Posted by joew on January 15, 19100 at 03:31:56:

In Reply to: Old License Plate posted by Grant on January 14, 19100 at 21:54:24:

This reply is more out of sympathy than personal knowledge. I'll tell you up front that im not a sheet metal worker of any talent.

I found a nice old truck, with the original license plates .. something like S77X .

When i registered it, i stupidly asked for replacement plates, thinking they would give me the same numbers !duh!. The paperwork was done, and it was too late.. i got something like 3ACK982 : /

The following is just a $15 thought-experiment...

As far as pressing this from steel, you'll need some real horsepower..there are way too many square inches for a bench vice. I'll assume you dont have a 100+ ton press.

I would use aluminum, the softer the better. They use thin (.025 or so) aluminum for California plates these days.

This could be chased... embossed into a hard mold back-up. [re: Chasing, embossing, relief, raising, repouss`e]

Make a mold of the front face of the plate.

I like Quickrete, a Portland cement based compound, used to anchor steel rods for building foundations. Has great compressive strength. Its a fine powder, mixes like plaster, doesnt expand too much, very hard in an hour, and cures overnight. A 2" thick slab will hold up to some serious pounding once it is completely cured. ...Hardware store.... Home Depot.

Use silicone spray or a paste wax as a release agent.

Cast it in the bottom of wooden molding box, flip it over, remove the plate, and nail the aluminum to its edges.

Take a small steel roller and roll the aluminum sheet down hard onto the mold. You will then see the outlines of the characters. Or you could use the back of a spoon to burnish it and reveal the outlines. I might make a second 'mold' from plaster, as a guide and reference, since a mirror image can be confusing.

With a small mallet and a few shaped wooden dowels, tap the aluminum into the mold. Then use a piece of wood to rub and smooth the letters and numbers down into the grooves. Use a piece of wood big enough so you can get both hands on it and lean into the work.

Letter-depth on my license plates is suprisingly shallow..less than 1/16 inch. If i have any doubts about this proceedure, it is that you will get the same depth as the original plate without some freehand work. Steel press mold/die sets are no doubt cut deeper than the desired finish depth.

Trim and epoxy-paint it. Cruise the boulevard.

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