How to Paint an Emblem: Step 5

Now that the base coat has dried, it is time to apply the clear. Once again you will want to use the tac rag to make sure every particle of dust is off of the surface before clear is applied. When you are happy with how it looks, go ahead and apply your clear coat. Apply the first coat evenly, being careful not to get any runs in the clear.


The best thing at this point is patience. You need to give the first coat of clear enough time to setup before applying the second coat. The can will usually have instructions on how long to wait. If not on the can then you can contact the manufacturer or the automotive paint store and someone there should be able to help you.


Depending on the temperature and humidity it may be 5-15 minutes before its ready for a second coat. A good way to know when its ready is to touch the clear with your finger (not on the finished surface but somewhere on the tape). When you pull your finger away from the clear it should be stringy and stick to your finger a little. If it is not sticky and you cannot create the stringy effect, it is not ready for a second coat.


I recommend letting the emblems dry 24 hours before touching them and trying to put them on the car. It is important to know that even if it feels dry to the touch it could still be soft underneath. At this point if you hold it with your finger you might leave a permanent mark. Letting everything dry and cure before handling will be better than trying to rush to get it done and risk having to do it all over because of a finger print.






And here is the finished product on the car! This sets the car apart from a stock Camaro and gives it a much sportier look. Job well done!

How to Paint an Emblem: Step 4

Almost ready to paint!!! It is a good idea to use a tac rag when painting. You will want to wipe the surface down between basecoat and before clearcoat.

Bulldog is a product that helps paint stick to plastic. Spray on a very light coat after the emblem is clean and dry before applying paint.



You are now ready to spray the color coat (also known as your base coat). This particular blue is quite transparent. It is important to get good coverage with the paint because the original gold may show through. It would be a good idea to start with a color that has better coverage such as white or grey and then apply the transparent color. Either way, keep an eye on how the base looks before you clear.

How to Paint an Emblem: Step 3

Use compressed air to blow the dust out of the crevices between the gold and the chrome part of the emblem. This is another area where you need to be careful with the tape.



Now that all of the loose dust is off the emblem, use a degreaser to wipe off those greasy finger prints. (It is a good idea to wash your hands throughly before getting anywhere near paint or anything that paint is going on)
Give an automotive paint grade paper towel a good spray with degreaser then carefully wipe the surface of the emblem. Again be very careful not to mess with the tape. Its really easy to wipe the tape off with the towel.

How to Paint an Emblem: Step 2

Once you have everything masked off its time to start prepping the area that is to be painted. Be very careful with the tape. If you see that any of the tape has moved, stop scuffing the surface with the scotch brite and fix the tape. You will know the surface is prepped and ready to accept paint when it is not shiny. The paint will not stick to anything shiny.

How to Paint an Emblem: Step 1

The first thing you need to do is tape off the chrome so it does not get scratched or painted. This is one of the most important steps because any area you do not mask off could be damaged. Take your time and make sure to press all of the tape down as firmly as you can, because paint tends to find its way into any little openings.

Nadalet Design How To

I posted this a while back on my Facebook and thought I would post it up here in case someone reading this is not on Facebook.

A friend of mine has a brand new Chevy Camaro, and she wanted the gold portion of the bowtie emblems painted to match the car. In this How To I am going to show you how to paint emblems.

First there are a few things you are going to need.

- Take the emblems off the car

Some emblems are held on with double sided tape, while others are bolted on. You will have to figure out how the emblems are mounted on your car and how to get them off.

- You need to find the paint code

My old Chevy truck had the paint code in the glove box. I think it was U334D.

On Chevy vehicles its often 4 digits after the letter U. If the vehicle is two tone from the factory there will be a U with 4 digits and a L with four digits. U is for upper and L is for lower so it is important to know which color you want to use when you purchase the paint. Some vehicles have the paint code displayed in the truck or engine compartment. Many Honda vehicles have the paint code in the driver door jam under or after the letters pnt.

- Clean safe working environment

A paint booth with filters and an exhaust system is ideal for painting anything with automotive paint. Spraying automotive paint in a garage with a water heater is dangerous because automotive paint is flammable. Many water heaters have an open flame and you could blow your house up. Garages are often very dirty and this is not a good place to paint because the dirt will drift in the air and is likely to land in the paint. Dirt in paint is not attractive unless you are going for a textured look.

- Paint guns

A collection of automotive paint guns and airbrushes can get pretty pricey. If you do automotive paint for a living it is necessary but if its just a hobby you can pick up an inexpensive paint gun that will do the job at a local hardware store.

Materials:

- Base coat (use the paint code found in the car)

- Clear coat

- Mixing cups

- Mixing sticks

- Paint strainers

- Respirator

- Tac rag

- Automotive grade paper towels

- Automotive degreaser

- Scotch Brite

- Masking Tape

- Chemical resistant gloves

- Shoot suit

These materials can be found at your local auto paint supply store. Some of them you can find at a local hardware store.

Next project!

I have a friend who builds awesome off road race trucks. Once in a while I paint something for him and today it happens to be his HJC helmet. I am going to keep you all in suspense and tell you that this paint scheme is going to have the color red in it. Thats all you get for now. Check back in to see how it looks later.