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So, how are new plates painted?

It goes without saying that the plate should be in good condition before painting. When placing it on the rubber sheet apply pressure all around the plate using all your fingers and walk around the plate. Be careful not to slide it. One shot is not necessary because there are no brush marks.

As for how they are made when new I don't know except that I toured a sign company that made such plates as the Bow Tie Plates people put on the front of their cars.

Those plates are painted flat and then formed with the raised design. The die is a very dense cardboard.

Chrome bumpers are polished as a coil of steel before they are formed so I believe there are methods available that the license could be formed after painting.

I have never been in prison so I am not sure how license are made.

See you down the Back Roads

Back Roads where did you get the 1/4 inch rubber sheet?chef-

I'll add my "trial and error" method...
After 5 or 6 attempts at alternately hand painting and stripping the plate bare, I finally hit on an acceptable method. I found a matching background color in a rattle can, painted the plate and let it dry. I then masked the background with tape and an Exacto knife. My wife has a bag of small, disposable foam make-up sponges that have very small pores, much finer than the typical foam brushes. Using the sponge I dabbed on the color for the numbers from the lid of the paint can. After it dried I peeled off the masking tape and used a fine polishing compound to smooth the edges of the paint.
Worked well enough to satisfy me, especially after so many earlier attempts!
Coach

Chef,
I purchased the sheet of rubber at an industrial supply house that sells hydraulic hose, belts, sheet cork and rubber. The one in Dayton is Sterling Rubber. Good luck.

See you down the Back Roads with your new license plates.

Just a thought. :rolleyes:
Can you buy stripe paint tools in the USA?
They're like a small roller, various sizes, a reservoir for the paint & a small guide wheel to run on the surface to steady your hand. Seen them but never used. May do the job.

Kipper,

Yes, I have seen them but never used them. Never even thought of it as an option until you mentioned.

A good idea!

If we could get SOMEONE to do( a little time) we could get the answers we need.

Hey John Gill,

In Washington state our plates have a reflective surface that is suppose to reflect radar signals better. I'm not sure if that's an old wive's tale or not. Any way the folks "doing a little time" make a "perfect plate", so the only thing they are doing by hand is operating a machine., not any lettering.

Yes, there several wheel stripping tools, one of the better ones is sold by Eastwood Company




I bought one of those Elcheapo Asian made jobs years ago, and it is a piece of #*%^,it drips , it leaks, it slips, it slides and it even slings mud, and in general is not very good.

I have used the Beugler Striper on several sets of wheels. It does a fine job.

See you down the Back Roads.

I love the term "Rattle Can" We just call 'em "Spray cans" The Americanese is far better!!

I'm ahead of you WMM & JG I already danced a "Jig"

:o :o Bloomin' buttons!
Sorry done it again.

I've not tried it; but the guy's who can do it say the brayer (hard rubber roller) isn't that difficult after a few practise sessions. Altho that doesn't seem to be what folks are saying here.

I have a '42 plate I need to do; but other things keep interferring with that project also. Maybe that's my way of avoiding the whole situation and hassle, etc.

Bill.

Hey Kipper,

I think (EPI) invented the word Rattle Can. I liked it, thats why I used it.

Very descriptive!

john gill,

are you referring to me (kepi)?..if so, I wish I could take credit for "inventing" the term "rattle can," but I certainly can't...if you meant that I used it in starting this thread, yeah, I like using it, too...just sounds more fun than saying spray paint, or aerosol paint can, etc...


epi

epi,

Yes I never heard it before you but it works.

I tried with a brayer but didn't have good luck. It seemed like the best way, but the problem I had was that the brayer had no paint after rolling. That is the brayer only held a thin layer of paint - so I couldn't cover the letters.

It may have been operator error, but I think a foam roller might just be the thing to overcome this problem.

I watched a guy who was a plate restorer use a brayer to paint the raised part of the plate,the brayer was wider than the plate and he rolled the paint on the brayer from a fair sized piece of glass when it was loaded he made one pass over the plate and it was perfect,but then he did a large number every week.Did not see what kind of paint he used but it had a very high pigment,the plate looked better than new.

I don't think there's any doubt on what paint to use. It's called "one shot." It's what sign painters use. It's available wherever sign painter 'supplies' are sold.

It's applying the paint that is obviously the difficult part. I know restorers use brayers. But it seems like there's a bit of an art to it and 'the art' doesn't seem to occur on the first attempt!!!

I'm wondering about rolling the brayer from right to left (or vice versa) while putting the paint on the plate letter or number. This way you might not run out of paint before you cover (paint) the entire number or letter.

Just a suggestion.....

Bill.

Where does one locate a brayer?chef-

At a donkey shop? or a gathering of Democrats?

The rubber roller type please,chef-

chef,

hard rubber brayers are available at art supply stores for printmaking...other types, such as sponge or acrylic are also available for other art purposes...I think that they're not inexpensive, though...maybe forty bucks?..

I guess we'll look around, since that's the method we think we're going to try first...I'll post what we find out...


epi

OK Kepi,

Lets do the math,

1.00 for the original plate
3.50 rattle can
4.50 one shot
40.00 brayer

Your hand finished plate...Priceless!! :)

I'll admit I am not a man of the world but what is a brayer? I can't find it in my Websters. Please educate me. Thanks.

See you down the back roads.