Enamel restoration shots

The picture on the left shows a completely restored emblem. One of the unique features of this kind of emblem is the translucent red and gold coloring (of glass) which catches the light and gives it a jewel like appearance. This has always been regarded as one of the attractive qualities of enamels down through the ages. Many people assume that to give the enamel this sparkling appearance, it must be applied over the chrome plating. Nothing could be further from the truth! The plating is done last. In fact the plating could never withstand the 1500° F. temperature that the enamel is fired in. What must be done is to prepare the copper or brass base metal of the original emblem using a special stripping and polishing process until it looks like the emblem on the right. To make a 70 year old battered emblem shine like this again is not easy, nor is it cheap. But it is essential. This is just one of the reasons that an enameled emblem restoration can be a time consuming and expensive operation.