Justin Smith - Photos
Justin Smith - Text


Overview:
Tired of those faded needles eh? Lets get that taken care of. What you will need is our needle paint, some paper, some tape and something small to press the tape down with.


Pretty needles. The needle on the tach was actually broken in half before I painted it. I repaired it following the steps in the needle repair tutorial.

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Preparing the needle:
Preparation is key when painting your needles. You want to make sure the paint goes on the needles, and nowhere else.



If the base of the needle is covered by something in the cluster, you dont need to worry about taping it. Just slide a piece of paper under the needle so paint does not get on the faces.





If you needle has a base, you will want to tape off the black parts. I used scotch tape which worked pretty good. Masking tape is probably better. Just put the tape on, and use something to press it down good so paint doesnt seep under it.

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Painting:
When painting the needles, remember to be consistant. The key is to paint the whole needle one coat, then let it dry. Don't paint one spot more than another, or it will make the paint uneven.





Just start at the base and work your way out.

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Drying time:
Remember, let the paint dry!.





Once you have it painted, just let it dry for a bit before removing the tape. I would give it about 20 minutes before removing the tape. Then you want to let the paint dry completely for a few hours before handling the needle.