Re: [SilverStreak] Painting the logos

[<MSC06USNret@xxxxxxx>]

I have a 1958 Silver Streak Clipper with complete aluminum logos front and  
rear.  They had small chip fragments of original paint in the corners of  some 
letters.  The "Silver Streak" was turquoise and the "Clipper" was  bright red. 
 I had a gentlemen that has been doing antique car restorations  for over 60 
year look at the colors and he said they looks very much like the  late 1950s 
Ford Turquoise and the late 1950s Corvette Red.  I bought a very  small can of 
each at a shop that specialized in selling pin stripping paint  (total cost 
of less than $15.00) and the paint matched perfectly to the original  chips. 
The paint has now been thru three years of weather and many  trips and look fine.
 
Hope that this may be of help, regards.  jim
 
 
In a message dated 6/29/2008 11:20:50 A.M. Pacific Daylight Time,  
chaya7@ix.netcom.com writes:

Was it  you, Tom, who painted some logos using "model shop paint" 
and felt that it  stood up really well to weather and wind? 

We have huge issues with  weather down here with the temperature 
extremes, dryness, blowing sand,  and most especially strong UV 
radiation.  So since this will be so  important to us, I've been   
researching it online a  little.

I've learned that of the various model acrylics, Floquil  acrylics are the 
only ones that 1) offer colors close to what we need, and  2) specifically 
state that they work well on metal.  I was delighted  to find that Reefer 
White, a paint in the Floquil Polly Scale Railroad  Colors line, was a 
PERFECT match for the background of the logo.  (I  happen to have 
the paint here and looked at the color after I had painted  it on a white 
card).    

The red isn't so easy.   Basically, I'm trying to find reds that have no 
black or white and very  little yellow in them.  I have DTI Cherry Red, 
but it seems to have a  little too much black in it.  Odd, because the 
actual DTI red (prior  to solar fading) seems perfect.  Maybe Seaboard 
Air Line Chinese Red  would work okay.  Under the "Model and Hobby" 
line, Polly Scale  offers Red, which seems nice.     

Under the Badgers  acrylic railroad colors line (now owned by Testors) I 
found CB&Q  Chinese Red that might be a match.  And the Model 
Masters acrylic  line (now owned by Testors) has some VERY nice 
reds.  Rot RLM 23 and  Stop Light Red both look great.  Chevy Engine 
Red and Insignia Red  are other possibles.  

I haven't seen a lot of suitable enamel  colors yet, but I noticed that 
Testors under their Testors enamel line  offers a few reds that could 
work:  Red, Cherry Red, Bright Red, and  Candy Red.  (As long as the 
acrylic Reefer White is really dry, it is  fine to use enamels next to it).   
  

I guess our main  problem right now is that we really can't figure out 
exactly what kind of  red the logos were originally painted.  I've been 
looking at all the  photos I can find, and it seems to me that the red of 
the logo was painted  to match the red of the taillights and rear 
markers--which makes the Model  Masters "Stop Light Red" the perfect 
choice.  It looks great to me,  anyway.  I just don't know if Model 
Masters acrylics will work on  metal.

After the logo is painted, I think I'll see what kinds of clear  finishes I 
can 
find in the automotive parts store; from what I can see  here in New 
Mexico, automotive finishes are the only ones that can  actually hold up 
to UV.  

Who here has painted their  logos?  What kinds of paint did you use?  
What colors?  And  Tom, what brand of paint did you use, and what 
color?  Does anyone  have any other  ideas?

Cristi