Custom Car Emblem - How To Cast Your Own Plastic Badges And Emblems

The silicone flexes quite a bit without tearing, so the emblem popped right out of the mold.

The mold is a perfect impression of the original badge. Everything from minor scratches to brush strokes transfer from the original. Even the reflective shine of the original makes a difference in the final product. The silicone rubber requires no prep before casting, as the silicone acts as its own release agent.

The FMSC 1090 polyurethane resin was then mixed and poured into the mold. It only takes 2 ounces to make an emblem as small as this.

After the resin cured for 90 minutes, the mold was flexed, this time more carefully. The resin was still soft, as it takes several days to achieve full cure. The parts are thin, so they break easily in this state. Flashing around the edges of the new emblem can be sanded off with 220-grit paper.

The Mirra Chrome paint we used for the topcoat is the closest to dipped chrome as possible; it claims to retain 95 percent of the reflectivity of real chrome.

The centers of the letters needed to be painted white to match the original. A Paasche Flow Pencil was used to paint the centers. The pencil eliminates brush strokes, yielding a better-looking part.

This is the completed badge alongside the original. The badge only needs to be mounted to your beer fridge or toolbox with some double-sided body tape. The mold can be reused more than 100 times, leaving plenty of opportunity for practice and different materials. Clear and tinted plastics can even be used to create unique turn-signal badges.