Restoring 3a badges

[TimmyTonga]

There are some posts from 2009 which suggest people use hobby paint to fill in the lost red paint on badges. Is this still the favoured method?

I seem to have had some red once;

and my Improved even more evidently;

Has it just faded? There is some sign of it flaking, but most seems intact - just not very red.....

 

[stupidhead]

I have also got some badges that could use some sprucing up, hoping someone has an answer for you!

Geoff

[JKent]

For the solid brass badges with engraved lettering, like the 3a, 2ax, others, you can remove any clear lacquer with thinner, then put the badge face down on a piece of very fine wet sand paper (maybe start with #600) and rub the badge back & forth, checking frequently to see if it is clean & shiny. You can progress to finer sandpaper or leave it as-is if you like the finish.

With any luck, you won't have to re-paint the lettering but if you do, fill in the red with fresh hobby paint, a fine brush and a steady hand.

I don't put any new lacquer on because it will eventually tarnish anyway, but you could. Or dip them in polyurethane thinned with a bit of paint thinner. I believe it was Gene who suggested wiping a drop of olive oil on the raw brass annually to keep it shiny. That's the method I like.

-Kent

[ra.ra]

This might be the thread referenced by the OP, and for cleaning, I now use the same method mentioned by joelongwood in Feb '08 - - just Noxon polish and a soft cloth, no steel wool or abrasive paper required. IMO, a light coating of satin spray lacquer (or polyurethane) goes a long way toward delaying a subsequent period of oxidation. Fortunately, there is more than one successful method to skin this cat .

[JKent]

That's a good thread. It was Roy who recommended the 50/50 wipe-on poly and paint thinner (mineral spirits) and Gene who recommended the olive oil.

The metal polish method shown above works well and is probably the preferred method. I use the fine wet sandpaper when the surface is less than perfect. And as Roy noted in the other thread, the paint is usually fine. TimmyTonga, the paint on yours looks good and probably does not need touch-up.

-Kent

[ra.ra]

I agree with Kent about the paint - - once those 3a badges get spit-shined, there will be plenty of good contrast between the polished metal and the inset paint. And yes, a fine grade of abrasive paper can be helpful with removing scratches.

[TimmyTonga]

27 minutes ago, JKent said:

That's a good thread. It was Roy who recommended the 50/50 wipe-on poly and paint thinner (mineral spirits) and Gene who recommended the olive oil.

The metal polish method shown above works well and is probably the preferred method. I use the fine wet sandpaper when the surface is less than perfect. And as Roy noted in the other thread, the paint is usually fine. TimmyTonga, the paint on yours looks good and probably does not need touch-up.

-Kent

Really? It doesn't have the wow factor that the AR7s in that 2008 thread do (that was the one ra.ra thanks).......perhaps I should be settling for something more subdued eight years further on...I suppose it might be something of a relief, as the idea that I could somehow trace round the word 'improved' in a cursive script that small seems faintly ludicrous.

Thanks for the info people.

by the way, my MSTs arrived today, and I will post pictures tomorrow. I read with great interest an earlier thread from someone who had some kind of hybrid between the 8 and 6 tweet versions.

mine is nominally 8, but I have no idea how many will work, as I haven't even had the grilles off yet

t