There was a post about doing this with a black Sharpie pen but I found going over the black again with the pen just removed the black instead of making it darker. I saw an ad for Sharpie Paint pens and they seem to work. I did a quick paint job with it on my dyno cover and it works. I have to clean it up a bit because I was in a hurry but that area is tough to paint in the regular manner. It's available at the stationary store. Maybe even touch up the chips on my frame?
Cliff.
Here’s an even better method, IMHO. Is faster, easier and looks nicer on close inspection.
1. Clean the cover with Wax and Grease Remover or whatever pre-paint prep product you use. Be sure to get down into the area “under” the letters where the paint will end up. Use a Qtip soaked in your cleaner to go all around the nooks and crannies and make sure they’re clean.
2. Now use masking tape to tape up to the edges of the area the lettering sits in. I use large pieces of tape at first, then start tearing smaller and smaller bits off to fill in little gaps. Do a good job here of getting right up to the edge all the way around. OK, now cover the rest of the cover with tape to protect it from overspray.
3. OK, now get an old rag with a very tightly woven fabric, something like a tshirt or underwear. You do NOT want something like a towel or washcloth that has long fibers, you want something with a very tight weave so the fabric won’t “hang down” and get in your paint.
4. Get some Lacquer Thinner, available at hardware stores.
5. Now take your favorite spray can (I prefer Krylon or DupliColor, they’re all I’ll use) and shake it up good. Getting the paint completely shaken up is very important. Watch a clock and do it for a full two minutes. I like to use a semigloss or satin black as opposed to a glossy black.
6. OK, now spray just one light coat of paint on the cover. You want one light coat just to get the paint stuck to the cover and provide a “bed” for the next layer of paint. Yep, you’re gonna get paint all over the letters that are supposed to be bright/clean. Don’t worry about that, we’ll take care of that in a minute. Wait about one minute, maybe two. OK, now shake the can again, and spray the cover again, a little bit thicker this time. This second coat should be enough to do a decent color coat. You’re not looking for a finish that looks a quarter inch deep like a gas tank or something, you’re just looking for good coverage. If you have to, do a third after a couple minutes, but you’re gonna have to watch for running out of time/the paint curing too much.
7. Now wait for about two minutes. The timing is something you’ll just have to eyeball, and you’ll get better at it with time, but wait until the paint looks like it’s drying or skinning over but is still soft. Now take your tight weave rag and put some lacquer thinner on it. NOT wet with thinner, just damp. If it’s too wet the thinner will squeeze out while you wipe and ruin the paint in the “valley” under the letters. OK, now with the cloth tightly stretched across your finger, wipe off the letters in one swipe. Don’t push down too hard or you’ll push the cloth down onto the paint below the letters. If you need another swipe TURN THE CLOTH TO A FRESH MOIST SECTION so you have a clean cloth for the rewipe. Wipe ‘er again carefully.
OK, that’s it! If there’s some tiny spots that need touching up to get the paint off use a Qtip with lacquer thinner on it instead of the rag for better control. I like to pull most of the cotton off the Qtip as most of the time it’s kind of loose around the outside with lots of dangling little fibers. I usually prep a couple Qtips before starting so they’re ready if I need ‘em.
Leave it alone until it dries, about an hour. Looks nice, doesn’t it? Pretty easy, too. Does a nice job and if you’re careful when you wipe you can get it first time. With practice you’ll know exactly when the paint is kind of skinned over yet still will wipe off the letters easily. And the best part is if you screw up, wipe the whole thing off with the lacquer thinner and try again!
