Paint question. Trying to replicate a certain look.

[dwc43]

Most old 30's trucks had a rubber mat in the floor or nothing at all. The truck is black and I need to create the worn surface of the floor. So, the paint is rubbed off and it looks like a somewhat shiny or polished steel where constant wear from your feet has worn the paint off and polished it. 

I was thinking about spraying some Motolow Chrome paint on it and then hitting it with a dull coat of some kind to knock the chrome look off of it. Then paint the black around the area that still needs to be black.

I can do some testing on it, but thought I'd ask and get suggestions. 

[StevenGuthmiller]

Why not use a piece of foil?

Cover the area, paint it with a thin coat of black, and then use whatever technique you prefer, (solvents or sanding) to remove the paint where you want it removed.

Actual metal will always look more like metal than artificial metal paint.

 

Another example of where BMF trumps Molotow.

 

 

 

Steve

[dwc43]

6 minutes ago, StevenGuthmiller said:

Why not use a piece of foil?

Cover the area, paint it with a thin coat of black, and then use whatever technique you prefer, (solvents or sanding) to remove the paint where you want it removed.

Actual metal will always look more like metal than artificial metal paint.

 

Another example of where BMF trumps Molotow.

 

 

 

Steve

Thanks. That's not a bad idea at all. I did not think about using that. Glad I asked. 

[Ace-Garageguy]

I've done something similar where I wanted a bare aluminum panel showing through worn, scuffed, and chipped green zinc-chromate primer.

I shot the panel with Testors buffing metalizer (you could use some other product like Alclad since the Testors product is NLA), let it dry for an hour, buffed it up, let it dry for another week, then shot real zinc-chromate primer over it using the "salt" method, then rubbed the salt off.

The results were exactly what I was looking for.

Sorry...no pix, but I do have the test panel I can photograph and post if you really think it would be helpful.

[dwc43]

7 minutes ago, Ace-Garageguy said:

I've done something similar where I wanted a bare aluminum panel showing through worn, scuffed, and chipped green zinc-chromate primer.

I shot the panel with Testors buffing metalizer (you could use some other product like Alclad since the Testors product is NLA), let it dry for an hour, buffed it up, let it dry for another week, then shot real zinc-chromate primer over it using the "salt" method, then rubbed the salt off.

The results were exactly what I was looking for.

Sorry...no pix, but I do have the test panel I can photograph and post if you really think it would be helpful.

Thanks for that idea. I don't think a pic will be needed unless you want to post it for others. I think I got the idea of what you did. I have some metallizer too. I need to check and see exactly what I have in those type paints. Thanks.

[FoMoCo66]

5 hours ago, StevenGuthmiller said:

Why not use a piece of foil?

Cover the area, paint it with a thin coat of black, and then use whatever technique you prefer, (solvents or sanding) to remove the paint where you want it removed.

Actual metal will always look more like metal than artificial metal paint.

 

Another example of where BMF trumps Molotow.

 

 

 

Steve

Before even looking at your response i had the exactly same idea. Great mind think alike. 

[Oldriginal86]

This is a timely post. I’m building a Nova gasser with no carpet. I want the floor black with worn, bare metal areas. I’m going to try the BMF trick.

[Skip]

As for the rubber mat’s surface, how about using a medium or fine rubbing compound to polish the worn areas. Maybe use something like a pencil eraser under the polishing towel to create the smalll foot worn spots on the mats surface. Followed by a spot polish with a cleaner type wax in the smaller spots within the areas of wear using a smaller eraser tip to put the pressure under the polishing rag.  
Another thought for rubber mat basic color, might be as simple as using the rattle can truck bed liner, experimenting with spray nozzle! Should give the surface that rougher texture you are looking for. Follow that up with the above might give you a plausible worn rubber mat look that you’re after, especially using Steve’s foil suggestion.