How-To: Painted Shift Knob Markings
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Joined: Nov 2008
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From: Newark, DE
How-To: Painted Shift **** Markings
Purpose: This How To will describe the steps needed to paint the markings on a stock Ford Ranger Manual Transmission Shift ****.
Supplies:
Q-tips
Toothpicks
Cleaner/Degreaser
White Nail polish
Nail Polish remover
Clean rag(lint free is probably best, paper towels and my shirt-sleeve worked for me though)
Initially your shift **** probably looks something like this.
The first step is to clean out all the gunk and get the surface as oil and dirt-free as possible. I used a spray cleaner and paper towels as well as toothpicks and Q-tips. The key is to make sure there isn't any debris left in the indentations so that the Nail Polish will hold.
At this point on my first try I attempted to mask the area, cut out the markings from the tape and paint carefully. I later learned this is totally unnecessary. Just apply the Nail Polish into the indentations and then wipe off any excess with your thumb. If you get smearing or streaks, don't worry as these will be removed with the Nail Polish remover later. The key is to make sure you don't leave any bubbles and try to fill the indentations as completely as possible for the best look.
At this point you just want to let it dry. Come back the next day and you can clean up any smearing/streaking.
Once the Nail Polish has dried use a Q-tip and Nail Polish remover to carefully scrub/scrape away any Nail Polish from areas where you don't want it to show. If you go overboard it may mess up some of the area you do want painted and you'll have to go back and paint again anyhow. After the Q-tip has gotten off as much as it can the Shift **** will probably still look a little hazy. At this point I used the sleeve of my hoodie and rubbed the shift **** until it shined again. You could probably use a lint-free cloth as well but sleeves worked just fine for me. You should now have a sweet looking shift-****!
Note: I just finished this up today on my truck, no idea how well it will hold up to use but if I run into any issues I'll post about them. I'm very happy with my finished results.
Supplies:
Q-tips
Toothpicks
Cleaner/Degreaser
White Nail polish
Nail Polish remover
Clean rag(lint free is probably best, paper towels and my shirt-sleeve worked for me though)
Initially your shift **** probably looks something like this.
The first step is to clean out all the gunk and get the surface as oil and dirt-free as possible. I used a spray cleaner and paper towels as well as toothpicks and Q-tips. The key is to make sure there isn't any debris left in the indentations so that the Nail Polish will hold.
At this point on my first try I attempted to mask the area, cut out the markings from the tape and paint carefully. I later learned this is totally unnecessary. Just apply the Nail Polish into the indentations and then wipe off any excess with your thumb. If you get smearing or streaks, don't worry as these will be removed with the Nail Polish remover later. The key is to make sure you don't leave any bubbles and try to fill the indentations as completely as possible for the best look.
At this point you just want to let it dry. Come back the next day and you can clean up any smearing/streaking.
Once the Nail Polish has dried use a Q-tip and Nail Polish remover to carefully scrub/scrape away any Nail Polish from areas where you don't want it to show. If you go overboard it may mess up some of the area you do want painted and you'll have to go back and paint again anyhow. After the Q-tip has gotten off as much as it can the Shift **** will probably still look a little hazy. At this point I used the sleeve of my hoodie and rubbed the shift **** until it shined again. You could probably use a lint-free cloth as well but sleeves worked just fine for me. You should now have a sweet looking shift-****!
Note: I just finished this up today on my truck, no idea how well it will hold up to use but if I run into any issues I'll post about them. I'm very happy with my finished results.
Last edited by djphibes; Nov 18, 2008 at 01:08 PM. Reason: missed a <br> tag I left in by accident, took it out.
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