DIY : Painting Badges

Going on 24 hours of using the bleach method. Doing both front and rears. Note to anyone taking off their rear emblem in near freezing temperature. Pour some very hot water over it numerous times before trying the "fishing line" method. I didn't, and ended up having to use pliers to get it off, put a couple scratches/dings on it, but hoping that after sanding and paint that it won't matter.
As far as the front emblem, man what a b**** getting to those clips. Almost all of my fingers are scratched up, and I only have 2 clips left in-tact so I bought some 3M tape for when I put it back on.
The bleach seems to be doing a good job, at this point the bleach is completely black, from what OP said I guess it's normal. I've noticed the front emblems chrome is coming off much faster than the rears, anyway, can't wait for the finished product. I might get impatient tonight and just try sanding the rest....we'll see.
 
SallySpeed3 said:
at this point the bleach is completely black, from what OP said I guess it's normal. I've noticed the front emblems chrome is coming off much faster than the rears, anyway, can't wait for the finished product. I might get impatient tonight and just try sanding the rest....we'll see.
Click to expand...

patience dude, they are already in the bleach just keep it going that way!

worth it in the end.

dont forget to change the bleach out.
 
from experience,



keep them in blech. change it out twice a day. Clorox seems to do a better job than generic bleach. rinse off and brush off your emblems during each bleach change and you should have great results. don;t be impatient as your end product will benefit from a complete removal of all plating.

when sanding, use a fine grit to not scratch the ABS plastic. what your goal should during each change is to clean off all buildup (usually green and black) that accumulates on the chrome/nickel plating and sand for good exposure for the bleach to do it's job.

i got ancy and started painting too early, and i ended up having to sand the paint off again just to have it soak for a few days more.
 
hey, has the paint/chrome removal process been tried with paint thinner/remover instead of bleach? because i have an excess of that stuff and it would be a good excuse to use some up.

I would think it would work seeing as its primary job is to eat away at paint!
 
I would bet if it removed the plating it would then proceed to melt the plastic. I wouldn't try it.

You can see my previous post regarding this as well as others that have had success with just scuffing the emplems and painting them. Much faster process and mine are over a year old without so much as a scuff.
 
well, after trying this,and evaling the other option, IE busting the gloss on the chrome, and priming,

I have to rate the bleach method a complete fail

It takes longer, leaves a mess, bad for the environment, you need to sand even more than just busting gloss

In EVERY way a complete fail
 
meicalnissyen said:
well, after trying this,and evaling the other option, IE busting the gloss on the chrome, and priming,

I have to rate the bleach method a complete fail

It takes longer, leaves a mess, bad for the environment, you need to sand even more than just busting gloss

In EVERY way a complete fail
Click to expand...

Ack...that stinks. A lot of people have had good results with bleach.

I'm doing mine next week probably. I have decided to go the sanding route instead of the bleaching process.
 
Hank3 said:
Ack...that stinks. A lot of people have had good results with bleach.

I'm doing mine next week probably. I have decided to go the sanding route instead of the bleaching process.
Click to expand...


cool, and its just scuffing with a scotchbrite, not sanding
I'm buying a new front and scuffing since it will be way faster than trying to fix the incomplete mess the bleach does

Mebbe aussy bleach is stronger than clorox

+1 on the clearcoat though it always adds to the paintjob
 
Last edited:
Really...no sanding? I was planning on using 400 grit and then 800 to smooth things out since I have those handy. Yes, definitely clearcoating mine. Will try and post pics when I'm done.
 
Hank3 said:
Really...no sanding? I was planning on using 400 grit and then 800 to smooth things out since I have those handy. Yes, definitely clearcoating mine. Will try and post pics when I'm done.
Click to expand...

A scuf pad will produce the best results as there are no sharp edges that will gouge the emblem like the paper will and the pad gets down in all the little creases and edges better than paper will. 800 grit is too fine for paint to stick to. 400 for spray paint is the finest you woudl want to use if you go that route. I just bought the finer grit grey Norton pads from Lowes and used that. Not sure what grit they compare them to but anything in the 400 grit range will do. I think they have two different grits available and I used the finer one.

If you want them to look like the rest of the black trim on the car get Krylon Semi-Flat black and don't use any clear. You need to use Krylon as it is the only spray paint I have found over the years that produces that "factory" black sheen and lasts. Some of the others brands take forever to dry and just don't have the right sheen.
 
So we're talking about these correct?

3mfinepads.jpg


Any specific color (are they different)? And do I use water with it? Do I use sandpaper in conjunction with the scuff pads?

I'm painting mine dark gray/graphite w/clearcoat..
 
Last edited:
Yep, just the pads no paper needed. Each color is a different grit but just about any of those would do. The ones with the fibers closer together are a finer grit. From the pic I would say the drk grey is too coarse but the other two in his hand are good as well as the lighter grey in the background [about the same as the ones I used]. Scuff them until they have no shine and actually look about like stainless steel and you are ready for paint.

You'll want to use the least film build you can and still get coverage, esp if you are clearing afterward. Too many layers of paint applied too quickly will cause cracking and peeling down the road. With my semi-flat black I had 4 light coats applied and I was done. No primer used and about 15 minutes between coats with low humidity. You could use primer if you want just use as little as possible. And yes, when using any metallic color I would apply very lightly until covered and clear afterward.

Good luck!
 
Thanks for the additional assistance on the scuff pads. How many coats of primer, paint, and clear would you recommend then?

Door covers?
 
Hank3 said:
Thanks for the additional assistance on the scuff pads. How many coats of primer, paint, and clear would you recommend then?

Door covers?
Click to expand...

center console lid, its nice, but the ebrake is REAL nice
 
Hank3 said:
Thanks for the additional assistance on the scuff pads. How many coats of primer, paint, and clear would you recommend then?



Door covers?
Click to expand...

Just enough of each [primer and color] to get coverage no more. Clear I would say 4 but you can tell if it starts to get too thick. Just like the can will say, a few light coats is always better than one thick coat. (hand)

Must have missed the door covers...i'll have to look again..
 
Well my emblems are currently back in the bleach bath after sanding as much of the paint off as I could. Will bleach also remove any left over paint? I noticed that I already had some chips in my front emblem, and that during the heavy rain we've been having that some paint was coming off my rear. So maybe I didn't let them sit long enough in bleach the first time, or maybe not enough clear coat. Either way, doing it again. Anyone know if bleach will remove paint?
 
SallySpeed3 said:
Well my emblems are currently back in the bleach bath after sanding as much of the paint off as I could. Will bleach also remove any left over paint? I noticed that I already had some chips in my front emblem, and that during the heavy rain we've been having that some paint was coming off my rear. So maybe I didn't let them sit long enough in bleach the first time, or maybe not enough clear coat. Either way, doing it again. Anyone know if bleach will remove paint?
Click to expand...

Just got done spending 5 min scuffing the NEW $20.45 front emblem with a walmart scotchbrite, hitting it with a light coat of krylon fusion for adhesion then a light coat of silver for base and a coat of rustoleum hammered granite. Finished with a couple coats of krylon clear.

LOOKS great



Bleach is a fools game
 
Please log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

F
    • Like
De-badging 2022 Mazda3 hatchback
Replies
2
Views
3K
concept
concept
O
Looking to replace Mazda3 cosmetic pieces, need help
Replies
3
Views
851
negusm
N
veritas80
Black Mazda Ebay rear emblems?
2
Replies
27
Views
11K
veritas80
veritas80

Latest posts

Back