Restoring badges

[Alfadog]

Here's a question - has anyone attempted to restore a plastic badge before? What would be the best way to remove the paint to get down to bare plastic? Would paint stripper damage the plastic?

Hope someone can help!

[tanny]

I just scrubbed out the painted areas with a toothbrush and dish soap and then some isopropyl. Then just painted with a fine brush. Seems to be holding up alright. The plastic chrome is beyond me, but I think I remember some others here have used foil, etc. Good luck, Victor.

[26th-Z]

Let me add to what tanny advises, Lachlan. You don't have to strip the paint - just paint over the old. The plastic is very fragile to chemicals - stay with water or alcohol. I know some places that will re-chrome the plastic, but a brand new plastic badge is cheaper.

[EScanlon]

I just scrubbed out the painted areas with a toothbrush and dish soap and then some isopropyl. Then just painted with a fine brush. Seems to be holding up alright. The plastic chrome is beyond me, but I think I remember some others here have used foil, etc. Good luck, Victor.

Good Advice.

As a suggestion for those who are intent on recreating the painted effect as best as possible.

If you'll note all of the edges of the paint on the majority of the painted areas (with exception to those areas that do not have a lip), go to the top edge of the lip surrounding the area of paint. However, the paint level itself is lower, and the effect is such that the edges of the paint have a very nice contoured edge. This is caused by the meniscus of the paint to the edges.

In order to replicate this meniscus, it is necessary to THIN the paint. By thinning it you will allow the paint to flow out to all the edges and corners of the painted area, and fill it in seamlessly. As the thinning agent evaporates out of the paint, the paint dries from the center out. This allows the edges to get a nice smooth painted surface that flows easily into the center of the area. The trick is to allow the skin that forms on the top of the paint to stretch up to a degree. This is done by NOT force drying the paint. You want that upper skin to form slowly and evenly around the edges. This is tricky as too much thinner will show up on the finished product, and too little thinner will not allow you to flow the paint to all the edges.

I wish I could give you a guideline as to the ratio of thinner to paint, but this is something you will have to experiment with. Personally, I used R/C paints since the airbrush thinners are more readily available, and in my experience, these evaporate quickly enough that there is little chance of contamination, and they do a good job of keeping the paint from separating.

Hope this helps

Enrique