Emblem restoration

Method 1 — quick brush-in:

1. Clean well with lacquer thinner and an old toothbrush.
2. Apply paint with a fine brush — engine enamel works well (an old WD-40 straw works in a pinch). Use enough that it flows up to the edges.
3. Fingernail polish is a surprising alternative: it is enamel, comes with a brush, and the colors are great. It is a little thin, so it may take two coats.

Method 2 — oven-baked (very durable):

1. Remove all the old paint.
2. Wash with paint thinner, then mild detergent; dry.
3. Turn a pan/tin upside down and punch holes to fit the emblem’s prongs.
4. Set the emblems in the tin and paint — if it needs more than one color, do one color at a time.
5. Preheat the oven to 250°, bake the emblems about 15 minutes, then remove and let cool.
6. After all colors are done, brush on a clear coat and bake 10 minutes.

The heat bakes and smooths the paint — emblems done this way have looked like new decades later.