Age Old Topic Paint- Enamel V Acrilic V Two Pack

[Mike K]

Mark

You really know how to open that can dont you !

This topic is very timely as last Sunday I was a attendee at the annual commercial vehicle rally in Melbourne . Many varied makes of old trucks were on display . The paint finish on some of them was perfect , too perfect I think . Two pack finish was evident on quite a few . I think Two pack finish is OK for hot rods and moderns , but on a older vehicle is looks too fake and plastic . Also , the vehicle painted in 2 pack can end up looking better than it was at the factory or showroom .

As for WW2 Military vehicles - to give you an idea of how slack the factory finish was on CMP's . I had two NOS Ford cab 12 doors once , no hinges fitted . These doors were finished in a medium green applied straight over the bare metal , no primer at all was used . Same thing on some NOS cab 11 windscreens I have , these were found wrapped in their original paper cover , paint on them is a green enamel straight onto bare metal .

Wattyl here in OZ make a industrial enamel called olive drab , its flattened with a talcum powder base in Liquid form . I have used this paint , but it is too flat , the finish is like chalk and the slightest touch will leave a mark .

Auto Enamel is easy to flatten and you can do it yourself using talcum powder . Just slowly mix it in a small amount at a time until the finish is what you want . To get auto enamel to a semi flat or matt finish , a large amount of talc is required . I have a detailed article from ARMY MOTORS mag from the early 1980's , where a US restorer describes using silica powder as the flatening base in his enamel paint .

Modern one pack epoxy etch primers are light years ahead of what was around years ago . If you use a good quality etch prime , there will be no problems with corrosion for many years . If your vehicles are shedded then this will have a huge effect on the paint lasting longer . Cheap industrial enamels are a waste of time , but good auto enamel is fine .

Acrilic paint and military vehicles - acrilics are difficult to flatten , the ideal finish on a MV is a low sheen something like the heritage house paints have . BTW those water based exterior house paints in low sheen make a ideal disruptive camo paint for camo schemes , hand applied with a brush , just like they did it in WW2 .

Well we could rave on and on , the golden rule for MV's is , don't be too fussy , these things were never finished like a RR Silver Ghost . How long did a paint job last in the tropical heat of New Guinea ? about 6 months at the most before it faded .

Mike .