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Painting Raised Letters Pictorial

I get asked a lot what's the best way to paint raised letters?

There are as many different ways to do it as there are old machines .... I have used an artist brush, made a stamp out of cork, used a sponge, paint marker, etc. but this is what I've found gives me the best results.

First thing is prep the raised letters for paint by going over it with a sanding block and fine sand paper.

Then take a paper towel and tightly roll it up, fold it in half and tape the halves together, then flatten the end at the fold.

Now dip the end into some paint and dabb it on some paper to get the excess paint off of it.

Then start dabbing it on the letters.

The more pressure ya push down with the more it will paint around the sides of the letters, just don't push to hard or you'll paint parts ya don't want too.

I push hard enough so it just starts to roll over the top of the letters on to the sides.

Painting all the letters took maybe 3 or 4 minutes. A lot quicker than trying to do it with a brush.

and clean up couldn't be easier ... just toss it in the garbage when you're done.

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JourneymanPermalink Reply by Shane Whitlock on March 4, 2012 at 7:18am

Thanks John,

Doesn't take much practice, just light dabs and you'll be an expert in not time. The main thing is don't try to apply to much paint at one time, dab the excess off on the paper first to prevent the runs.

But, if ya do have runs then do like ya said, let it dry and touch it up with the black, or keep a rag with some paint thinner on it and wipe off the gold and start over.

John Morris said:

Shane that is an awesome tip! Who ever would a thought? Is there a technique to this that takes some to time to feel comfortable with or can a person just go straight to painting the letters? Seem that the pressure is the key, and say the gold does overflow, what is the best way to handle this. Let it dry and touch it up with black?

John Morris
The Patriot Woodworker
Proud Supporter of Wounded Warrior Project and Homes For Our Troops