[alfakayak]

Hi everyone,
I have a couple of scratches on the black tach/speedometer domes (cones) in my 74 Spider...can anyone recommend a good paint/technique to refinish these? It's a strange material and I dont want to screw it up
Thanks in advance,
Brendan

 

[Kipp]

You should be able to find wrinkle paint in a spray can. Some well stocked hardware stores or paint stores should have it. You need to have the item warm and shoot wet coats in warm climate to get it to work. Semi gloss black is also easy to get.

Try Eastwoods
http://www.eastwood.com/ew-wrinkle-paint-black-aerosol-12-oz.html
if you have no luck finding it local.

 

[johndewaele]

Moss Motors carries a very good quality wrinkle paint; it is very popular with British cars. Follow the directions closely; it should go on wet. Have a hair dryer at the ready.
MG, Triumph, Austin-Healey, Jaguar, Classic British Car Restoration Parts & Accessories - Moss Motors, Ltd.

 

[Rich]

Hi Brendan,

Take my advice and don't paint them with wrinkle paint. For some stupid reason my first painter sanded them down to the metal, but didn't paint them because i took the car off him (long story).The second painter painted them red like the car's red smooth finish then painted them with the wrinkle paint but I wasn't happy with the texture and the uneven paint. So I purchased a tin of the wrinkle paint myself and gave it a go and got the same result.

Finally I purchased a used set which had the correct texture but had a few scratches and was faded.
This I cleaned with water, soap and a soft brush and left them in the sun to dry. I purchased a can of 3M satin black paint, the important part is how to spray it. Spray it from a distance of about 60cm, this gives the effect of spitting, and use very light coats and leave it 15 minutes and then apply again, three coats should do it. The following pictures show the difference between wrinkle and 3M paint with the spitting effect.
Thanks

 

[johndewaele]

That's a great tip. I use the same technique on HO train buildings. The paint is actually drying before it hits the surface; giving the texture. The key is holding the can at the right distance. Best to test on a few pieces of metal first.

 

[Superflow]

I was recently reading an article in an early Seventies motorcycle magazine I picked up from a yard sale about applying wrinkle paint. In the article they say to first clean the parts thoroughly. Next you need to heat the part to painted to 200 degrees. For motorcycle heads and cylinder barrels they suggested about 1 hour in the oven. Then remove the part, and spray it before it cools down, masking what ever you don't want the finish to touch. Pre-cut the masks before you heat it. After you have painted the part, return it to the oven, and turn the oven off. Open the oven door a crack, and allow the part to cool down (sounds like what you do with a cheese cake after you bake it!). After it cools off, you can clean off any overspray with acetone.

They said that in pre-heating the part, the heat drives off the volatile substances and induces wrinkling. I haven't tried it yet, but probably will on an old cam cover.

 

[Alfajay]

I purchased a can of 3M satin black paint, the important part is how to spray it. Spray it from a distance of about 60cm, this gives the effect of spitting, and use very light coats and leave it 15 minutes and then apply again, three coats should do it.

Well, I guess you could buy satin paint, and try to use it in such a way that you get a textured finish. But this sounds like a process that would be difficult to do consistently.

Admittedly wrinkle paint is tough to master too - applying heavy coats, and cooking in an oven is the best way to achieve a consistent texture.

If you want a spatter finish - instead of wrinkle - automotive stores do sell spatter paint. And it does seem to work more consistently than wrinkle

 

[alfakayak]

Thanks everyone for the great advice...are they easy to remove or does this require a full dash removal?