Restoring Metal ID Tags
Posted: Mon Oct 07, 2013 1:31 pm
A good friend owned a beautiful Victor MS for years and the only cosmetic flaw were the metal ID tags. Both were polished down to brass and there was no black background. I couldn't help myself and every time I visited, I would offer to restore the tags. He stopped for a visit last Friday and offered to sell me the machine. I had never owned a front mount MS and the price was fair so it's mine now.
My only problem was the fact that I had rotator surgery on my right shoulder and I'm right handed. I looked at the machine for a day and went at it left handed. Once I removed the little nails it was easy. Here's what I did:
1-wiped the tags with denatured alcohol to remove any oil.
2-completely painted the tags gloss black - two coats
3-let dry overnight
4-used a combination of 0000 steel wool and acetone to remove the paint on the raised surfaces. I used the steel wool first to remove most of the paint. I wasn't totally satisfied so I applied the acetone with a Q-tip to small areas and buffed with the steel wool. I found it best yo use the Q-tip when it was damp with acetone and not soaked.
I was able to do everything with my left hand. I doubled back some tape to the back side of the tags so they wouldn't slide around on my work bench. I'm not sure I spent much more time on the tags than I've taken to type this post one letter at a time.
Happy collecting, Jerry Blais
My only problem was the fact that I had rotator surgery on my right shoulder and I'm right handed. I looked at the machine for a day and went at it left handed. Once I removed the little nails it was easy. Here's what I did:
1-wiped the tags with denatured alcohol to remove any oil.
2-completely painted the tags gloss black - two coats
3-let dry overnight
4-used a combination of 0000 steel wool and acetone to remove the paint on the raised surfaces. I used the steel wool first to remove most of the paint. I wasn't totally satisfied so I applied the acetone with a Q-tip to small areas and buffed with the steel wool. I found it best yo use the Q-tip when it was damp with acetone and not soaked.
I was able to do everything with my left hand. I doubled back some tape to the back side of the tags so they wouldn't slide around on my work bench. I'm not sure I spent much more time on the tags than I've taken to type this post one letter at a time.
Happy collecting, Jerry Blais