Creating a "Faux Patina"

 

Let me get this out of the way first:  antiqued lettering on a fresh, super-glossy paint job doesn’t look good. Don’t try it. You’ll ruin that paint job that you spent lots of money on. But, if you have a finish that has naturally aged paint, you’re ready to begin. Here’s a picture of the doors that are going on my 53 Chevy (they are a good choice for antiqued lettering as they have been naturally aged by sitting in a junkyard for many decades, then in a neighbor’s barn for another decade).

 

 

 

So if your doors are gnarly like mine, you’re ready.

 

You should be familiar with lettering styles of the period look you’re going for (each decade had their own lettering or type-styles). If you’re not sure, let us design a logo or lettering for you. We know retro.

 

·         Now…let’s get started.  First, decide the colors that you want in your lettering scheme. For a truly antiqued look, stay away from bright, garish colors such as true reds, bright blues, etc. Go for cream-colored whites, mustard yellows, mahogany reds, and so on. Hands down, the best paint for lettering is 1 Shot brand. However, traditional 1 Shot paints are glossy, and achieving an antiqued look will be difficult with glossy paint….unless you purchase the 1 Shot flattening paste. The addition of 1 Shot / Chromatic #4329500 Clear Flattening Paste to 1 Shot Lettering Enamels at varying ratios will provide effects ranging from semi-gloss to creating a nearly flat finish. If you can’t find the exact color you’re seeking, you can mix 1 Shot Lettering Enamels amongst themselves. They also have Tinting Black (4001) and Tinting White (4002) to give you an infinite selection of colors and shades. We trust 1 Shot paints – even when antiqued, they’ll give you the best durability and quality. If your pocketbook’s not up to the 1 Shot challenge, though….tractor paint will work, too. And, it will naturally antique itself much faster (without all the steps necessary to fake an aged look...just let it sit outside in the weather for a few months.)

 

·         Okay, so you’ve got your lettering stencil applied to the door, or an idea in your head. Paint using only one color at a time. Always finish painting everything that is to be the same color in one sitting. Using a nice quality brush like a Mack brand, start filling in a letter, using strokes that follow the natural letter formation. What that means is paint each letter as if you were writing it, then go back and make a new stroke in the same direction as the first to fill in what you missed the first time. Repeat until the letter is completely covered. Continue this process for each letter.

 

·         Clean off your brush (use 1 Shot’s brush cleaning fluid) while the paint tacks up (allow 10-20 minutes). Next, dip a rag in paint thinner. Gently (and I mean GENTLY!) wipe over the lettering you just painted, concentrating on the tops and edges of the letters. Wipe just enough paint off to let some of the base color show through. If you’re feeling particularly adventurous, put some thinner in a spray bottle and squirt a few light shots at the lettering and let the thinner run down, taking small streaks of the paint with it. Continue wiping until you get the desired effect. Let the paint and thinner dry for 8-10 hours.

 

·         Apply the second color of your graphic using the same processes used for the first color. Let the paints dry for another 8-10 hours. Continue the same processes until all colors have been applied. If you used a stencil, remove it now.

 

·         Once all colors have been applied, allow sufficient drying time for the paint to completely harden (sometimes this can take a few days). The next step is to give the lettering a uniformly-aged appearance.  The best tool for the job is a scotch-brite pad. Drag the scotch-brite pad down from the top of the lettering to the bottom, working from left to right. Always drag the pad down from top-to-bottom. The idea is to get the same effect that Mother Nature would have applied. Gravity works by pulling things down, so follow in this tradition by sanding in downward strokes only.  Continue sanding until the desired effect has been achieved. To finish off your lettering, you can try misting it with thinner, and letting the thinner run down the panel. Another trick you might try is to wipe the surface of the lettering with wood stain. Don’t get too carried away!

 

·         One final thought: practice on a test panel FIRST. Never use your hotrod as your test panel. Chances are…you won’t end up happy.

 

For your inspiration, I offer the following photos of vintage racecars from the personal collection of Dick Eder. Dick snapped these photos at race tracks in and around the Dayton, Ohio area in the 40’s, 50’s and 60’s. To see more from Dick’s collection, visit http://www.2chixracing.com/vintageracing/index.htm.  

 

 

 

Here’s a brilliant example of faux-patina lettering using a reverse-stenciling method (stain was wiped over stencils, and then the stencils were removed). Photo is copyright to Richard Heeps and was taken at the A-Bombers meet in Sweden in 2004.