The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Paint and Body Shop Painting a license plate

I have read a lot of posts on renovating a license plate and all that I have read, seem to want to paint the whole face with the color of the letters/numbers first, and then cover it all with the background color and using various methods, remove the background color from the tops of the letters/numbers to let the proper color show through.
Has any one used a brayer (roller) to apply the letter/number color over the background color? Newly issued plates look like this is how the factory (prison) does it.
Any thoughts?
Thanks
John

I played with the rollers for a while and then used a brush to paint the numbers. I saw a film years ago where they were running them through a thing that looked like an old wringer washer roller. I couldn't control the amount of paint on the roller well enough. The brush worked good enough for me.

I may just practice with a "used current" plate from the junk yard. Unless someone tells me that they had success and how, I will just experiment and report back if I am successful.
John

Order you some Mack pinstriping brushes and some one shot paint. Just sit down and play with it. Not hard, very rewarding. I have painted 3 sets now. Never thought that I could do a single one.

Tried the method of painting the entire plate the color of the numbers with epoxy paint, then overcoating with the background color with a laquer based paint, then wiping the background color from the numbers. You know what I ended up with? A mess!

I painted mine with a brush like the others. I painted the entire plate the background color, then the numbers and letters afterward. The one trick that is worth passing along is I used a short tipped, firm artist brush to paint the lettering. I don't know the name or type, but the tip is bullet shaped and the bristles are short and very firm (they don't flex). It made it very easy to keep a sharp edge.

Good Luck.

I painted mine the way you first described. I first sprayed on the raised letter/number white color, followed by the black background color after allowing the white to dry thoroughly. I then wet sanded with 600 grit wet and dry and polished with rubbing compound and wax. If you can add a hardener to the raised portion and apply several coats you will lessen the chance of sand through and need for touch-up. Here is a picture of before and here is after .

If’n your daughter or wife have a subscription to Netflix, then download Cry Baby with Johnny Depp. 54.50 minutes into the movie shows the boys in prison making license plates. Shows lot of equipment, I think I even see one of those roller painters in the back ground. Can’t link ya to it because you have to have an account and log in.
Lots of old cars in the movie and one scene with the pink Kaiser Manhattan has an Chevy AD in the back ground.

DG

Be careful of painting the plates before you register the truck. I have heard, in Texas they frown on the plates not being original.
I think I'll try to register before painting mine.

On my old Triumph ( motorcycle ) I spayed them with an air brush with model enamel (the little tins) thined with white spirt then when dry put them in the oven for an hour on about 180/400 after sending the wife out ( very important )As it gets a bit of a smell on . Turn the oven off let them cool mine came out like mirrors Very high gloss and very chip resistant. Home Stove Enameling after that success I did nearly all my cycle parts that way . The advantage of using the little modeling paints is they have virtually any colour you could want and you can get just enough too do what you need.