Emblem Restoration

[CTX-SLPR]

Howdy,

I have a set of emblems that GM no longer carries new and best I know is not reproduced (1987 LeSabre T-type) and I'd like to get them restored to good status. Most of them just need repainted but a rechroming wouldn't hurt. Does anyone do such a thing?

[studemax]

Re: Emblem Restoration

Do a search for emblemagic.com

[JustinSuhas]

Re: Emblem Restoration

Not to hijack, but i also have some emblems i want to restore. Mine is a Honda emblem (motorcycle) its the raised letters with sunken in spaces in the letters filled with color. I would like to take the existing colors out and put in my own. How should i go about doing something like this? Will the plastic color melt out? (like upside down in the oven) should i try chemical stripping? i dont wanna hose the chrome.

[Two Lane Blacktop]

Re: Emblem Restoration

Not to hijack, but i also have some emblems i want to restore. Mine is a Honda emblem (motorcycle) its the raised letters with sunken in spaces in the letters filled with color. I would like to take the existing colors out and put in my own. How should i go about doing something like this? Will the plastic color melt out? (like upside down in the oven) should i try chemical stripping? i dont wanna hose the chrome.

A chrome-safe & home-based method (wearing clean plastic gloves) would be to:


1.) Get some low-strength Naval Jelly (pink) & some q-tips to use as applicators.

2.) Mix a bowl of 90% drugstore Isopropyl alcohol 50/50 w/water.

3.) Apply the NJ with the q-tips to the painted areas. Wait as directed before removal,
but use that time to keep "agitating" the painted surface with your q-tip while the NJ works.
You want the old paint to bubble & sheet off onto your q-tips, & it will.

4.) Bathe the emblem in the alcohol bath, scrubbing it w/the toothbrush, as needed. Repeat #4 if necessary.

5.) Then, last step before painting: Use Prep-Sol as a cleaner with a child's soft toothbrush to thoroughly clean the emblem. Blow-dry with a hair-dryer holding the emblem with a hinged clothespin or large tweezers/hemostat.
No fingerprints, please. --

You can use a vet syringe or even a tooth-pick to apply the new paint,
as your borders are there for you acting like moats for the paint, eh?
Also have used medicine droppers. You can find a "Paint-Chip" repair &
applicator kit that works *great* on these small objects, in the DIY aisles
at Advance Auto. Collect all of the above for very few bucks.

Use what's most comfortable for you, and what works best on that item.

Have had great results with emblem color resto by using "flexi-paint"
formulations, i.e., paints used on flexible bumper covers & the like. It
seems to do a "compression-fit" within its confines on the emblem.

Any good body-shop supply house can mix the "flexi" additives into the color(s) selected,
or you may be lucky enough to find what you're after in a spray-bomb. Just spray a few
ounces out into a container to apply with your tools as above.

When doing small resto jobs like this one, things go ever so much better
if you're assisted in your efforts during each step above by one of the large
round illuminated magnifiers that clamp on your work table or bench.


HTH

[Two Lane Blacktop]

Re: Emblem Restoration

Addendum:

Please "feel free" to get any product
that works as a low-potency chemical
paint stripper. The body-shop supply
house can offer several excellent options.

We use NJ mainly because it's a clinging gel
and also because we've been using it for
more years than were in the Aztec calendars.

Probably better stuff out there, but old ways die hard. --

[JustinSuhas]

Re: Emblem Restoration

: Wow, that was about the most perfect response i could have gotten. Thanks for typing that up! I copied it to a word document so i can pull it up again when i break out my emblems.

Luckily, i already got one of them magnifier light thingy's.

seriously...