Tank and Side Cover Emblem Refinishing

Emblem refinishing
by Ken Talbot

These photos document my latest attempt at refinishing a set of tank emblems. I think I have finally come up with a technique that works for me, giving an even, glossy finish to both the letters and the background.

Click on thumbnail images for a larger picture.

Supplies used will include grey primer, metallic gold, and clear spray paints, and gloss black model enamel.

Tools used will include three red sable detail brushes in sizes 1, 0, and 00.

These brushes are pretty small - a millimeter scale is shown for reference.

Start by sanding off all of the old finish. Don't get too aggressive as the plastic is quite soft. Sand to approximately 400 grit.

Spray with a good quality primer.

Spray with gold paint.

Spray with clear lacquer. You should now have the desired glossy, streak free gold finish on the surface of the letters.

Now comes the tricky part. Using the 00 brush and the black enamel, begin working on the background.

Start with the small areas inside the "A"s, then the narrow triangular shapes in the "M"s, etc.

This detail work will go much smoother with strong task lighting and a magnifying headpiece.

Continue with the 00 brush until you have all the letters completely outlined. If you get a bit of black on the face of a letter, wipe it off immediately with a small piece of paper towel slightly moistened with paint thinner.

The 1 brush works well in the larger areas between the letters. The 0 brush works well for the sides of the emblem. Spray the entire emblem with clear again, let dry, and touch up any gold showing through the black. Clearcoat again to finish.

Of course, these things come in twos.......

Emblem refinishing - Ken Bowd's way

A couple of years ago I redid my emblems on my XS11E. Our approaches were similiar, using Gold paint, Black and clear. I painted mine gold first and gave it a week or so to dry completely. I temporarily screwed the emblem to a wood board to hold it. I then sprayed the black on the emblem and immediately wiped the black off the face. If you fold the wiping cloth just right you can get a nice clean line around the gold area.