Package tray touch up or repaint

[enio45]

In searching for an NOS rear package tray - i have seen several with minor to mild scratches. Has anyone experimented with touching them up or repainting the cardboard. The color is black.

Appreciate you thoughts and advise?

[Mr70]

I'm glad I'm not the only one who's encountered this.
They musta had their colors just lightly dusted on,that and then stored so close to eachother,or other objects cause they sure like to show where they were rubbed against.
I tried a few different black shaded magic markers,but all showed up once dried.I looked at 6 red ones,before finding one for my car that wasn't as bad as all the others.They all seem to have a wear scar somewhere,regardless of their color.
I don't know what you could touch them up with,without it being noticed.I would suggest looking at as many as you can to find a less abused one,or possibly repaint the entire cardboard tray itself,as opposed to touching up one area that will show up later.

[budnate]

interesting to see if someone has the secrect sauce..no matter what I try on them they always look painted when done

[Verne_Frantz]

I think part of the problem is that the cardboard is porus to begin with and the first coat soaks into it, barely leaving some low sheen color on the surface. The second coat now lays on that sealed surface and builds up.
I wonder if sanding off the original color down to raw cardboard, then giving it a light thinned coat would produce more of an original sheen.

Verne

[Mr70]

I don't think they hit these with a second coat.That alone would probably help sustain the color longer.

[ORIGLS6]

Verne,
I'd be afraid to sand the cardboard. I think you'd end up with a suede finish. These panels are pressed paper and their smooth finish comes from the rollers they are fed through. I seriously doubt if you could ever reproduce the smooth finish again without soaking the surface and running it through a pressurized roller system again. (But I've been wrong before. )

Has anyone tried painting them with different stages of gloss? Mine appears to be somewhere between a satin and semi-gloss finish.

[camarojoe]

I'd rather have a nice repro than a sanded on/ magic markered/repainted original... Unless the rest of your interior is 100% original, a repro package tray looks alot better than alot of other repro interior parts IMO.

[enio45]

Budnate - did you repaint the whole thing or try to touch up the scratch? If so what kind of paint have you tried?

[Verne_Frantz]

[ QUOTE ]
Verne,
I'd be afraid to sand the cardboard. I think you'd end up with a suede finish. These panels are pressed paper and their smooth finish comes from the rollers they are fed through. I seriously doubt if you could ever reproduce the smooth finish again without soaking the surface and running it through a pressurized roller system again. (But I've been wrong before. )

Has anyone tried painting them with different stages of gloss? Mine appears to be somewhere between a satin and semi-gloss finish.

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm sure it would be difficult, if not impossible. For all we know, the supplier might have painted sheets with a roller before die-cutting them out.
I agree that the original finish (paint or dye) had virtually no gloss to it at all. Just a slight sheen. Maybe a top coat with very low gloss paint & lots of thinner to blend it in might work? I'm going to have to try something on the blue package tray in my '62.......or just leave it original (faded).

Verne

[ORIGLS6]

I tried some leather dye on a spot on my Nova. That didn't match either. It covered the light area (black interior), but not the same finish as the rest of the panel.