Plate restoration

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Model T Ford Forum: Forum 2013: Plate restoration
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Pat Penrod on Wednesday, September 11, 2013 - 05:47 pm:

Can anyone recommend a good plate restorer? I have a set I want to send out over the winter months and just wondering who does good work.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Jim Patrick on Wednesday, September 11, 2013 - 06:17 pm:

Do you mean an electro-plater? Ken Kopskey does very nice nickel plating on smaller parts. He has done a lot of work for me and I have found no one better. Jim Patrick


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Ed Baudoux on Wednesday, September 11, 2013 - 07:04 pm:

http://www.finishyourplates.com/


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Ted Dumas on Wednesday, September 11, 2013 - 07:14 pm:

I think he means license plates.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Pat Penrod on Wednesday, September 11, 2013 - 10:16 pm:

Yes Ted, sorry. License plates.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Mark Strange on Thursday, September 12, 2013 - 09:39 am:

You could try it yourself, might make a nice winter project, see Steve Jelf's video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7jb8IvCaGdc


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By steve miller- mississauga,ontario on Thursday, September 12, 2013 - 10:44 am:

Pat,
Before you even start check with your states DMV. I believe New York does not allow repainted plates for use as Year-of-manufacture


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By William L Vanderburg on Thursday, September 12, 2013 - 02:10 pm:

NY does NOT allow the repainting of plates for YOM....

NJ doesn't either, but a lot of people display original tags on the front. I don't know if anyone's ever been pulled over for it.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By William L Vanderburg on Thursday, September 12, 2013 - 02:10 pm:

I meant that NJ doesn't allow YOM plates period.....


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Pat Penrod on Thursday, September 12, 2013 - 03:36 pm:

Your correct, NY does not allow repainted or restored plates. However I have already passed the plates through the DMV as they are, they are registered and on the car now. I figured I didnt think the local PD would be interested too much as to whether the plates have been restored as long as everythings registered and paperworks in order.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By William L Vanderburg on Thursday, September 12, 2013 - 04:19 pm:

Why tempt it? LOL


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Bob Scherzer on Friday, September 13, 2013 - 10:21 am:

This might not of any interest if you are having your plates done but for a DIYer the use of powder coating can make the job easier then painting.

I did these plates that I cast up from an original plate loaned to me by one of the guys on this forum.

warford plate

The method I used was to powder the whole plate in black and bake. I then powdered the face with the yellow and then with a damp finger wiped away the yellow powder from the letters and edges. If you screw up you can wipe it clean and start over with the yellow powder again. Once you are satisfied with the look just rebake it again to bond the yellow to plate. I did these with a Harbor Freight $50 powder coater and a toaster oven.

As a passing point it is possible to reproduce a plate in aluminum as I did with this plate even thought it was originally only .020 thick. It done by ram up the plate for sand casting and then placing an 1/8" thick frame around it so once cast it comes out as a now 1/8" thick plate but both the front and back look like the original. A good way to reproduce a second plate if you only have one good one to start with but want a matched set. Once in a license frame it's hard to tell how thick it is. Bob

warford plate

warford plate


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Floyd Voie - Chehalis, Washington on Friday, September 13, 2013 - 11:12 am:

Bob,
Very interesting...Thanks for sharing your process!


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By alan mcclure on Monday, September 16, 2013 - 02:16 pm:

ken quirk in fl does the license plates 561-793-6924


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Dave Barker - Dayton, OH on Monday, September 16, 2013 - 04:40 pm:

Anybody ever use die-cut adhesive vinyl decals for the letters/number/graphics, then claer-coat over them? Having a hard time finding someone to either screen them or hand paint them. Just curious about an alternative. I've found that if I but the materials to screen them myself, I'm looking at more than I paid for the plates! Thanks.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Gary H. White - Sheridan, MI on Monday, September 16, 2013 - 05:22 pm:

Duane Wells does an excellent job on plates. Just like new. He is in Lansing, MI 517-371-3225
Michigan encourages well restored YOM plates.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Val Soupios on Monday, September 16, 2013 - 07:10 pm:

I have period plates on my 1930 Plymouth in NY. I had them approved first then had them restored. Believe me, people who are so stupid that they prohibit restoring those plates are too stupid to know they have been restored! I have been stopped several times by the police and the issue of the plates has never come up. I am usually stopped for not having directional signals,which I might add are not required, or for some other idiotic reason that turns out to be an excuse to get a look at the car!


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Mike Walker, NW AR on Monday, September 16, 2013 - 07:56 pm:

I have a very nice 1915 Arkansas plate that has been restored, and it's too valuable to put on a car. I would like to have someone make molds of this plate without damaging it, then make two identical plates from the molds which I could put on a T. I can paint them. As I see it, the tricky part will be making the molds without damaging the nice paint job on the plate. Does anyone here know who can do this? BTW, it's stamped steel with raised numbers/letters, not a flat porcelain one.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Steve Jelf, Parkerfield KS on Monday, September 16, 2013 - 08:39 pm:

I haven't seen the work in person, but from pictures it looks like this guy does a good job of plate restoration.

http://www.finishyourplates.com/

And now I'll ask the question I always ask whenever the silly New York law comes up. How do they know whether a plate is restored or NOS?


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Steve Jelf, Parkerfield KS on Monday, September 16, 2013 - 08:42 pm:

OOoops! I see Ed already posted the link. So that leaves just the question.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Val Soupios on Tuesday, September 17, 2013 - 01:13 pm:

Steve I am sure they don't know but if you show up with a pristine plate they assume it is restored and will not take it. If you have not dealt with the Motor Vehicle Department in NY you can't imagine what it is like because in your wildest dreams you couldn't believe that people who are being paid to do a job can be so rude, uncooperative and arbitrary. I finally moved to Florida to get away from them. I am not saying that there aren't some people in the DMV who are helpful but in over 50 years of dealing with them I have not run across one!


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