i wanted black badges / emblems...so i got em...
04-05-09, 08:27 PM
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i wanted black badges / emblems...so i got em...
...by doing them myself. and, i must say, i do not recommend doing this by yourself. i am pleased with the results, but it was a lot of work and i'm still not finished. what's left is a little bit of clean up and that's a large part of the problem.
the badges were originally held on by double-sided tape that was holding amazingly well. after many soakings with WD40, a credit card and the buffing wheel attachment on my dremel tool the adhesive was finally gone, and i was coated in gray specks of greasy adhesive.
painting them wasn't too much of a chore. i buffed them pretty well with a wire wheel, cleaned them and my innards with alcohol, then applied a few coats of krylon's black made-for-plastic paint (the badges are chromed plastic) and a few coats of rustoleum's clear lacquer. home-made black pearl badges!
the trouble came when i began to use one of 3M's products. typically, i will pay a premium for a 3M product, and believe me, you do pay a premium because they make quality stuff. but, this product, which is specifically made for applying plastic badges. It is stringy. you know the type, apply it, pull it away and a long, thin string of the product follows you getting on everything. that's how this was. i battled it the whole time. like i said, i'm pleased with the results, but i'd rather have tried trimming a 3M-made double-sided tape to the thin dimensions of the badges than working with this messy stuff
sorry for the "glow" to them...it was one of those evenings where the clouds broke just before sundown... http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo...eat=directlink
the badges were originally held on by double-sided tape that was holding amazingly well. after many soakings with WD40, a credit card and the buffing wheel attachment on my dremel tool the adhesive was finally gone, and i was coated in gray specks of greasy adhesive.
painting them wasn't too much of a chore. i buffed them pretty well with a wire wheel, cleaned them and my innards with alcohol, then applied a few coats of krylon's black made-for-plastic paint (the badges are chromed plastic) and a few coats of rustoleum's clear lacquer. home-made black pearl badges!
the trouble came when i began to use one of 3M's products. typically, i will pay a premium for a 3M product, and believe me, you do pay a premium because they make quality stuff. but, this product, which is specifically made for applying plastic badges. It is stringy. you know the type, apply it, pull it away and a long, thin string of the product follows you getting on everything. that's how this was. i battled it the whole time. like i said, i'm pleased with the results, but i'd rather have tried trimming a 3M-made double-sided tape to the thin dimensions of the badges than working with this messy stuff
sorry for the "glow" to them...it was one of those evenings where the clouds broke just before sundown... http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo...eat=directlink
Last edited by not sure; 04-09-09 at 07:05 PM. Reason: photos added
04-06-09, 10:42 AM
#3
"after many soakings with WD40, a credit card and the buffing wheel attachment on my dremel tool the adhesive was finally gone, and i was coated in gray specks of greasy adhesive. "
A piece of fishing line will pull them right off wioth no mess...just an FYI.
Let's see some pics!!!
A piece of fishing line will pull them right off wioth no mess...just an FYI.
Let's see some pics!!!
04-09-09, 08:14 PM
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i will say after a few days of temps ranging from 28F to 78F they are still holding on strong (i gave the a few pokes n prods tonight) for whatever that's worth. i'm guessing typical quality of product from 3M with the exception of the stinginess when applied.
i think what i'm most amazed at is how level they all seem to have turned out. i had applied masking tape to the body along 2 sides of the original badges before i removed them and i guess that, along with some "grunge" from the OE badges, helped me align them all. fyi, the "LEXUS" and "V8" badges are single-pieces, whereas the "GX 470" are all single characters so, you can imagine what you'll deal with there trying to align them all.
so, in closing, i don't recommend it, but it can be done. take your time and think it through ahead of time.
i think what i'm most amazed at is how level they all seem to have turned out. i had applied masking tape to the body along 2 sides of the original badges before i removed them and i guess that, along with some "grunge" from the OE badges, helped me align them all. fyi, the "LEXUS" and "V8" badges are single-pieces, whereas the "GX 470" are all single characters so, you can imagine what you'll deal with there trying to align them all.
so, in closing, i don't recommend it, but it can be done. take your time and think it through ahead of time.
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04-12-09, 07:17 PM
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was probably me! we live in north rutherford and typically travel to murfreesboro vs nashville.
now, if only i could be spotted with black sliders vs running boards, oh, grabber AT2s vs oem bridgestones, and that black westin bullbar loaded with lights...keep yer eye out!
now, if only i could be spotted with black sliders vs running boards, oh, grabber AT2s vs oem bridgestones, and that black westin bullbar loaded with lights...keep yer eye out!
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