308 airbox stencil/refinish

You can have any sign shop make you a vinyl "stencil" from the vector graphics file that Verrell and I produced. That's probably where the eBay guy got it too.

The "trick" to not having noticeable "bleed" at the edges is to first spray the lettering with flat or wrinkle black. That "seals" the stencil, and the initial bleed is in black so you don't see it. Then when that's dry, do your spray in white.

 

What paints/finishes are you folks using for the box cover, and the white lettering?

 

I used it and you cannot spray onto a wrinke finish your edges will bleed. What I did was to mask off the middle and paint the rest wrinkle and then paint the middle with regular black then I used the stencil. Just a note and it kinda sucks but the stencil is in two halves with each having some of hte lettering so you must match it up perfectly. Also applying too much paint coats may cause bleed through. Even spraying the stencil with artist glue on the back it still tends to lift. End result, a good result but it was alot of trial and error to achieve it.

 

It's a trick we helmet painters use! You can see some examples at www.helmet-painting.com where I use vinyl masks to do names and logos.

 

I just did this a week ago and it turned out great.... now I used to be a graphic designer so I did a few things that might help... first is to spray prep you surface with a solvent to remove any oil or dirt. I used a paint prep solution. I resprayed over the old black with some high temp black engine enamel. The next thing is to trim down the stencil so that it will lay completely flat. After that I lightly sprayed the back of each portion of the stencil with some 3M Spray 77 adhesive. I stress lightly spray... Position the stencil, tape it down and place newspaper around it for masking. I heated up a can of high temp white engine paint in a sink full of hot water for a few minutes. The heat helps the paint flow from the can better. Again, moderation is the order of the day. Several light coats are better than one heavy coat. I will post a pic of it later. I will say that it's not quite as nice as having it silkscreened on like ICP does. But it didn't cost what they charge either. With some patience, you can get pretty damn close though.

 

Best to use the Correction "Pen".

Apply by hand. Go slowly and retrace the borders using the faded image of the old lettering to guide you. Then fill in the middles. It does not really run into the wrinkles somehow as its thickish and dries quickly.
You will be suprised just how well you can reproduce the straight lines and how nice the outcome is.
I did this 5 some years ago and its as good today. Washing the engine does not affect it. It stays on.

If you dont like it use some tippex thinners and its gone. Worth the shot.

Skin.