Tutorial: DIY "Black Pearl" style Emblems
 

yep, not exactly the same as this method is paint based but il be damned if it doesnt look good :)

Materials Required:
1-OEM Chrome Emblems (duh :p)
2-Soap+water+sponge+cloth+etc...
3-Tamiya Polycarbonate PS-31 Smoke Spray Paint (your local hobby shop should carry this)
4-beverage of choice
5-rubber/nitrile/latex/vinyl gloves

now, let me note that the emblems i made-over were new, relatively clean, and therefore didnt need to be taken off the car or prepped much.

Procedures:
1-acquire emblems:
heres a set of V8 emblems BEFORE paint.
https://www.clublexus.com/gallery/da..._Parts_003.jpg

2-place beverage in cooler/refrigerator to chill

3-use soapy water and a sponge/rag of your choice to THOROUGLY clean (but try not to scratch) your emblems wipe dry with cloth. wearing gloves after this would be a good idea so u dont get any fingerprints on the emblems as they would show up thru the paint.

4-take your paint and follow instructions on can to shake and then spray several LIGHT LIGHT coats over the emblem maybe 10-15 seconds apart. remember, we DONT want a deep coat, just enough to darken up the chrome and still look even.

heres the paint i used.
http://graphics.hobbypeople.net/gallery/336481.jpg

5-take beverage and relax for a few hours to let the paint dry, do NOT try to touch it early, because we're painting on a shiny surface any mistakes on your part will look worse.

6-enjoy your freshly painted emblems for a fraction of the cost of OEM black pearl :thumbup:

heres the result of the V8 emblems from earlier :)
https://www.clublexus.com/gallery/da...54-resized.jpg

Total Cost:
Paint - ~$5 at hobby shop
soap+water+rag - ~$3
beverage - ~$(?)

Total Project Cost: <$10 :)

questions or comments are welcome:D

NOTE: if the emblem is on the front of the car or in a high wear area (near rear edge of a fender for example) putting a layer of clear coat is prolly a good idea. im not clearing the emblems on the sides of the car but am using clear on my front emblem.

EDIT 10/25/09:
Alright guys, to cut down the number of PMs flooding my inbox, here are a few additions.

Clear: I prefer DupliColor Automotive clear, in several light coats as directed on the can, on ANY emblems going on the front of the car, or near the trailing edge of a wheel arch, as these will see the most rock chips/debris. i currently clear ALL emblems i do for protection.

Shade: To keep your emblems the color you want, for the first pass, spray a couple LIGHT coats of the tamiya paint, and stop when the emblems are a shade or two LIGHTER than what you want as a final result. wait ~2-5minutes and evaluate if it's dark enough for you, if not, spray an extra coat or two, then pause again. the whole idea is that when wet, the paint willl appear slightly lighter, though varying results have been seen. overall, it's easier to make the final product darker, than it is to make it lighter. Once you have your desired shade, proceed to clear.

Adhesion Promoter: I recco DupliColor Adhesion Promoter, use very light coats (1-2, keep it thin) on a well cleaned and degreased shiny surface, and proceed with the tamiya/clear process. Some members have reported hazing issues, so ymmv.

wow, thanks for the DIY. That's probably how Toyota did it anyway but they charged you a lot more for it haaha.

looks good, i wonder how long this will hold up? might try it on my car.

Great DIY! Looks like it came out really nice :thumbup:

Is that with just one coat? Looks great though!

i wonder if this will work with dulled out emblems? it was gold but now the gold is peeling and has patches of paint and no paint lol.

thats with a couple ver very light coats (if im honest, i ran out of paint since i used the same can to do my amber bumper lights but i was gunna stop anyways :p)

if u have dulled out emblems i suggest using some plastic polish to put a bit of a shine on them before washing+painting.

il get some comparo shots tomorrow when it isnt raining with REAL OE-black pearl :)

and no, i didnt clear coat, this paint is MADE to stick to plastic :)
that, and its stuck to my bumper lights for the last month or so :uh:

That's cool man. I would probably just leave it chrome since all of my emblems are chrome. Did you ebay those emblems?

nah, picked em up off another member for cheap :D

i dont hafta worry bout my rear emblems since theyl be covered soon, il do my front emblem after i buy some more paint :p

Aight man, you just made me to buy some emblems, they are being shipped tomorrow. I've always wanted V8 on the side of my ride...I hate people who think it's a V6...it drives me nuts

so this "Tamiya Polycarbonate PS-31 Smoke Spray Paint" is a transparent color i could use on my amber corners and tails?

yes :) but prep well (NO grease or fingerprints) and if its going at the front of the car you may want to clear coat.

Thanks for the write-up. It'll look good with my tint on my gold ES :thumbup:

modified OP :)

just gotta make sure theres no alcohol in the beverage. else you'd get pissed drunk and start touching it and screwing it up before you know it =P