How do i paint the "VW" logo on my hubcaps?

[frankthetank81]

As the Subject suggest, getting some new hubcaps and would like to know how people paint the VW logo on them and it look good. Looking at repo set from CIP1. I found and old thread from 2004, basically is said to just spray them with black, then take a rag wrapped around a block and some acetone and wipe off the excessive paint. This still the same method? Will the acetone harm the chrome?


Thanks.

[60ragtop]

one of the threads on this
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=3452753
and somebody here was selling a vinyl decal to put on them.
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[buguy]

I paint for a living, and I would think i am well above average at masking etc.... that said, id buy the decal. I certainly will next time I do some.

[frankthetank81]

Think I am just going to go for the paint and then wipe off the excessive paint

[buguy]

You will be sorry. The decals are like 12 bucks. Dont forget that before painting you will need to scuff that area so it will stick.

[PF63bug]

F. O. R. D.

[EverettB]

[56Island]

I used the spray and wipe method that EverettB described and I think they turned out very nice. And it was very quick compared to having to mask them off. I did find that I needed to wait a few minutes before I wiped them otherwise it effected the paint in the logo are.

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[Dake]

Great job those look awesome. Are they the new one from CLP1 or just in real good condition.

[buguy]

Those look great. Ive tried the wipe method before with no luck, but it wasnt with spray paint so that may be the difference.

[raygreenwood]

I saw a penstripe expert ia know do a set years ago. They were awesome. They are effectively cloisonne enamel.

He basically did the "paint" and wipe....not spray and wipe...just ro start. He used automotive enamel. It took him about a full day of time but not all at once.

He tilted the hub cap and would fill a little pile/film of un-thinned enamel just in th ed area or the logo where it was level enough not to run....a segment really.
Then.....quick dry it with a heat gun on low.
Keep working around until it was built up to the surrounding hubcap level. Then solvent wipe a bit while turning the cap ro get it basically even. Then bake it.

When he was done.....he just masked around the outer circle and them used a light cuttkng rouge on a buffer to basically buff the hardened enamel down to dead level or a little below the edge so there was no featherjng on the stamped curve of the logo.

He noted that an easier way is to fill and dry until the enamel is say .005" to .010 below the surface so that it does not get up on the radius area of the stamp.....then bake....then throw the whole cap in a vibratory polisher. Ray

[panicman]

My method is the easiest of any I have read:

Clean the hubcap. Spray gloss black spray paint over the entire logo. Once it has dried, use a new razor blade to cut the unwanted paint off of the chrome. Any overspray can be removed with steel wool.

This method wouldn't work for painted hubcaps.
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[56Island]

Re-chromed originals, you should see the pile I have of caps that didn't make the cut. Lol
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Rock, stock and 2 smoking tail pipes.

[buguy]

I would be worried about using steel wool on good caps. Seems like everything I have ever steel wooled rusted very quickly.
The problem with painting them is you have to sand in there, and thats a pain all in itself. Any scratch you get that doesnt get painted will rust. And any paint that is on an unscratched area wont stick (at least not for long).

I masked mine, but I brought them in the house and masked while watching tv or a movie or something. I masked them, then sanded with 220 grit and scuffed with a scotch brite. I masked, snaded, and painted them in an evening after work. Guessing it took about 3 hours. Used a single stage semi gloss acrylic urethane paint. Look good so far, but really hasnt been outside much or driven much, never scrubbed well or pressure washed.

[frankthetank81]

So update on this, I tried the spray and let dry good (two days) and then wipe with reducer (what I had laying around) and it didn't go good. I applied the reducer very sparingly, but it just didn't seem to help as it started to seep into he recess areas, then it started eating the paint I wanted to save. I made the cloth as taught as one could and it just seemed to not help. Also I am painting the recess areas ivory to match the rims, so a very light and unforgiving color. So I experimented with a few things and right now I am using 2000 grit and a few different blocks to knock off the high areas. Wet sanding them actually. It is taking for ever, but results are promising. the only down fall is that I am putting a lot of tinny scratched in the hub caps, I am hopping with some rubbing compound and wax that I can work them out. Might even try to use something higher than 2000 grit before I using rubbing compound. I will try to finish one up in the next few days and post.

[EverettB]

Are they chrome? Use #0000 steel wool to take off the paint - it should come right off on the parts you don't need super fine detail. For the center you would have to be really careful.

2000 grit will scratch the chrome and I don't think you fix that.

I think 2 days might have been too long to wait to do the wiping on the center emblem, I wait about an hour on chrome caps.

If they are chrome you can always say screw it and spray them down with paint stripper and try again.
I've done that.
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[frankthetank81]

[EverettB]

[frankthetank81]

[56Island]

When I painted mine I sprayed it and let it sit for about 15 minutes, I then took the hubcaps out into the sun and applied a small amount of paint thinner to a blue shop rag, held the rag very taught and pulled it over the hubcap. I then flipped the towel over and wiped once more. This removed most all the overspray, I then used the towel to carefully wipe around the logo to remove any remaining overspray. The reason I did this in the warm sun is the paint thinner dried very quickly and did not allow the thinner to run into the recessed areas.
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Rock, stock and 2 smoking tail pipes.