Another lark paint ?

1962 Lark IV. You guys got me to the right paint. Now whats the trick to get it on the cowl trim panels? They are stamped aluminum with all the logo raised and painted white, the parimmiter is also raised but polished aluminum. The flat background is painted Gun metal gray. All the metal is in fine condition. How on earth can I paint these with good crisp lines that don't look like crap?

Photos of your cowl will help the gallery help you.
I have performed this task hundreds of times with
dimensional signs of different sizes that have painted raised letters.






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Your example looks great. I'm ready to learn.

well, I don't know about the quick lessons.........
it took me over 30 years of trial and error practice.

basically - it is start from the back and work up.
for a painted background with raised painted letters,
spray your primer and paint over the entire surface.
let dry 24 hours. (or according to the directions on the can).
then, with good quality artist brushes, hand paint the
raised letters. yes, it takes a keen eye and steady hand.
if you are not looking for that show-room look,
several coats of paint can be gently applied with a foam brush
over the tops of the raised letters - don't try to build up 4 coats in 30 minutes.
let each coat dry appropriately.

for the letters with a raised rim, spray the background as described above.
with a small good quality brush - paint inside of the recessed areas - don't worry
about the paint on the top of the rim. but, don't let paint get on the outsides
of the rim or letters. Allow to dry completely.
find your bamboo kabob scewers...... cut some into 4 - 6" pieces and cut a sharp flat edge
on each end with a sharp X-Acto knife ....... this becomes your mini-chisel.
The more aggressive means of removing paint from raised surfaces can be single edged
razor blade scrapers, X-Acto knives, sandpaper glued to a flat block will work in skilled hands.
in a comfortable chair, under a good light, with our grandpa +275 magnifying glasses,
(a craftsman's lighted magnifying glass works best).
gently chisel off the paint on top of the rim - wala !!! simple as that. you can also use
wood popsicle sticks or wood toothpicks. whatever it takes to get the job done.

For small elements, trim the foam brush to suit the needs.
their are different grades of foam brushes - the ones with large cellular openings
are good for painting your house walls with latex paints.
the ones with small cellular openings work well with fine details with oil paints.






if you buy cheap brushes from Harbor Freight - you will end up with cheap Harbor Freight results.

if you just can't pull it off, take your project to a sign shop - not a vinyl sticker shop.
a true craftsman's painted sign shop where they actually paint with a paint brush.
any good sign painter worth his salt can do it for you.







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Thanks Johnny. If I fail it won't be do to lack of tools. My mother in law was an acomplished crafter / artist in her later years. The room full of stuff is still there. Tons of small detail "stuff" including magnification and light. Following your advice I do'nt expect a proplem with the side panels. But that front piece with the access door looks like a challange. The Lark IV is in cursive, fine lines with rounded edges, gold paint. The example you posted is far more detailed w/o a blem so I know it can be done. Probably be a few weeks to finish it. Starting the prep now. Good or bad I'll post a picture of the result.

Prep near done, about ready for primer. That means a decision. Which primer, read your primer article on site. Better to ask in this case. The panels have good sound paint. Clean and finish sanded to 320 grit. Some bare aluminum exposed where they were scratched or chiped. Those spots were feathered out, largest one being dime size. After I finish priming and smoothing I need to scrape of the letter tops, then top coat and rescrape. So, I'm priming existing paint, minute spots of bare aluminum, And the letters need to be scraped. Will be top coating these panels and entire motor with urethane based. Which primer would you use.

personally - I like to stay within the same manufacturer arena.
If you use Rust-Oleum - stay with the primers and top coats of that name.
if you use NAPA - stay within that family. yada yada yada

in my past experiences, some primers do not play well with urethanes. especially when fresh.
whatever you decide to go with, Read-Understand-and Follow the instructions on the products.
wait until the odor of the coating is completely gone.
if you can still smell the enamel or urethane - that means the coating is still outgassing and
not fully cured - - - which means the next coat "could" give you problems.

Automotive primers usually list on the can of what is and is not compatible with that product.
nothing worse than to spend all those hours in prep and primer only to find out the hard way
that the top coat is not compatabile with the primer used and it wrinkles up right there in front
of your bugged out eyes......... very frustrating.

on the subject of your few bald spots - I do not suggest the self etching primer on small areas.
it has been noted on some automotive paint forums that self etching primers "could" tunnel
and burrow under existing paints - only to cause problems down the road.
so just stick with the general purpose automotive primers and you will be just fine.

Read, Understand and Follow the manufacturer's instructions.




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