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Old 5th Aug 2008, 7:56 pm   #1
Nickthedentist
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Default Ideas for smartening up a plastic badge

Hello all,

My parents have a Thorens TD150/II turntable which they bought new in about 1970. It's given sterling service (often inadvertantly left spinning for days on end) and is still on its original belt.

It's like this one: http://img.2dehands.be/f/view/433723...td150-mkii.jpg

It still looks nice apart from the screenprinting which has rubbed off (no great loss) and the "Thorens" badge, which has lost its silvering in places as it gets rubbed every time the arm's moved into position.

The badge is about 3" wide by 1/2" high and made of black moulded thermoplastic. The "Thorens" emblem is raised above the level of the rest of the plastic by about 0.5mm, and originally had a thin coating of silvery stuff. A bit like an old-fashioned cast iron street sign in miniature, if you like.

I've remember the posts about Roberts badges and how difficult it is to replicate the silver coating at home. This is not my concern though, as I'd be happy with white, frankly.

Can anyone suggest how to apply a thin layer of opaque colour to the raised emblem, leaving the flat background plain? Or should I think about spraying the whole thing (say) white, then polishing off the paint from the emblem itself?

Thanks,
Nick.
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Old 5th Aug 2008, 8:40 pm   #2
PWH
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Default Re: Ideas for smartening up a plastic badge

I recall seeing a traditional printer inking blocks with a roller. My suggestion would be to use some sort of roller, maybe made from one of those things for getting hairs off clothes but first masking with judicial amounts of plasticine or similar around the rest of the badge so the deposit goes where you want it and nowhere else.
Good luck
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Old 5th Aug 2008, 8:45 pm   #3
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Default Re: Ideas for smartening up a plastic badge

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Originally Posted by PWH View Post
My suggestion would be to use some sort of roller
Thanks, PWH.

You've got me thinking. Maybe an old pinch roller from a scrap VCR might do (sorry, video collectors!).

What about paints? Would a bit of good old Dulux gloss white be OK on most thermoplastics, I wonder?

N.
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Old 5th Aug 2008, 9:09 pm   #4
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Default Re: Ideas for smartening up a plastic badge

I use a Tyreart pen for this sort of thing. They are used for highlighting the Letters on motorcycle tyres etc. They are available in silver or gold from any good motorcyle accessories type shop. Used one recently to smarten up the silver/ chrome badge on a Sharp television. Looked as good as new!
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Old 5th Aug 2008, 9:33 pm   #5
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Default Re: Ideas for smartening up a plastic badge

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I use a Tyreart pen for this sort of thing.
Thanks! Do they have a good shelf life? They're about £6 on eBay... does that sound about right?

N.
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Old 5th Aug 2008, 9:48 pm   #6
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Default Re: Ideas for smartening up a plastic badge

They are very long lived indeed. I have some i bought back in the early nineties that are still just as good as new!
You can do all the tyres on your Cortina aswell with whats left!
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Old 6th Aug 2008, 8:37 am   #7
Mike Phelan
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Default Re: Ideas for smartening up a plastic badge

I do raised lettering like this, Nick (assuming silver on black).
Spray the badge black and leave to harden.
Get a piece of non-fluffy fabric (don't know the technical term!) and staple it to a scrap of MDF to use as a pad.
Spray this pad with silver.
Leave for a minute or so to soak in.
Place the badge on firmly and lift off without moving it sideways at all.
Touch up edges with a brush as they will still be black.
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Old 6th Aug 2008, 8:51 pm   #8
chipp1968
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Default Re: Ideas for smartening up a plastic badge

There was amethod on here somewhere which cought my attention . It used superglue to stick tin foil to the raised surface when when stripped away left it just where the glue was . prob needs a little tidy up after . I havnt tried it yet but it sounds a good idea, prob best to practice on something else .
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Old 6th Aug 2008, 9:00 pm   #9
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Default Re: Ideas for smartening up a plastic badge

Similar to Michamoo's method, but cheaper - I use standard fibre-tipped silver pens for this sort of thing (must be soft-tipped; the fineliners are no good). The solvent (xylene?) based type seem to etch the plasic very slightly, resulting in quite a durable finish. Useful for touching up silver 'coachlines' on the edge of mouldings etc. too.
The alternative is to spray the whole badge in siver, or whatever you prefer, allow to dry thoroughly, then overspray with black. As soon as this becomes tacky, wipe the surplus from the raised areas with a cloth pad made *just* damp with a suitable solvent.
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