Wheel nut painting

[Richard Farrant]

 

Clive,

if Simon paints all his components as this list, the Militant will look like something from a fairground :-D

 

This is the colour chart for training aids

 

Simon,

 

Engines were Sky Blue and gearbox was always same colour as rest of vehicle. Changed a few in my time so can be certain of this.

[fv1609]

Clive,

if Simon paints all his components as this list, the Militant will look like something from a fairground

 

.....organ? :cool2:

 

Sorry Simon when I replied to you I assumed it was a curiosity following my comments on the colours of instructional engines, rather than the real thing.

[ArtistsRifles]

I thought fuel filler caps were yellow for diesel and red for petrol, or have I got that wrong ?

Is there a regulation for colour of fuel filler caps ?

 

That was certainly the case when I was with both 215 Sqdn and 21 Regt. Even the under-seat Landie fuel caps were Red.

 

On the topic of slit rims - don't forget the type of wheel fitted to RL's where the rim section is held in place by a spring - it was standard practice to pant the ends of the spring red too.....

[Simon Daymond]

.....organ? :cool2:

 

Sorry Simon when I replied to you I assumed it was a curiosity following my comments on the colours of instructional engines, rather than the real thing.

 

 

thanks for the reply, you had me really worried there before Richard intervened, I thought I was going to take out shares in ICI!

 

The reason I asked about the colour of the engine is that the sump is visible, and wondered whether I had to make an attempt at throwing the correct colour on it, or if I could simply get away painting it Deep Bronze Green, as I'm assuming because it is exposed it wouldn't have been masked up and so would probably have ended up green along with everything else anyway? I'm not trying to make it perfect, but would be happy with a reasonable representation of how they were.

[fv1609]

Simon to my mind Deep Bronze Green would be just fine, in fact absolutely anything in DBG would be fine. I tried, without success, to get the gates & the woodwork of the house in DBG. We have an ammo box for letters on gate post, I wanted to paint it Service Brown as nature intended, but no "army paint" was allowed, it had to be bright blue. Although I had a little chuckle as this is not ordinary blue, this is French Blue H1/8010-99-220-2329. As Fletcher said, little victories!

[Richard Farrant]

Although I had a little chuckle as this is not ordinary blue, this is French Blue H1/8010-99-220-2329.

 

 

So you did not go to B&Q for the paint then :-D

[fv1609]

So you did not go to B&Q for the paint then :-D

 

 

Goodness me no, not even with the over 90s discount!

 

Whenever I see MOD paint that is cheap ie £5 or so for 5 litres, I buy it. Sooner or later I will find some gate, agricultural implement or protrusion to paint. But if you have enough colours sooner or later you can concoct paint of the shade you want. The pig was in that strange RUC emerald green. I matched it from green I found on the Shorland. It was mainly Mid Brunswick Green with Service Brown, Black, French Blue, Dark Admiralty Grey & Signal Red. Its great fun mixing paint. The important thing is to make enough of it because you will never recreate quite the same brew again. I then decant it off into jam (lime pickle actually) jars so there is always a true match for touching up.

[Degsy]

Clive.... French Blue, touching up... on HMVF:shocked:...... there are other sites on the web for this sort of thing....(so I'm told).:-D

[fv1609]

I forgot to mention the matting agent I used, calcium carbonate powder. If you google that & add hair remover you might be a bit shocked, I know I was. I think we'll leave it at that!

[robin craig]

So, here is another grenade for the forum, when in reality did the practice of painting split rim wheel nuts red and the lug nuts white end?

 

There is some evidence that shows in service vehicles carrying this on even after Deep Bronze Green was changed for temperate camouflage colours.

 

Robin

 

Mod Edit... I've merged this thread with a previous one on the same subject

Edited December 14, 2009 by Marmite!!
threads merged

[woa2]

I know that on WW2 British vehicles split rim nuts were Red (source is my 1941 and 1945 WOT2 manuals). Can't find a photo of an 'in service' vehicle in WW2 with white wheel nuts, only parade vehicles.

[thedawnpatrol]

I'll second that from woa2, wartime british vehicles only painted the split rim nuts RED, this is stated in many wartime workshop manuals.

I was post war that the use of white wheel nuts became common.

 

Jules

[Maurice]

pre war vehicles had red and white painted nuts as wel, On early Morris and Bedford pictures you can see white nuts , So by looking at aeroscreen 15cwts most have white painted nuts , but by the introduction of the full windscreen , the white painted nuts have disapeared , so somewhere in 41, they must have stopped .

[woa2]

OK, just a thought. If the vehicle has hub caps (such as a car), are the wheel nuts still painted?

[Gordon_M]

OK, just a thought. If the vehicle has hub caps (such as a car), are the wheel nuts still painted?

 

No, because the only reason for all this insane painting of wheelnuts is to differentiate those nuts and studs that hold the wheel together, from those that hold the wheel on the vehicle. I can't think of any cars of the period that have wheels that can be dissassembled, so the point wouldn't arise.

 

I believe that parade vehicles pre-and post war indulged in painted nuts to give the men something to do, rather than becuase they really needed them.

 

During WW2 the focus was on getting the vehicles serviceable and keeping them that way. Painting was approximate and often inconsistent.

 

Something like a WW2 US Dodge would have neat USA numbers (factory applied) but crude dash makings for tire pressure and max. speed, and crude bumper codes (no sniggering at the back there ... :nono:) Might or might not have one or more shipping stencils depending on whether it was shipped as a vehicle or part of a single / twin unit pack.

[Carruthers]

Maurice is correct that the two colours is a pre-war feature as well as post war. i just spent a few days at the IWM researching all the Brit Army in France 38-40 and you can clearly see the bright tones, even in B&W. I think that this is because in the phony war/early war we still adhered to the peace time military culture. You see it in uniform and kit (webbing brass all shining on active service, etc). I also agree with Gordon m about giving the men something to do as well. Ultimately you only need the nuts to split the rim to be painted, as it's a safety feature.

 

I guess it also depends how you want your restored MV to look. I like mine to look serviced properly, but used, as they would have ben seen in action. Some people go for parade ground look, yet others can't stop painting the ends if things red! (axe tips, petrol caps, any handle or switch in the cab, towing points etc!!!).

 

At the end of the day, it's all 'Big Tamiya!'

Simon

[john fox]

In Clive's Corner he has says there is no written evidence a regulation was ever issued requiring nuts to be painted white,

http://www.hmvf.co.uk/pdf/PAINTINGpart3.pdf

 

red only then - white is parade use

[Adam Elsdon]

I believe that there is nothing officially sanctioned for white painting the wheel nuts. The Split rims and Hub nuts were painted red as required, to indicate fastenings that shouldnt be undone during a wheel change.

 

The white painted wheel nuts seem to have originated within units for ceremonial parades.

 

I have got to admit, i hate the Red and White wheel nut thing, it seems like vehicles fall into private hands and the next thing, Red and White paint all over the wheel fastenings.

 

Im not even keen on the Regulation red painting, i like to see the vehicle colour everywhere it should be, without the garish fantasy paint application.

[AlienFTM]

I continued to come across red / white painted nuts on Ferrets in particular late into the 1970s. I can particularly picture them on the UNFICYP Ferrets in 1976-7.

[Marmite!!]

I've merged this thread with a previous one on the same subject

[gritineye]

The Guards Armoured Division was reverting to their normal role as an infantry division. They held a “Farewell to Armour” parade on the airfield, which was part of our camp. Quite a lot of our men were allowed to watch this parade. I, unfortunately was on duty at the Main Gate. Field Marshall Montgomery took the salute at the parade. According to my mates who saw the parade, they had never seen so much “bull” in all their time in the army. Apparently the Guards tanks had the entire wheel bolts painted white with the nuts painted red. The first six inched of the gun barrel had been burnished until it gleamed like silver. Every tank dipped its gun barrel in salute as it passed the saluting base. I suppose the tanks then suffered the same fate as ours-dumped in the Atlantic.

 

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar/s...a1097813.shtml

[25 pounder]

I've been told , by a veteran of an artillery troop , on split rims , red colour for the nuts which holds the 2 halves together , and white for the nuts that were LEFT THREADED only , no standard regulation , more a practical manner of recognition on first sight between left threaded and right threaded nuts ,

seems logical-practical to me !!

when nuts are mixed , due to reparation , very easy to separate , no possibility to use the "wrong" nut

[Richard Farrant]

I've been told , by a veteran of an artillery troop , on split rims , red colour for the nuts which holds the 2 halves together , and white for the nuts that were LEFT THREADED only , no standard regulation , more a practical manner of recognition on first sight between left threaded and right threaded nuts ,

seems logical-practical to me !!

when nuts are mixed , due to reparation , very easy to separate , no possibility to use the "wrong" nut

 

I have never heard or come across that before.

 

It is so simple, LH threads are on LH side of vehicle

[robin craig]

I am thankful to all those who have replied and also to Clive Elliot for doing all the research and putting it into one document.

 

R

[antarmike]

I have never heard or come across that before.

 

It is so simple, LH threads are on LH side of vehicle

 

And the fact most wheel nuts have either L or R stamped into one flat.