  

Without knowing more, I usually strip diecast with aircraft stripper and start with bare metal.  I then use Duplicolor primers and paints over that.  If the lettering is raised, once painted, you could just hit it with silver, even a silver paint marker.  Or once stripped you could put BMF on it before your final color coat, so it will fill in the loops in lettering etc with body color.  Then polish the paint off the high areas to reveal the BMF.

If the cap is molded into the metal, that looks easy to BMF once painted.  If it's a separate piece and pegged into a hole in the body, drill it from behind to release the part.  Then just glue back on once painted.

 

The body now is molded in the purple . I am doing some modifications on the front and will be putting on a primer then I will most likely be painting it a similar purple (Plum Crazy). I depending on the paint I may clear over that. I am trying not to apply so much paint that I obscure the details. 

[Tom Geiger]

The body now is molded in the purple . I am doing some modifications on the front and will be putting on a primer then I will most likely be painting it a similar purple (Plum Crazy). I depending on the paint I may clear over that. I am trying not to apply so much paint that I obscure the details. 

Ah, so it's plastic?  Advise still stands.  Good luck with it!

[StevenGuthmiller]

The body now is molded in the purple . I am doing some modifications on the front and will be putting on a primer then I will most likely be painting it a similar purple (Plum Crazy). I depending on the paint I may clear over that. I am trying not to apply so much paint that I obscure the details. 

If you're planning on primer, paint & clear, I'm not sure you're going to have any luck saving the detail that's already there on the scripts.

Probably going to be too many coats to be able to mask it and have it turn out.

You'll most likely end up with a groove around everything you mask because of the thickness of the paint.

And that quite possibly may be the best case scenario.

Chances are you may have to suck it up & re-detail them after paint.

Unless anyone else has an idea.

 

Steve

[Jon Haigwood]

If you're planning on primer, paint & clear, I'm not sure you're going to have any luck saving the detail that's already there on the scripts.

Probably going to be too many coats to be able to mask it and have it turn out.

You'll most likely end up with a groove around everything you mask because of the thickness of the paint.

And that quite possibly may be the best case scenario.

Chances are you may have to suck it up & re-detail them after paint.

Unless anyone else has an idea.

 

Steve

I read something years ago about using BMF to make a mold of emblems, door handles and the like and then filling them with something to make a duplicate . May be sprue glue or something similar. I will try and hunt that down. May in one of my old Model Mags

[Snake45]

I read something years ago about using BMF to make a mold of emblems, door handles and the like and then filling them with something to make a duplicate . May be sprue glue or something similar. I will try and hunt that down. May in one of my old Model Mags

Don't use BMF, use common kitchen foil, and you can fill it with either epoxy or superglue. You can make several sets while you're at it and then pick the best pair. Done it many times and am about to do it again with a Chevy SS emblem.

[StevenGuthmiller]

Don't use BMF, use common kitchen foil, and you can fill it with either epoxy or superglue. You can make several sets while you're at it and then pick the best pair. Done it many times and am about to do it again with a Chevy SS emblem.

I've heard of guys doing that but never tried it.

Thought it might come in handy for things like copying a script from a body panel to something like a continental kit.

I will need to give it a shot sometime.

I read something years ago about using BMF to make a mold of emblems, door handles and the like and then filling them with something to make a duplicate . May be sprue glue or something similar. I will try and hunt that down. May in one of my old Model Mags

I think in your case Jon, I would just use the "foil under paint" technique & then at the very end of the build just color your foiled scripts with red & black Sharpies.

Just make sure you do it at the end. You don't want to clear coat over Sharpie marker. It'll bleed on you.

 

Steve

 

[fseva]

The body now is molded in the purple . I am doing some modifications on the front and will be putting on a primer then I will most likely be painting it a similar purple (Plum Crazy). I depending on the paint I may clear over that. I am trying not to apply so much paint that I obscure the details. 

If it hasn't been mentioned already, make sure you use a 600 grit on the existing purple before priming it. 

[Deathgoblin]

What about liquid masking agent?  It goes on like paint, but it peels off easily.

[Snake45]

What about liquid masking agent?  It goes on like paint, but it peels off easily.

As I said, Elmer's Glue would work better than any commercially available liquid masking product I've ever seen or used.

[Deathgoblin]

As I said, Elmer's Glue would work better than any commercially available liquid masking product I've ever seen or used.

OOPS!  Sorry, missed that part.  

[Skip]

I'd agree with the Elmer's glue (white) versus a latex based masking fluid.  You will be able to remove the Elmer's glue in large pieces with a toothpick.  The masking fluid needs friction to rub off or they make a "special" eraser to remove it, I can see it removing "green" or soft paint with it.  I use the masking fluid all the time painting watercolor paintings, if you're not careful with the stuff it can take chunks of paper with it, so paint is no match.

there is another way around this issue, foil casting.  Where you use a small piece of regular kitchen foil to make a crisp impression of the emblem.  Next use either epoxy (glue) or epoxy resin to fill and cast the impression of the emblem in the foil.  The next step is irreversible, you will be removing the emblem off of the car body completely, if it ghosts when you paint that's ok will help you locate better.  Once cured the foil is removed, the back sanded flush then you can go one of two directions here.  One would be to cover the casting with BMF, trim and clean up the foil and superglue the emblem in place.  Two paint the casting with alclad or similar metalizer paint, glue the emblem onto the body using superglue, make sure to keep the glue away from the paint or it will remove the chrome effect.  

**Disclamer: This is a pretty easy skill to learn for some, works correctly the first tile in most if not all cases.  Since this will permanently remove the emblem off of the model's body, practice on something else first, then make multiple castings of the emblem in case the resin copy breaks.  I've used this multiple times in the past and never had issues with it.  It's an old trick that didn't originate with me.  Hope this helps. 

[peteski]

 

there is another way around this issue, foil casting.  Where you use a small piece of regular kitchen foil to make a crisp impression of the emblem.  Next use either epoxy (glue) or epoxy resin to fill and cast the impression of the emblem in the foil.  ...  Once cured the foil is removed, the back sanded flush then you can go one of two directions here.  One would be to cover the casting with BMF, trim and clean up the foil and superglue the emblem in place.  Two paint the casting with alclad or similar metalizer paint, glue the emblem onto the body using superglue, make sure to keep the glue away from the paint or it will remove the chrome effect. 

I actually sand the foil/epoxy emblem over 400 grit wet/dry sandpaper until the flat areas in the foil separate from the emblem. I then have the emblem ready to apply to the model.  It takes some practice to get the technique right and not all the emblems can be done that way, but I had good luck with it.   But I always finish making emblems before sanding the originals off the car body - that way if I mess up sanding the emblem I can just make another one until I get them right.  To attach them to the painted body I use either 5-minute epoxy or some clear paint.