Painting Letters on Vintage Plates for Model A?

[31 Woody]

I have a set of 1931 license plates and I need to paint the letters/numbers. Any tips to do this and get a quality result? I was thinking a small roller and a very light touch might provide a good consistent line? The other option is a brush, but that seems like it would be quite difficult to get a consistent finish all the way on each letter/number. If the roller—not sure but I was thinking a firm foam roller. But maybe someone has an easier way?

[Gil Sissons]

I found a nice pair of California plates that needed restoration.
After looking at plates that had been painted by amateurs....
I opted to pay the $$ and have them refinished.
Get lots of compliments on how they look.
Just my experience.
Gil. NoCal

[McMimmcs]

Originally Posted by Gil Sissons

I found a nice pair of California plates that needed restoration.
After looking at plates that had been painted by amateurs....
I opted to pay the $$ and have them refinished.
Get lots of compliments on how they look.
Just my experience.
Gil. NoCal

This is a repeat of my experience and I considered it money very well spent. Wayne

[ronn]

no easy way- you either have the "gift" or practice practice practice.


I agree with the 2 fellas above. I personally would find a nice original pair.

[Dean Lemoine]

I recently restored this Kansas plate. I just have it hanging on the wall with a couple of others

[Eccentric Old Guy]

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Luckily, there are collectors of license plates, and most years and states are available. Expect to pay up to $100 for a nice unrestored plate. The 1928 Oregon plate shown here, came with the purchase of my 28ccpu, and I found a 1928 Montana plate on eBay to replace it.


This Oregon plate has been restored at some point, and it looks like a pretty good job of it. It was done with a small brush by someone with a steady hand.

eog

[springerpete]

Dean L: MIGHT HELP IF YOU EXPLAINED HOW YOU DID IT. NICE RESULT. Bill

[nkaminar]

I recently restored the plates on my 1930 Fordor. I did it with a small brush. I tried a roller but it did not work for me, perhaps because it was not the right roller. Not nearly as good as the professional restored plates. I am old and have lost a lot of the steady hand. But they look good from 6 feet. It depends on what you want. If perfection is needed then have them restored professionally.

I sandblasted the plates first then banged out the dents. I then sprayed the back ground color and then hand painted the letters.

[SwampLedge]

I think it depends on what your objective is. My Model A will look nice when “complete,” but not a show vehicle. I found some appropriate YOM plates, grit blasted them, rattle can primed and painted, then hand lettered with lettering enamel. It was fun, the same reason I’m “restoring” the car. Up close, you can tell I’m not a professional. But most people will see them from about 10 feet away or more.

[marty in Ohio]

1930 Ohio plates were maroon with white numbers. Years ago my sons came home with a pretty good original plate for $10. I asked them where the second plate was and they told me there was only one, that's why it was so cheap. Several in our group had 1930s cars so we shared the can of spray paint for the background. Then I painted the numbers with a fine brush. It took 3 coats of white, but what else did I have to do? It came out real nice. Take your time. Steady hand.
Marty

[Ray in La Mesa]

Saw a pile of plates at a swap meet that was a foot high and 4' across , singles were $5 and pairs were $75. Found a '28 California plate with original yellow on blue colors. Paid the fellow his $5 & put it in my backpack. Went back & looked through the pile for another 10-15 minutes and found another '28 California plate that was hand painted red on white colors. Checked the number on the plate I already had and they matched! Paid the fellow another $5 and walked away, another great day at a swap meet!

[Dean Lemoine]

Bill, this a before picture.
Keep in mind, I’m certainly no professional.
I sand blasted it, did the “bodywork”.
A couple of coats of self edging primer.
6 heavy coats of black epoxy
2 fairly thin coats of yellow
Carefully and slowly sand the yellow off of the lettering. (I used 2500 grit)
Polishing compound to get the scratches out from the sanding.

[gary678*]

I restored New York plates from 1913 thru 1945 to hang on the wall in my garage. I purchased mostly clunkers to keep the prices down. Many had marred raised digits and pin holes which I repaired to the best of my ability. If your digits are not perfectly even and smooth I think a roller would not give satisfactory results. At first I tried a brush but was not happy with the results. I then switched to oil based paint pens with much better results. Be careful when selecting brands of paint pens as some tend to run and give an uneven paint flow. I had most success with the brands "Sharpie", "Competitive Advantage" and "Testors". A very steady hand is required. I agree with nkaminar in post #8 that they look great from 6' away. For an absolutely perfect job you might want to have it professionally done by an expert, or buy a nice set of original plates. Lastly there are vendors that sell reproductions with raised digits but they are pricey. Technically it is not legal to repaint plates or use reproductions but I have never heard of any problems from law enforcement if the digits are clear and match the registration information. Good luck! Gary D.

[katy]

Originally Posted by Dean Lemoine

I recently restored this Kansas plate. I just have it hanging on the wall with a couple of others

I have an 1932 Mississippi plate hanging on the wall that looks just like that, except the colours are reversed, I redid it myself, by hand, about 30 year ago.

[fordcragar]

I restored a ‘31 Washington plate, for my Model A, several years ago. My experiences were similar to what others have mentioned. I tried the roller method and several variations of it. I ended up with a plate that looks good from about 25 feet away. When I get some more time, all do a few more; which I’ll brush paint the letters/numbers.

[McMimmcs]

Originally Posted by Dean Lemoine

I recently restored this Kansas plate. I just have it hanging on the wall with a couple of others

You did a very nice job ! Congratulations! Wayne

[Gene F]

I hear you can buy new ones, just tell them what state, and what number you want.

[Chris Haynes]

I have watched a professional do it. They used a very small diameter foam roller. Rolled the roller on a sheet of glass to get the right amount of paint on the roller.

[John Dayhuff]

Originally Posted by Ray in La Mesa

Saw a pile of plates at a swap meet that was a foot high and 4' across , singles were $5 and pairs were $75. Found a '28 California plate with original yellow on blue colors. Paid the fellow his $5 & put it in my backpack. Went back & looked through the pile for another 10-15 minutes and found another '28 California plate that was hand painted red on white colors. Checked the number on the plate I already had and they matched! Paid the fellow another $5 and walked away, another great day at a swap meet!

Just a FYI, it takes a lot of time and money to be a vendor at a car show. Great day for you maybe but certainly not for him.

[feynmanfan]

I attempted a hand lettering project a few years ago and in the process learned a little about type of paint, brushes, etc. that may be a good approach for plates. Overkill for plates, and likely you may spend far more than have a pro do it (or finding a really good original), but still maybe fun to try it yourself. The paint most use is "1 Shot" enamel. Search for that and you will find brushes and supplies also. Here's a video I had found showing a few tips and tricks. As always, prep, prep, prep then paint.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9RK0MmLSBoY

[29spcoupe]

I took my plates to a vinyl sign maker. For $10 per plate he applied the vinyl letters to the plate after I painted the background. Plates came out perfect.

[rotorwrench]

A lot of old license plates were made by stamping machines at a local state penitentiary. They likely had a fixture to hold the plates under a paint screen to just apply the final color to the raised embossed characters. This would speed the process up a good bit since thousands of these plates had to be supplied to the public each year. They had to be manufactured fast and cheap to save the taxpayers as much as possible. The process would be a lot like the silk screening process except it wouldn't need a stencil.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7jb8IvCaGdc

Modern plates are vinyl covered much like a wrap is now days. Many are still made in local penitentiaries.

[Ray in La Mesa]

John, I've been a vender at many swap meets and know the ins & its of them. Just played by his rules. Don't know why he didn't sort through his plates & find the pairs.

[Jim M]

I took mine to a professional - NO regrets. Get as many comments on the plate as i do the car....lol

[old31]

Dean, you did an outstanding job with your plate. Very nice work.

I have a friend that sent out 2 plates to be done at the cost of $650.00

[John Dayhuff]

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Originally Posted by old31

I have a friend that sent out 2 plates to be done at the cost of $650.00

Holy Smokes!! I'm in the wrong business.....!!

[McMimmcs]

I sent two plates three months ago and they were very professionally refinished for a cost of $157 including return shipping. Wayne

[mfarley]

I restored my 1928 ND license plates myself. Fortunately for me, the background color was black, while the "raised" color was white. I blasted the plates and then primed them with Rustoleum automotive gray primer. Then I sprayed the entire plate white. I masked the large numbers with blue painters tape, and used 1/8" pinstriping to "mask" the outer ring. Then sprayed the plate black. I came back and did the smaller "ND" and "1928" with a paint brush. After removing the masking, I sprayed the plates with several clear coats and then baked them in the oven for good measure.

[Dean Lemoine]

Same process as in post number 12, except the colors are reversed

[JoeCB]

In a production operation, my guess is that after background color, the plates were run between firm rollers, one a backing the other with paint. This process was enabled by having the figures raised. Not much reason to go through the trouble and expense of die forming the raised letters except to facilitate a production painting process.
Just a guess...

Joe B

[BillCNC]

Originally Posted by Chris Haynes

I have watched a professional do it. They used a very small diameter foam roller. Rolled the roller on a sheet of glass to get the right amount of paint on the roller.

An old guy back in the 90's showed me how he did it. Almost the same method you have, but he made a jig to fit into a drill press that presses the plate into paint soaked fine textured foam. He pressed it in about an 1/8th of an inch, then flipped it over to let the paint level off and dry. His first attempt was to mask it off which he said was a total disaster. The paint he used was a specialized sign paint if I remember correctly.

Regards
Bill

[rotorwrench]

I believe you are correct on that Joe B. From further information that I've read on the historical manufacture of painted license plates, they did use rollers. The likely had a dual roller set that would insure that the roller that applied the paint would have a specific amount of paint applied between the two rollers. All that was necessary was to feed the plates under the applicator roller that was adjusted to the specific thickness of the finished plates. The applicator roller would draw each plate through at is met the roller at inlet of the feed.

The flocking of plates with light reflective material came in the 1960s. This would have been done while the roller coat was still wet.

[TerryO]

I watched a vintage b/w video a few years ago that showed prisoners painting license plates. They were hand feeding plates into a jig and a roller would roll across and back then they would lift the plate out and pop in another one. They must have been doing it a while because they had a pretty good rhythm going.


TOB

[Kevin in NJ]

Spending many years at the flea markets I watched and talked to on of the restorers of plates. Keep in mind I am going back like 30 years now.

You need a flat glass plate and a rubber roller. With a blob of paint at one end of the glass you pull it out with the rubber roller and get a thin coating on the roller and roll it out with gental pressure. This is analogus to how a printer loads ink onto the surface of the negative back when they were type set.

This was how they were also done when new.

There was some technique in how it was all done. I played with it as a kid for fun. I am sure I am forgetting details.

[Terry, NJ]

I've done them too. For my 1930 Pa plates, I use Caterpillar yellow. and a black paint pen for the lettering. See my profile and album for pictures and a better description. Terry NJ

[Afordman31]

This person restored one for me and one for my brother. Fast turnaround, very satisfied. Reasonable.

[Dick M]

I am not sure if this license plate restorer is still in business. He restored my 31 California plates about 20 years ago. If I remember correctly, he is in Central California. He did a very good job and was quite reasonable. You can give him a try.

License plate restoration: Dan Cox 559-299-5220 [email protected]

[Y-Blockhead]

Originally Posted by Dean Lemoine

Same process as in post number 12, except the colors are reversed

Nice job Dean.

[31 Woody]

Originally Posted by Kevin in NJ

Spending many years at the flea markets I watched and talked to on of the restorers of plates. Keep in mind I am going back like 30 years now.

You need a flat glass plate and a rubber roller. With a blob of paint at one end of the glass you pull it out with the rubber roller and get a thin coating on the roller and roll it out with gental pressure. This is analogus to how a printer loads ink onto the surface of the negative back when they were type set.

This was how they were also done when new.

There was some technique in how it was all done. I played with it as a kid for fun. I am sure I am forgetting details.

This is exactly the process I was thinking—you just described it much better than I did. I also like the idea of vinyl letters applied, but I already have the OneShot paint and the plates are ready for lettering. So sending them out at this point is not going to happen. Thanks everyone, interesting reads and ideas.

[JRrev]

I tried three processes. Hand brushing was the least successful as it was difficult to maintain a even line. Next was the roller method. It was a small diameter and fairly dense rubber. Somewhat better. Lastly, I painted the letter/number color in lacquer then the background color in enamel. With a block wrapped tightly in flannel, damped with reducer, I wiped off the raised letters/numbers enamel. For me in all cases the used plates' letters and numbers were not crisp even with restoring. The undulations made for misses and re-do's. Eventually, I found a local guy who did them professionally.

[McMimmcs]

Originally Posted by JRrev

I tried three processes. Hand brushing was the least successful as it was difficult to maintain a even line. Next was the roller method. It was a small diameter and fairly dense rubber. Somewhat better. Lastly, I painted the letter/number color in lacquer then the background color in enamel. With a block wrapped tightly in flannel, damped with reducer, I wiped off the raised letters/numbers enamel. For me in all cases the used plates' letters and numbers were not crisp even with restoring. The undulations made for misses and re-do's. Eventually, I found a local guy who did them professionally.

Which undulations are you referring to?

[[email protected]]

I'd opt to have it restored as well....or find one in with original paint suitable to your needs. I have had numerous plates restored, and they turn out great if you use the right restorer.

[TerryH]

I decided to buy already restored plates for my A 15 years ago. They were 1930 California plates, and they came out perfect…..I was very happy. I think back then they were around $275 a pair….likely a lot more now. I then took them to our local DMV, where they were examined and accepted.

[Ayers1]

I restored a set of plates for my 30. Sandblasted, then primed, then painted the basecoat. I taped off all of the straight edges that I could and used pinstriping paint from our local auto paint store for the letters. Pinstripe paint is a little thicker and will flow together without leaving brush strokes. They aren't perfect but not bad for first time.