Restoring, inpainting & reproducing machine plaques etc.

[brianward]

Copied from Bradley Challenger and variants - Site Admin.

Hoping to restore an old Bradley Challenger... can anyone give me the engravings on the top left and right, mine have faded quite badly.

Brian

[pennymachines]

If the text has sufficient relief to be readable, you might try a restoration method that worked for me:

Carefully paint over the lettering with Vaseline using a very fine paintbrush and then over-spray the plates with whatever colour you want for the background. Leave for a day to dry thoroughly then carefully rub the paint from the letters using a toothpick or similar.

[pennymachines]

In reply to Dave's PM query - you could use a variation of the method to colour the letters as well as the background, but I wouldn't recommend it. The idea was to highlight the embossed lettering in shiny (bare) metal against a painted background.- they will stand out better and look more effective. I think this was the original scheme.

So, first I carefully applied a thin coat of Vaseline over the letters and the raised framing and then used a spray paint to cover the whole plate. When it was thoroughly dry, the Vaseline allowed me to remove paint off the raised areas only (where it had not adhered). I found it easiest to do this using a long fingernail (more sensitive control). I masked with tape over the very small patent lettering panel, because it was too small to individually highlight.

I used dark blue cellulose car paint on the instruction plates and British Racing Green for the main top, centre and bottom castings. John Carter bought the machine - it's on page 51 of Arcades & Slot Machines (in B&W).

[fourfive]

Close ups of Bradley badges.

[grabber]

Close-ups of the instruction plates.

[grabber]

Bradley Challenger Brass Plates

Hi, I've just found these people. I think they will be able to make instruction plates in brass for most machines.
Try this website: http://www.vintagebrassplates.co.uk
Phone: Chris Astell 07594969146
Plates can be reproduced from a picture or original.

[pennymachines]

Good find. I've put it on the Archive/Services page. If the cost isn't prohibitive, it should be useful for all sorts of missing plates, like an Anglicised version of the Elektromat score plates...

[grabber]

And also a name plate making company on Kew Bridge in West London.
I have not contacted them yet, but I think they do similar work.

[riche100]

Topic merged - Site Admin.

I've just got some new price of place plaques for my Nostalgic machines, as I'm going to put them back on 2p play. They are all shiny and new, silver colour.... Got a question:

Do I use a fine brush and some enamel paint and go around the number in say a red colour, carefully?
Or do I spray paint the lot and then, once dry, with a scalpel or very sharp knife, scrape off to reveal the number and its border?

Please advise, many thanks,

Richard.

[pennymachines]

It shouldn't be difficult to run enamel paint into the recesses of your chromed casting with a fine brush and steady hand.

Alternatively, you could try this: paint the number and border with a thin layer of Vaseline, using a fine brush, being careful to keep it off the parts you want paint to adhere to. Then spray the plaque and leave a couple of days to dry thoroughly, before rubbing off the paint from the highlights using a fingernail.