Plasti-Dip and Colorize the Rear Emblem
Based on
my photoshop request, I have executed and present the end results.
This is maybe also a DIY with a few of the steps left out because I was freezing my schnards off today.
Anyway, here it goes, the "how to color behind your rear VW logo"
STEP 1: Find suitable pieces of vinyl for cheap.
I went on Amazon and did a search for "3M 1080 samples". A company out of San Antonio, TX popped up with many varieties of the 1080 film cut into 4"x6" samples for $1.99 each. So I got 4 samples as close as I could to the photoshop request colors from above.
To follow this method, you need to remove the rear emblem now also. There are many posts about how to do this. I found the razor blade method the best to get started.
STEP 2: Determine the grain of the vinyl.
Some of the vinyl I got were grained to look like brushed metals. I wanted the brush strokes to go horizontally on the car, so I aligned the grain in that direction.
STEP 3: Place the emblem.
I placed the emblem on the vinyl with 3 of the sides off the edge of the vinyl (because it was only 4" wide). This maximized the leftover piece size which may prove useful in the future.
STEP 4: Trace the emblem.
I used a ball point pen to trace the outside of the emblem on the vinyl. A felt tip may have been better. Some key points:
4.1) The vinyl is very soft, so don't push too hard or it will rip
4.2) Point the pen into the corner so that you do not get the width of the pen body included in the tracing
4.3) Don't trace onto the vinyl from off the vinyl. I'd suggest starting on the vinyl and tracing off. That way, the vinyl won't lift off as the pen drags onto the vinyl piece
4.4) Practice on your least favorite color first to get a feel for it
STEP 5: Cut the vinyl.
I just used really sharp scissors with good lighting to follow the line I made in Step 4. Precision isn't required, because the vinyl is too big right now anyway.
I really liked the brushed metal color 3rd from the left the most, but ended up having to use the one 2nd from the left because I messed up my favorite one first.
Now is a good time to start spraying Plasti-Dip the emblem so it is dry when you finish applying the vinyl.
STEP 6: Clean the rear hatch opener.
I just used a wet paper towel to wipe it off and then dried it with an old t-shirt rag. But my car only has 155 miles on the odo, so you may want to clean more for cars with more miles / kilometers. You can see how dirty it was in the picture above.
STEP 7: Peel the backer off the vinyl & place it on the hatch opener.
Pretty self explanatory. But use your least favorite color first to get a feel for the whole process from here. I found only sticking from the top of the circle to the center of the circle the first time to be a good starting place. If it is cold (like it was for me today), use a little heat from a hair dryer to warm the vinyl and hatch opener up.
STEP 8: Warm the vinyl and stretch.
Again, using a hair dryer, apply heat to the vinyl to keep it softish so it can conform to the dome shape of the hatch opener. Then lift-stretch-stick the vinyl down as smoothly as possible without creasing it. If a ridge of unstretched vinyl is created, stop and lift the piece and stretch it some more. It is pretty stretchy. If you try to "mush" the ridge down, it will just make a crease and you will see it forever (there's no fixing a crease). Also, on the textured vinyl like this "brushed metal" texture, if you push with anything firmer than your thumb, it has the tendency to deform the brush shapes and this turns the vinyl a different color. I found my thumb sufficiently stiff to push the soft vinyl around when it was warmed.
STEP 9: Cut out the openings for the emblem attachment.
I then took a razor knife and cut as closely to the emblem attachment holes and bumps as I could. At this point, I also cut around the hatch opener so that the edge of the vinyl would remain underneath the circle of the emblem.
Be extra cautious for the two outside legs of the W (See the red boxes in the picture above). These two bump-outs on the hatch opener are almost the same width as the W and I ended up having to fix it because I cut too much.
END: Check it out.
I like this vinyl with the brushed metal texture. My prefered color was the middle darkness metal, but I really hosed it up because I tried that one first. Big mistake to use your favorite first (as I've said many times here).
That's all there is to it. I wanted to Plasti-Dip my logos, since I am not a fan of shiny-bits (which is why the GTI rear emblem will be removed soon). So while I was at it, I experimented and got pretty good results I think.
If anything is unclear, let me know so I can remedy that.
Cheers,
Chris
