Register now to get rid of these ads!

Art & Inspiration Cracked paint look sign writing

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by Reidy, Jun 5, 2021.

  1. Reidy
    Joined: May 13, 2016
    Posts: 221

    Reidy
    Member

    Hello all

    I am doing an old Chev truck that belonged to my father. It will be staying in original paint for a number of reasons that I have previously discussed.

    I would like to put some simple sign writing on the door that will consist of Dads name, our property name and original phone number. This will be in an off white block style. A bit like a farmer would have done in the 60's.

    How do I get the cracked look in the paint so it does not look like it was done last week. I know one way is to leave it 50 years but I am after a quicker method.

    Thanks

    Steve from down under
     
    jimmysweden and VANDENPLAS like this.
  2. Bob Lowry
    Joined: Jan 19, 2020
    Posts: 1,488

    Bob Lowry

    Two paint techniques that come to mind...Modern Masters Crackle paint for crafts and Krylon
    has a line of Crackle paints for a 2 step process. Available at ACE or craft stores or on-line. Will
    give you the vintage, distressed look you're trying to achieve.
     
    alanp561, loudbang and egads like this.
  3. greybeard360
    Joined: Feb 28, 2008
    Posts: 2,074

    greybeard360
    Member

    Use enamel paint. Let dry to the point it feels dry but you can still smell it ( this means it has dried on the surface but not deeper). Spray some matte clear lacquer over it. It will wrinkle the enamel. Allow it a few days to totally dry then wet sand it to remove the high spots of the wrinkles. It will make it look much older the more you sand into the letters.
     
    Unkl Ian, alanp561, swade41 and 9 others like this.
  4. corncobcoupe
    Joined: May 26, 2001
    Posts: 7,257

    corncobcoupe
    SUPER MODERATOR
    Staff Member

    Instead of that - why don’t you do a small in memory of in the lower corner of your back window.

    Seriously.

    If you try to do the faux patina - you're stuck with faux patina.
    Guys who sand down paint or crackle paint etc. trying to make it look old - I’ve yet to see one that doesn’t look like lipstick on a pig.

    If you end up doing it - whatever you do - don't put clear over it.
    Dead giveaway - faux patina.

    But it is your truck so to each is own. Good luck.
     
    clem, BJR, Gearhead Graphics and 6 others like this.

  5. indyjps
    Joined: Feb 21, 2007
    Posts: 5,377

    indyjps
    Member

    Heard about shooting first coat with slowest reducer you can find, second coat with fastest reducer you can find, as the second coat dries it pull and wrinkles the entire finish. Ive not tried it yet, if anyone has experience with it, chime in. Read about it on a ford board discussing how to replicate wrinkle valve covers.

    If you want rattle can, go with the harley brand, pretty much stuck with black.
     
    anthony myrick likes this.
  6. very simple with great results, not cracked but will look like an old hand done lettering; make a stencil, or have a sign shop make one for you. Spray a LIGHT coat in a small section with a spray can of the color you want and before it dries use an acid brush, or other stiff brush to "follow" the letters to put brush marks in it. repeat on the rest of the sections. let dry
     
    blowby, fauj, VANDENPLAS and 3 others like this.
  7. Budget36
    Joined: Nov 29, 2014
    Posts: 13,173

    Budget36
    Member

    And then remember to put a rolled up sock in your pants.
     
  8. 227BD2AD-8DEC-4A40-A8C0-297E600F7E47.jpeg
    this lettering was almost faded away. I used acrylic paint from the art supply. Selected a flat fan brush. Carefully painted over it. When it dried I used fine sandpaper (like 800-1500) and sanded the desired fade.
    This paint is water based and ya can wipe it off if ya don’t like it. You can even sand it off easily later.
    This was done the same way
    673308ED-960B-4DD1-8490-F8717CEDF679.jpeg
    Is it perfect? Don’t care. The guy we did it for dug it. That’s all that matters.
    Letter up that truck all ya want. It’s yours. Enjoy it.
     
    Last edited: Jun 5, 2021
    alanp561, AHotRod, TA DAD and 5 others like this.
  9. For a cracked paint look you either need chemicals that don’t like each other or you apply something that dries fast over something that dries slow.
    There are products at craft stores called crackle medium (I think that’s it)
    For furniture you can apply the base color then apply elmers glue over that. When the glue becomes tacky, brush a heavy coat of paint on top of it. The glue dries slow and cracks the paint on top. The cracks expose the base color.
    Adding a retarder to paint slows its drying down. Applying a non retarded paint over a retarded paint will cause a cracking effect.
    There are lots of videos on several methods online
     
    Last edited: Jun 5, 2021
    alanp561 and deathrowdave like this.
  10. But for old faded letters like you mentioned, try the acrylic paint from the craft store. Even Walmart sell that stuff.
    You can add a tad of water to thin it.
    Practice with it. Lay out some letters and brush them. Then after it dries, wet sand lightly with the fine sand paper mentioned.
    The acrylic dries dull. Should resemble some old farmers handiwork easily
     
  11. jnaki
    Joined: Jan 1, 2015
    Posts: 9,291

    jnaki






    Hello,

    Many years ago, my wife and I used a kit consisting of paint purchased from Pottery Barn (a big furniture retailer) in So Cal. It was to make a glass door cabinet that would hold some little knick-knacks for our son’s family. It was painted white and with the Pottery Barn kit, the next layer of paint made it crackle and show jagged lines all over the wooden cabinet that had glass doors. It worked and we were amazed.


    Since then, we haven’t used the left over paint, so it got recycled. But, the local big box home improvement store has stuff made from Valspar. Valspar has good products for all kinds of resurfacing. If the lettering is going to be door size, you may have to get a couple of jars. Practice on a metal panel first. There are also sprays, but we do not know the quality and ease of application of those sprays.
    upload_2021-6-6_4-0-33.png
    Jnaki

    Sometimes, a great car painter with a fine airbrush can make a door sign look old with various shading and lines. Contact some of your local car painters to check them out. But for experimenting, try out those local home improvement stores for the products advertised as weather crackle or glaze. YRMV
     
    Last edited: Jun 6, 2021
    alanp561 and anthony myrick like this.
  12. joeyesmen
    Joined: Dec 24, 2010
    Posts: 509

    joeyesmen
    Member

    Disagree - I always thought this one was executed very well - some of this is true patina, but the signage is all new paint -- including some of the background, which covered up older graphics:
    IMG_3903.jpg

    IMG_0251.jpg
    1934 Deluxe Panel 002.JPG
     
  13. 1971BB427
    Joined: Mar 6, 2010
    Posts: 8,717

    1971BB427
    Member
    from Oregon

    Personally I think the faded out lettering is a good idea, IF the car has old patina also. No fake patina, or brand new lettering on old paint looks correct. But making the lettering fit the patina of the car is a good thing, if you can pull it off without hurting the existing finish.
    I've seen cars lettered up, and then carefully sand just the lettering to age it, and it looks great. I recently lettered my project, but since I also painted it recently I don't want to age the lettering. If you use a bordering stencil to help you set the lettering, you can leave it on the car for most of the sanding also. That will ensure the patina around the lettering wont end up getting damaged, or sanded during the aging.
    I had a local sign company make up the stencils I wanted so I could letter my project, and i helped me make both sides identical, plus give me an outline to stay inside of.
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
     
    rod1, cfmvw, alanp561 and 4 others like this.
  14. I watched a pro sign painter that used One Shot enamel that he had thinned to the point where it didn't cover well and when he was finished it appeared to have been painted years ago. HRP
     
    alanp561, fauj, hotrodjack33 and 4 others like this.
  15. arkiehotrods
    Joined: Mar 9, 2006
    Posts: 6,803

    arkiehotrods
    Member

    I like what Cory McMahon did on Chrismer's panel
    DSC_0037.JPG
     
  16. corncobcoupe
    Joined: May 26, 2001
    Posts: 7,257

    corncobcoupe
    SUPER MODERATOR
    Staff Member

    I just like old - because it is old....
    Aging naturally/ like whiskey ages in a Barrel.
    Same with old survivors trucks or cars.
    That’s just me.

    It’s ok to agree or disagree.

    To each his own.
     
  17. corncobcoupe
    Joined: May 26, 2001
    Posts: 7,257

    corncobcoupe
    SUPER MODERATOR
    Staff Member

    This is cool as it is.
    Makes you want to read what you can it’s previous/ continued life.

    upload_2021-6-6_12-40-55.jpeg

    Very cool.
     
  18. jnaki
    Joined: Jan 1, 2015
    Posts: 9,291

    jnaki






    upload_2021-6-7_11-37-14.png

    Hello,

    Every time we drive by this old Chevy truck, it gives that neighborhood something that makes the whole area stand out. It looks like an old work truck from the 50s straight out of Bend, Oregon. It has the standard patina from days in and out of the cold, rainy weather in the general area and has come through with flying colors.

    In these past "May Grey" month and now the "June Gloom" rainy/drizzling days, it still fights the weather with a solid look. But, when the sun comes out in the afternoon, it is hot in direct sunlight, simply beating down on the truck's paint.








    We have driven by very slowly, but the faded writing is definitely difficult to decipher. Sure, the weather in Bend, Oregon is nowhere compared to So Cal. It has its own character that draws plenty of permanent residents and vacationers alike. But, like others talking about the trials and tribulations of cold weather and plenty of feet of snow, gives one ideas of warmer, mild climate, all of the whole year.

    Jnaki

    Perhaps, the weather did a number on the paint and metal surfaces, as well as to the owner(s) in Bend, Oregon. It got to the point of “Getting out of Dodge” to head South for good weather and blue ocean, all of the whole year.
    upload_2021-6-7_11-41-30.png


    https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/the-official-door-lettering-thread.404496/page-40#post-14059496 SEA STACKS?






     
  19. Fortunateson
    Joined: Apr 30, 2012
    Posts: 5,331

    Fortunateson
    Member

    I remember the old saying from my youth,"Jesus saves but Esposito scores on the rebound!".
     
    anthony myrick likes this.
  20. hotrodjack33
    Joined: Aug 19, 2019
    Posts: 4,128

    hotrodjack33
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    That's the way I've seen it done too...and have had very limited success trying that method. You have to be a rather skilled "one stroke" sign writer to pull it off, as every brush stroke shows.
    Maybe @safariknut will chime in...his skills with a brush are amazing.
     
  21. I’m an armature letter painter. A very experienced one suggested using the acrylic paint. He was correct. It’s easier for a novice to use and much cheaper to experiment with. It also fades quickly turning it into real patina
     
  22. Gearhead Graphics
    Joined: Oct 4, 2008
    Posts: 3,890

    Gearhead Graphics
    Member
    from Denver Co

    Ive done a few "patina" jobs. 1shot, tinting clear, baby powder and some flattening paste works. gotta play to get the right ratio. Then once it starts to tack up a rag with some mineral spirits to give the desired spots some extra wear. baby powder helps to break the gloss, and gives a little texture to look older.
     
  23. Phil or Tony?
     
    Irish Mike likes this.
  24. BLACK STUDE
    Joined: Jan 30, 2014
    Posts: 397

    BLACK STUDE
    Member

    Ed Crews sent me this picture several years ago. Door he did for someone, right down to adding scratches to the door. IMG_20150808_210236338~2.jpg He has a touch for making things look old. Edwierd on the HAMB.
     
  25. That's what I did here except I didn't wet sand it, i just left it as is.

    20210608_091032.jpg
     
  26. A Boner
    Joined: Dec 25, 2004
    Posts: 7,419

    A Boner
    Member

    Is that how they do it in Kalifornia?
     
  27. twenty8
    Joined: Apr 8, 2021
    Posts: 2,318

    twenty8
    Member

  28. ronzmtrwrx
    Joined: Sep 9, 2008
    Posts: 1,137

    ronzmtrwrx
    Member

    I like the way this one was done.........by Father Time. EDBF0756-A2E9-462B-AA16-54BDB46F9161.jpeg
     
    cfmvw likes this.
  29. arkiehotrods
    Joined: Mar 9, 2006
    Posts: 6,803

    arkiehotrods
    Member

    I just googled Orlie Owens. Born in 1902, died in 1991 at age 88, buried in the Bernie Memorial Cemetery. Had 7 children, 4 boys and 3 girls.
     
    cfmvw likes this.
  30. ronzmtrwrx
    Joined: Sep 9, 2008
    Posts: 1,137

    ronzmtrwrx
    Member

    Yep. He was my grandpa.
     

Share This Page

Register now to get rid of these ads!

Archive

Copyright © 1995-2021 The Jalopy Journal: Steal our stuff, we'll kick your teeth in. Terms of Service. Privacy Policy.

Atomic Industry
Forum software by XenForo™ ©2010-2014 XenForo Ltd.