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I'm trying to get a 1948 22nd series Deluxe 8 touring sedan back on the road... I have the instrument gauge cluster apart in a thousand pieces on my bench. The paint on the pointers and numerals is mostly flaked off. Does anybody know of a paint which will illuminate with the black lite system like the original paint did?
Thanks in advance for any advice, Kelly

See this previous thread.

Glow in the dark dashes

I used said paint with good effect, however it dries slightly translucent, and it is kind of snotty in texture. IF i had a steady hand and were to do it again, i'd paint whatever you're painting in white first, a nice flat, brite white. Then i'd put a light coating of this OVER what you painted. It would glow off the white and really light up, and still be crisp during the day.

I will say, it maintains that erie greenish glow like the stock paint, but if you used white behind it, i'm not so sure it wouldn't be a brighter cleaner gauge.

Thanks guys, I figured there would be a thread someplace, but couldn't find it. I have ordered the powder.
Question for cortcomp (or anybody else who'd like to chime in!)
The '48 has plastic lenses, and the paint is painted into little routed areas in the back of the lens. You mentioned you thought it would be brighter over white. So does that mean the paint goes in the "trough" first, then painted over with white, so when the lens is installed the glow paint would be the first thing you see, backed up by the white?
Also, the site that sells the powder said mixing it with plain old Elmer's glue would make a decent glow paint. What are your thoughts?
Thanks, Kelly

IMHO, I don't think you would want to use any white paint in this application -- other than possibly behind the glow on the pointers. If in the plastic numerals in front of the glow powder, you'd be cutting the effect of the glow getting thru and if behind, you would be cutting the amount of UV light reaching the powder to activate.

Am also wondering about the Elmers glue in this application vs using the clear paint they also mention as a binder. If the powder is mixed with clear, would it not be opaque enough to simulate a painted numeral and still flow & level reasonably well? I would think Elmers might be a bit stiff unless watered down & might not stick well to plastic.

I would experiment on various surfaces, different mixtures and application methods and then analyze each b4 committing to anything. Once you decide on one and apply it to your lens, you'll be more satisfied with your efforts. It's so easy to get in a hurry and ruin the lens (haste makes waste).

Others have already done this, I'd be inclined to inquire of them what method they used and what the result was. Randy Berger comes to mind.

Thanks for the viewpoints. I'll weigh my options. I think some experimentation is in order. Where is that mail carrier. I want my glow in the dark stuff.

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From your post on another thread: Also, the numbers are recessed into the back of the plastic lens,kind of like one would route out a piece of wood. So, I think it will be a fairly simple process to repaint the numbers.

I don't know how glossy the numerals appeared when new with the luminescent paint but whatever paint or process used to do the back of the plastic originally doesn't seem to keep the gloss when repainted with anything current. It may not be an issue with those gauges but later ones -- 51 on -- with some shine to the letter finish as seen thru the plastic seem to become flat and dull with just about any paint I've tried.

Maybe worth seeing if a new layer of the glow stuff could be applied over the old before removing any. If new and old are not compatible or no improvement, then nothing really lost except some time.

Ah, thank you for that input. I wondered if that might be an issue. The "paint" they used back then was probably better, and "hotter" as an old friend says who used to work in a nuke plant.
Well, it will be an interesting learning process.
thanks again, Kelly