# How to restore data plates



## rficalora (Yesterday at 5:44 PM)

This isn't hugely important, but since I'm taking my lathe apart & cleaning it up, I'm going to repaint the castings as I go.  What, if anything can be done to improve the data plates so they're easier to read?


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## Richard King 2 (Yesterday at 9:10 PM)

Tom Utley is known on the net for making duplicate name plates.  https://www.vonindustrial.com/?fbclid=IwAR00OX8V6gR3bM7EWBeQjLyTUa2jlHcLIddMyIAzMzbLDVsDCy9hnOBCSgo


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## vocatexas (Yesterday at 10:28 PM)

On the embossed plates I usually  paint them and then use very fine sand paper to remove the paint from the high points. Works reasonably well.


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## Firstram (Today at 7:06 AM)

Richard King 2 said:


> Tom Utley is known on the net for making duplicate name plates.  https://www.vonindustrial.com/?fbclid=IwAR00OX8V6gR3bM7EWBeQjLyTUa2jlHcLIddMyIAzMzbLDVsDCy9hnOBCSgo


That is so awesome, a business specializing in low volume!


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## larry4406 (Today at 8:05 AM)

Not sure if you are a member of the Garage Journal forum, but there is a guy there that reproduces all sorts of one-off machinery labels.  He goes by the name mattblast.  He is now also doing embossed metal plates.





						Vintage Grinder Sticker Reproduction
					

A beat up old sticker on a newly restored grinder makes it look bad. Many restorations require that the label be removed (and destroyed in the process) to repaint. When I restore a grinder I go all out - sandblast, paint, new bearings, replace cord, replace rubber feet, etc. I want my old...




					www.garagejournal.com


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## Richard King 2 (Today at 10:37 AM)

I met Tom Utley several years ago when he attended a scraping class I taught at Keith Rucker's of VintageMachinery.org.  Tom would help Keith make his plates on his machines he was restoring.  He did it as a hobby at first and now made it a business.  He is a really great and honest guy.


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## pontiac428 (Today at 12:35 PM)

If you really want to get into it, you can silkscreen like your original, or mask-and-etch for the embossed effect using decal stencils, brush-on mask, circuit trace mask, or photo masks.  I've even seen a semi-functional demo using an iron to transfer toner from a printed graphic to a copper plate as an electro-etch mask.  I've done it with tape (hard to get sharp edges) and by scraping through candle wax (not recommended), but the point is it works and there are several approaches to doing it.  Given the choice, photo mask is by far the best, but requires developer, fixer, and a UV source.  Circuit trace etching is probably the next best.


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