Supplier of paint - UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Discussion Forum

valveaudio · 10th May 2013, 11:56 am

Does anyone know where to get small quantity of paint (preferably aerosol can) to match old amplifier colours (Leak/Quad).

Trevor

Radio Wrangler · 10th May 2013, 12:40 pm

Larger Halfords

Woodauto in Huddersfield mix paint and make aerosols but you'll need to be there with the matching item.

David

GrimJosef · 10th May 2013, 1:04 pm

If you just want to match a single amp then as David says you can take it along to a local paint mixer and work through their charts to get as close as you can. If you want to respray it completely then that should be pretty good. To get a perfect copy you'll also need to make a decision about how glossy you want it (they can add a 'matting agent' to the can to take some or all of the shine off). If you just want to respray part of the amp, say a single transformer, then you'll struggle to get a perfect match I'm afraid. And do bear in mind that the colours weren't very tightly controlled over the production lives of these amplifiers and also that they will have changed colour and glossiness since they were made, to an extent which depends on their exposure to sunlight, heat, dirt and moisture. So if you do get a good match for one amp it won't necessarily be a good match for another. It's also the case that modern paints which are produced with low quantities of volatile organic compounds (VOC's) don't flow the same way that traditional paints e.g. cellulose did. If the newer coating turns out to be thicker than the old one then that can round off sharp edges and also fill in any fine texture in the metalwork giving the finished amp a subtly different 'look'. There are people who specialise in vintage car respraying and some of those still have the facilities to do cellulose spraying though. Finally the fact is that the Quad II amps, for example, were never meant to look cosmetically beautiful. They would usually end up hidden inside a cabinet. So the quality of the paint job didn't matter much and I've seen them with runs in the paint and with significant areas of 'orange peel' texture. I once asked an experienced paint sprayer how he might reproduce that look and he said he'd have to make 'an unusually bad job' of it

.

Cheers,

GJ

10th May 2013, 11:56 am	#1
valveaudio Hexode Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Diss, Norfolk, UK. Posts: 386	Supplier of paint Does anyone know where to get small quantity of paint (preferably aerosol can) to match old amplifier colours (Leak/Quad). Trevor

10th May 2013, 12:40 pm	#2
Radio Wrangler Moderator Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Fife, Scotland, UK. Posts: 22,902	Re: Supplier of paint Larger Halfords Woodauto in Huddersfield mix paint and make aerosols but you'll need to be there with the matching item. David __________________ Can't afford the volcanic island yet, but the plans for my monorail and the goons' uniforms are done

10th May 2013, 1:04 pm	#3
GrimJosef Dekatron Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Oxfordshire, UK. Posts: 4,311	Re: Supplier of paint If you just want to match a single amp then as David says you can take it along to a local paint mixer and work through their charts to get as close as you can. If you want to respray it completely then that should be pretty good. To get a perfect copy you'll also need to make a decision about how glossy you want it (they can add a 'matting agent' to the can to take some or all of the shine off). If you just want to respray part of the amp, say a single transformer, then you'll struggle to get a perfect match I'm afraid. And do bear in mind that the colours weren't very tightly controlled over the production lives of these amplifiers and also that they will have changed colour and glossiness since they were made, to an extent which depends on their exposure to sunlight, heat, dirt and moisture. So if you do get a good match for one amp it won't necessarily be a good match for another. It's also the case that modern paints which are produced with low quantities of volatile organic compounds (VOC's) don't flow the same way that traditional paints e.g. cellulose did. If the newer coating turns out to be thicker than the old one then that can round off sharp edges and also fill in any fine texture in the metalwork giving the finished amp a subtly different 'look'. There are people who specialise in vintage car respraying and some of those still have the facilities to do cellulose spraying though. Finally the fact is that the Quad II amps, for example, were never meant to look cosmetically beautiful. They would usually end up hidden inside a cabinet. So the quality of the paint job didn't matter much and I've seen them with runs in the paint and with significant areas of 'orange peel' texture. I once asked an experienced paint sprayer how he might reproduce that look and he said he'd have to make 'an unusually bad job' of it . Cheers, GJ