Original Paint - then and now!

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KombiMadness
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Original Paint - then and now!

Post by KombiMadness »

Steve Muller, Al Agyik or anyone else with original paint respray experience care to comment....

I have done a shit load of research on this subject but there is no definitive answer I can find, so far. I have decided to respray my 15 Window in original colours SWR/BG. I'm not worried about the Beige Grey but the SWR is another story. My brother is an experienced old school spray painter and I have twisted his arm to take this job on; SWR is a tricky colour to get right - too pink, too orange, too red and it looks shite!

I have the Glasurit paint codes & mix ratio for SWR but this is in today's 2 pak paint. My brother is an expert colour matcher but the problem is 54 year old faded SWR (even from a spot that has seen little UV like inside engine bay) is not the original shade.

Further complications are that of course, the dozens & dozens photos of re-sprayed SWR Kombis on the internet are subjective because of the colour reproduction on the LCD screen, the camera that took the photo, the amount of sunlight and it's angle, and which panel is photographed - a long panel will look a different shade to the nose or roof. Also, SWR against Chestnut Brown alters your perception of it's shade compared to how it looks against Beige Grey....????

This thread from expert restorers KCW illustrates this subjectivity
http://kcwcars.com/forums/viewtopic.php ... &start=150

the SWR/BG in this next link looks pretty spot on to me...

http://www.bustopia.com/Images/61Westy01_20c.jpg



Now compare this resprayed Samba...


Image



Same Kombi different panel & light angle (see how much pinker it seems?)...


Image



In America you can buy sample pots of glasurit SWR already mixed up. Can you buy these here? I realise that Glasurit is good but very exxy. I've read mixed opinions about PPG?! What other quality brands are there to use in Australia?

So, I guess my question is - do I just give my brother the Glasurit SWR mix codes or do I polish up the most unfaded section of the interior and get him to colour match it??? Anyone who has re-sprayed original colour care to comment....

Thanks,
Markus
Last edited by KombiMadness on Mon May 14, 2012 8:31 am, edited 1 time in total.
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KombiMadness
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Post by KombiMadness »

This quote from John Jones of Kustom Coach Werks says it all - it's from the KCW thread in the above post.... man, it's a long thread and the effort John Jones has gone to to try and get the 'right' tint for his customer. Even spraying a small patch of the new paint on his original BD and then wiping it off....


:shock: :shock: Man, that is above & beyond.....


Anyway, here is the quote -

"You can not order the correct color of Sealing Wax Red.. There is no paint store on earth, That I know of, that you can call and in one shot, get the right color.. Then the question becomes.. what is the right color?? I have heard many people tell me that they have a few original paint busses, they are all different shades of the same color.. So really.. there is no "right color".. SOOOOOOO.. when you choose the color for your sealing wax red bus.. For it to have any chance on earth of being accepted as "right", you must have some "basis".. I see guys with fresh air box covers and what not.. We choose.. My B/D.. It's OG, there is no argument.. You could say my bus is a little faded.. But thats about it.. Becasue it is original.. make sence?

It's kind of funny.. With this kind of stuff.. it doesn't matter if you like it or not.. is it original and "correct" that matters.."
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IN2VWS
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Post by IN2VWS »

What's wrong with matching from original paint chips? These are real paint, and rarely see the light of day, so I doubt they are faded at all.

Image
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KombiMadness
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Post by KombiMadness »

Never knew they existed! Where does one find these original paint chips, John?

Are the 2 chips in your photo SWR & BG?
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IN2VWS
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Post by IN2VWS »

KombiMadness wrote:Never knew they existed! Where does one find these original paint chips, John?

Are the 2 chips in your photo SWR & BG?
In my paint chip draw, along with the other ones.

Yes, that is SWR and BG.
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Post by winerot »

one day john might auction all these goodies off & i will be watching.
should of asked the question last week a huge private collection just finish
in germany, some magical stuff amongst it, im happy scored a few german vw brochures.
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mat54
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Post by mat54 »

I was trying to get as "correct " or "original" with painting my bus.
After long research we ordered standox with the l380 turquise formula.
It came we tested it and it looked nothing like original paint shades of certain unexposed parts of the bus.
Now we used two pac and so there is the first problem because they were not painted in two pac from the factory.
In the end i decided to eye machtch it to (what i thought) was the closest match to the least exposed paint area i could find on the bus.
Massive effort and that was just the bottom half.
The top half blue white i had no original paint to match to so out the standox tin it came and on the bus it went.
I almost had a heart attack when i saw it on the bus
But all unmasked its just spot on ( in my opinion)

Mayor heartache the whole thing.

But if you think thats all then try and get the "right" colour for the wheels and bumpers -steering column- knobs- and and and.
I made the decision to go silver beige mixed from a glasurit formula.

The project is still ongoing and whether or not the buffs decide if it is "correct" enough i dont care anymore i love it and so do most other peeps.
Not sure if this helped in any way :D
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KombiMadness
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Post by KombiMadness »

Hey Mat, thanks for your experience! That is a help, for sure. It is also typical of what I've been reading elsewhere, hence this thread....

OK John, they're in your paint chip draw and you live in Melbourne :)

so how do I get my brother to colour match off your paint chips???
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IN2VWS
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Post by IN2VWS »

How far are you off from painting?
Is your bro in Sydney?
I can bring them with me next time I do a Sydney run..........but they come home with me. :wink:
Sorry, but I have spent a long time and a lot of $$$$ collecting these.
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KombiMadness
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Post by KombiMadness »

IN2VWS wrote:How far are you off from painting?
Is your bro in Sydney?
I can bring them with me next time I do a Sydney run..........but they come home with me. :wink:
Sorry, but I have spent a long time and a lot of $$$$ collecting these.

Sounds like a fair deal to me :D

Probably won't be painting for a few months yet (well, the bus won't even be arriving until early June). Yes, my brother is in Sydney.

No, I understand they are precious and have collector value. I will PM you closer to the time. Thanks John.

Kinda cool though that they will be used for their intended purpose.... 8)
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Post by Hoves »

My 23 is sealing wax red/beige grey. Whether it is 100% correct or not I am not sure, but the paint guys that supply Steve Hopkins helped him allot to try and make sure it was accurate and it turned out great. Your right though, the colour dependning on lighting can vary allot - something of which I think makes it a great colour..
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KombiMadness
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Post by KombiMadness »

Are there photos of your 23 already posted on DSK? If not can you post some, please.
My Dad's Kombi circa 1967 at Taronga Zoo. I'm the light weight with the skinny legs, my older brother is doing the roof jump!
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Post by warb »

i like a shitty ratty finish.... Paint, one less thing to worry about :wink:
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Post by Zimblewinder »

Hi Markus, the original formula was for Glasurit or Standox paints so there's the lower price option (not by much though). I intend to use Glasurit and tint to the inside of the petrol filler flap (which is cherry). The biggest problem with SWR is not necessarily the initial colour cos it can be matched quite well to OG un-damaged paint. The problem as Ive heard it is that the non-original formulas, PPG, Sikkens etc. all fade differently to the original formulas. Consequently they may appear pinker or darker or oranger as they age than OG formula paints. If you start with the OG formula and only a little tinting as required it is more likely to fade closer in colour to the way OG paint does than other makes formulas. Of course this all goes out the window because lead formulas are not possible anymore but this is what alot of restorers are betting on in the states. Ive seen some pretty interesting photos of SWR busses lined up at shows. So many variations of that colour. One other thing that counts too is the primer colour. Dark primer adds depth to reds while white/light grey brings out pink and orange hues. Im going for black primer as the OG grey primer was quite a blue grey and its likely to lead to a deeper finish.

Quite a challenge anyway...Good luck, let us know which formula and primer you go with and how much tinting you required. Looking forward to seeing your bus someday

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Post by CAPPO »

leave it ratty, much nicer
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