I am trying to salvage a steel Radio Flyer Red Wagon #18. It was bought ~1980.

There is some surface rust on the bed, handle and wheels. Nothing I can't buff out, but I am trying to salvage the "Radio Flyer 18"stencil on the sides. There is no way I am going to be able to match the red paint, so I don't know what to do, cause a little rust runs right through the letters.

Here are some ideas I have:

• Get tracing paper and try to free hand it. <--- I suck, but my wife is good. But, when we collaborate on projects there is always fights.
• Leave the sides alone, and sand and paint everything else.
• Forget about the stencil and do the whole thing red or put some stickers of sports balls. <--- My son's favorite thing is sports.

I am planning on sanding everything. Then use a Rust-oleum primer, Rust-oleum paint (red, black, and white), and maybe a Rust-oleum clear coat spray paint. If anyone has any other ideas I would love to hear them.

take some hi-res shots of it and re-create the stencil in photoshop or something.

you could then print it out and cut it out with a craft knife or even get a vinyl made up.

if your no good at photoshop im quite sure a member here would help you out.

If anyone is willing to try it, here are some 1600x1200 pics of the logos.

• Left:
  
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I can reshoot any that are needed.

i would suggest shooting close up on the elements, in sections and as straight on as possible, like 1 pictures with "radio flyer" and a bit of the line and the other with the "18" and the other half of the line, then the others can be used as reference.

maybe you should alo post it over at http://s7.invisionfree.com/robgetek_forum/ or in the GFX section.

Interesting website they have:

Classic red wagon

Looks like the stencil for 1980 and the current one has changed a bit. I was thinking maybe they had one but the manufacturing process is: spray on paint--> bake-->spray on stencil--> bake. All automatic and the stencils are not held by human hands.
I used to make stencils by holding tracing paper over the logo, tracing the outline, then cutting it out (plus any spaces within letters,objects,etc). Then using that outline to transfer to stiff cardboard and cutting. Let the wife do it. Remember, the edges will not be perfect unless you had some sort of decal instead of spray paint.

^ I was thinking of adding my own wood siding too.
http://www.radioflyer.com/steelandwood/sw_22.html

We will see though. I have a lot to do already.

Update: I just got off the phone with Radio Flyer. I was calling to order some new wheel caps, and it turns out they also sell decals. They don't have mine though. The way it was described over the phone was "the one with the little boy." No idea what she meant.

I ordered them anyway, in case I get too frustrated with the thing, that is an easy solution.
4x wheel caps, and 2x decals shipped... $9.

Update #2: I also found this:
http://www.radioflyer.com/myradioflyer/coloring.html
Picture #5 looks really workable.

Does anyone know the chances of there being lead in this? I have been sanding for a few days, outside, but not wearing a face mask. My son has even played in the empty wagon, when I was done sanding for the day.

I have been searching but cannot find anything.

Does it say "Made In USA" anywhere? If so, it probably is free of lead (even in the 1980's). But if it was made overseas, no telling. Anywhere on the website about lead exposure? But even if you were exposed, the amount of lead would probably not do you or your son any harm. Kids used to eat lead paint chips for a while before they had any symptoms or tested positive. But your pediatrician can do a lead test if it will ease your mind.

Lead based paint was outlawed in the USA in 1978....

As a kid I used to walk around for hours with a handful of lead pellets in my mouth when out "hunting" with my pellet gun..... I R genie-us now

You guys made me feel a little better.

But, looking at the Radio Flyer website, the logo on our wagon is from the 70s. There are also no stickers or marks regarding country of origin, or anything else for that matter. From what I understand though, Radio Flyers are U.S. products.

Edit: This is the only thing I found, but it is not my wagon.
http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml97/97006.html

Well, if they had lead paint in 1996, they probably had lead paint in the 1970's. Unless they moved the manufacturing to China sometime in the 1990's from the USA.
Like I said, have the pedatrician do a lead test next time the kid goes for a checkup or the Public health department in your area would probably do it for free. Probably a finger prick for a few drops of blood.
And when your wife fusses about the trash not being taken out, you can now say, "But honey, that lead is affecting my memory. I forgot."

I am trying to restore my Radio Flyer 80 wagon and this post turned up on a google search. So how did this turn out? I am trying to find the font too. I have the same exact font on my wagon. I can only find the Radio Flyer logo, I need the font. I found a picture of a wagon exactly like mine. Any help would be great.

Hello

I just bought a radio flyer 89 all metal, the bed is in kinda rough shape but i am using steel wool for the rust, my question is do i need to take the whloe thing down to bare metal or just kinda scuff it up to put a rust protector on it?

thanks

Thanks man.