Repainting the 2nd gen non-A/C heater controls

[bull]

I'm just wondering how some you you went about repainting the black background on the chrome face of the heater controller. My original was pretty rusted but I bought a nice used one probably four years ago that's got good chrome. Problem is the black background paint is coming off, and it's no wonder when you see how smooth the surface is that the paint is supposed to be sticking to. Is there any way to scuff that base a little so the paint has something to grab onto? Aside from gluing a tiny piece of sandpaper to a match stick or something I don't see how anyone can work around the lettering to sand that base.

Anyway, whattaya got?

[bill440rt]

Use 0000 steel wool to scuff the paint. It'll scuff the paint, and won't scratch the chrome.

You can also use a self-etching primer first. SEM makes a black self-etch primer in a rattle can.
Spray paint it satin black, and use a rag on your finger dabbed in thinner to swipe over the high spots revealing the letters and the border.
Done.
Have beer. 

[bull]

Thanks. I got impatient and finished it already. While messing with it I  put some masking tape on the black background, pulled it back and it peeled the paint right off. Even though most of the paint stayed put for 30-40 years it's obvious it wasn't going to stick well to smooth chrome so I smashed the tape on it as hard as I could and peeled it off about five times and that pulled all the loose paint off. Then I tore off a little piece of 600 grit sandpaper folded it to fit the depth of the background panel and sanded between the words (the black between the letters wouldn't come off).

I thought about priming it but figured since it lasted this long the first time without even scuffing it I didn't need to get too crazy. So after sanding the base I taped off the chrome edge boundary of the panel, wiped it good with a clean cloth and then shot it with SEM Trim Black. After it had dried for about 10 minutes I took a tight knit terry cloth rag and dipped it in thinner to start rubbing the letters out (as suggested above). Some of the lettering could also be scraped off with a fingernail. I didn't completely clean the letters with the damp cloth, I only rubbed it long enough to soften the paint before switching to a dry/clean corner of the cloth to finish it off. I did that so I wouldn't get too much thinner on the base paint and take it off too.

It turned out pretty good I think. So, what about the slider knobs? I heard something about them getting some lettering decals but does that really apply to a 2nd gen since the metal already identifies them?

[bill440rt]

Came out great! 

The non-A/C style didn't get the lettering on the buttons. The A/C style did. 

[resq302]

68 must be different than the 69 since I seem to recall mine had white lettering on the face and also had the lettering on the fan and temp selector buttons.

[Dino]

Hey nice job!  

I just did the same on my a/c controls but I didn't have the letters to worry about.  Next time you need to paint over chrome sand as you did and put two dust coats of adhesion promoter on before your finish paint.  SEM trim black is awesome stuff so I'm pretty sure it'll stick but for future projects add that little step to get some peace of mind.  The stuff dries in seconds so you won't be spending more time working on it anyway.

The buttons are just black, no letters.  You can either sand and polish them or sand and paint black in which case I would stick with the same trim black for consistency and durability.  Remember that repetitive use of the buttons will make them shine more where your finger hits.  The good news is that with an occasional driver that can take a decade or two!   

[bull]

Thanks all. Yea, I should have dusted it with some self etching primer or similar but I'm betting it will last quite a while.

For the buttons/knobs I'll be doing what I've been doing with my other plastic and vinyl:

- Clean with soap and water and dry.
- Scuff with 600 grit paper, clean with dry cloth and SEM Solve
- Shoot 2 base coats of SEM Flexible Primer Surfacer
- Shoot 2 main coats of SEM Landau Black Color Coat
- Shoot 2 top coats of SEM Low Luster Clear Color Coat

SEM Landau Black Color Coat is pretty much a plastic/vinyl applications dead ringer for SEM Trim Black.