License plate mounting plate

[Stuart Giles]

I've always painted my number plates having drawn the letters and numbers on a sheet of paper before chalking the back of the paper and running over the figures with a pencil to provide the chalk line guide. I've never used any particular font, perhaps I've been lucky in not meeting any especially pedantic police officers so far .



The above pic was taken on a rally in the south of France, I think we had enough camping gear on board to seriously affect the aerodynamics.....

With one of the latest projects I decided to have a nod towards the cast Aluminium plates often used in the late 20s & early 30's. the originals must have been made with pattern letters and numbers that slotted together on a frame. But as I'm not going into production, I just cut out the letters using a scroll saw and glued them onto some thin ply. I asked the blokes at the foundry to use a traditional oil sand for this job rather than their usual Petrobond sand which would have produced too fine a finish.

[Lowespeed]

The mounting bar appears to be made from 3/4 x 1/8 (inch) black drawn or cold rolled steel with the rounded edges.

On another point; my Grandfather used to paint number plates at the signwriter he work for. He was paid five bob, (5 shillings; 25p to youngsters!) a pair. As the shop was in the center of Birmingham with all its car dealers, this quite regular business.

[Hedd_Jones]

Some examples, original and repro.

Original

A plate, likely original, off a 1927 chummy I have, with an error on the book saying its 1929 (not uncommon). Cast individual digits on a cast backplate


The back plate on the RP, Cast digits, steel backplate, by Blumells. Original 1934


A plate, signwritten, likely in the 1930's off my steam roller. With some TLC I have put it back on. The signwrighter didn't have a good day, but hey ho. Wasn't my money


Repro

I paid a signwriter to do this not so long ago, money badly spent Digits badly spaced, the E is about 1/8 taller than the 1.


Some good money spent on the internet about a month ago, repro 1930's pressed number plate. 3 1/4 digits. Pretty accurate I believe for a 1931 car.


Again, nice repro, individual cast digits on a steel backplate. Digits came from complete Automobilist. Backplate from Jamie. Putting it together was a bit of a ball ache due to the quality (or lack thereof) of the digits. But the outcome is spot on for a 1928 car.


And this is what came on the chummy, suits it well though the digits are little smaller than the accepted standard.


P.S for Original Poster. Your car should have something to this effect to hold the plate and lamps etc. I couldn't remember if they were supposed to stick down or up, but opted on down. The back end of the body is hardly 'factory', so I did what I liked the look of best.

[SneezerUSA]

Thanks.  I saved the photo to my picture album for future reffence

[Bob Culver]

Hi Hedd
How old is the hacksaw? Very few now are adequately rigid.

[Graham Barker]

Hi Bob, well spotted on the hacksaw. 
I was more taken by the kitchen implements in one of the other photos.  Lucky man, being allowed to assemble car parts in the kitchen!.
Its always interesting to note what is in the background of other people's photos. An insight into their lives. 
Cheers 
Graham

[Ivor Hawkins]

The style of digits on Hedd’s signwritten plates are a great style, I think but as he said size and spacing is an issue...I have one of those hacksaws, still works a treat!

[Martin Prior]

Bob - I use an identical hacksaw. It's certainly pre-1958, so older than I am. I much prefer it to the modern pistol-grip type.