Ive got a set of billet "powered by ford" badges (that were kindly donated to me by a member here, thanks again!) that Id like to paint black. Any advice on the best way to do this? Also what paint do you recommend? Ive never painted anything before so Im completely new at this and would like to hear any and all advice/suggestions.

 

Just tagging along to find out what you hear.........

 

Clean them really good with lacquer thinner or whatever solvent seems best and won't leave residue. LT always does the job for me, but some will debate that. If you got crevices, a toothbrush is a good idea. Throw it away after, of course.

Then shoot them with some primer and then shoot them with black enamel out of a rattle can. Then shoot them with lots of clear for a deep look. Color sand a little, buff them out, enjoy.

If they're straight metal, an etching primer might be in order, or adhesion promoter maybe. Scuffin' them a teeny bit with 2000 grit might also be advisable. Don't overdo it, you don't want huge crevices... just a light rubbing with the paper, and *don't go back and forth*. Circularish motion... and move the piece at the same time as the paper. Maybe 5 seconds or so to give enough surface area for the paint to hold on to something.

I usually use enamels for paint. Harder to deal with a tad, but much less likely to stress crack and checker up, less issues to keep nice. But that's where the adhesion to the metal is key, hence the etching and/or adhesion promoter.

Rattle cans should do, and just read their instructions. Practice on a throw away piece first to figure out how to get it like you want. And above all... have *fun* with it.

/Some of my stuff recently became unfun at some point. I kept messin' it up with my impatience, and my really bad area to 'play' with. I finally broke down, gave up, and took them to a shop what did it nice. They owed me a small favor though... If not for that, I'd still be tryin' to get it right... I'm picky. :P
//However, as evidenced by Muskrat, I'm not completely unable to do it. Just lazy and preoccupied these days.