question Your Thoughts on Bedford MW Paint Match please

[Davey089]

I had the paint for the MW mixed last week , I took in a panel from the dashboard which still had the original paint on which matched the paint under the regulator, which I would assume is the original factory colour .

 

They used one of these scanner type contraptions , scanned the panel and came up with the colour which is in the photographs :shocked: , the colour which they produced looks to me very much like Service Brown ? , any thoughts on why it came back with that particular colour after being scanned .

 

Just a note while stripping the paint off bodywork etc ,there was a massive presence of Desert Cammo underneath the greens and browns .

Edited November 9, 2014 by Davey089

[ARMYPHOTOS]

Looks too dark. We use BS381C-298 Green on our Bedfords. Matched it about twenty years ago from paint found on MW. Good Luck.

[Davey089]

Looks too dark. We use BS381C-298 Green on our Bedfords. Matched it about twenty years ago from paint found on MW. Good Luck.

 

I agree far too dark , the panel its painted onto is part of the dash panel which has the original colour showing alongside, Brown ? not sure what to do , get them to blend it by sight rather than using the modern scanner contraption , which obviously is useless .

[Richard Farrant]

I agree far too dark , the panel its painted onto is part of the dash panel which has the original colour showing alongside, Brown ? not sure what to do , get them to blend it by sight rather than using the modern scanner contraption , which obviously is useless .

 

The original colour of your MW is unlikely to be like BS298 Olive Drab as the regulations for that colours use were introduced in April 1944. Your brown colour is likely to be SCC No. 2 Brown (SCC : Special Camouflage Colours). I found a hidden sample of this colour on a plate inside an armoured vehicle of 1942 vintage, and covered by a control panel. I can let you know the details and supplier as it was matched for me by the paint manufacturer. I would probably describe it as milk chocolate colour.

[sirhc]

I agree that the colour they have mixed is not like your original colour, and that your original colour is more of a brown colour.

 

We used paint mixed to a recipe made up for someone who is no longer a forum member on our MW.

 

Chris

 

[Lauren Child]

I'd vote for SCC2 brown as the likely source as well.

 

Keep in mind that the paint finish has a massive effect. It looks slightly glossy in you picture which may be causing it to look darker. Try some matt varnish or a light sanding before you right it off as too dark.

[rampant rivet]

I agree that the colour they have mixed is not like your original colour, and that your original colour is more of a brown colour.

 

We used paint mixed to a recipe made up for someone who is no longer a forum member on our MW.

 

Chris

 

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Ditto I used a colour match from a sample provided by Alex if you know who I mean looks right for early mw's not sure that brown looks right as it seems too dark, I found some later brown paint in places on my MW and it did look like milk chocolate nice !!!!

[Richard Farrant]

I'd vote for SCC2 brown as the likely source as well.

 

Keep in mind that the paint finish has a massive effect. It looks slightly glossy in you picture which may be causing it to look darker. Try some matt varnish or a light sanding before you right it off as too dark.

 

It makes a difference if brush painted, when sprayed it is slightly more matt and does that several weeks to cure at this time of year.

[thedawnpatrol]

The colour you are refuring to is Khaki green No2, I have just got Kerry at R&R to mix me some to an original sample found on my Morris PU.

It's a strange colour, in some lights it looks green, in others it looks brown.

 

I was helped by Mike Starmer who has spent many years researching WW2 British paint colours.

 

Jules

[Richard Farrant]

The colour you are refuring to is Khaki green No2, I have just got Kerry at R&R to mix me some to an original sample found on my Morris PU.

It's a strange colour, in some lights it looks green, in others it looks brown.

 

I was helped by Mike Starmer who has spent many years researching WW2 British paint colours.

 

Jules

 

Hi Jules,

I recommend Mike Starmer's book covering NW Europe 1936-45. It was Khaki Green No.3, but the one I referred to was in the SCC colour chart and was Brown No2, which superseded the Khaki Green. All green paints were withdrawn from production early in the War as the chromium oxide ingredient was essential elsewhere in War Production. Green was re-introduced as Olive Drab in April 1944.

 

regards, Richard

[Davey089]

The original colour of your MW is unlikely to be like BS298 Olive Drab as the regulations for that colours use were introduced in April 1944. Your brown colour is likely to be SCC No. 2 Brown (SCC : Special Camouflage Colours). I found a hidden sample of this colour on a plate inside an armoured vehicle of 1942 vintage, and covered by a control panel. I can let you know the details and supplier as it was matched for me by the paint manufacturer. I would probably describe it as milk chocolate colour.

 

Thanks for the info , I would very much appreciate if you would let me have the details of the paint and supplier . The scanning system they now use to match paint is obviously not accurate ......not good !

 

Thanks again Richard its much appreciated

 

Dave

[thedawnpatrol]

Dave,

 

if you want, Kerry at R&R (Warpaint) has my samples of SCC2 and SCC1a which Mike Starmer produced.

 

I think they are the best you will find. I have my paint mixed as 'dead matt' but it's up to you.

 

regards

 

Jules

[Sean N]

... The scanning system they now use to match paint is obviously not accurate ......not good !

 

Dave, if you put a painted sample up against the panel they scanned from is the match close or not?

 

The trouble is there are so many opportunities to get a paint mix wrong, let alone any variations or fading in the original colours. I've seen plenty of mixes in the past where the supplier's sworn blind they were mixed to the recipe, but later turned out they'd forgotten one pigment or put double the amount of another in.

[welbike]

Looks to me as Khaki green No.3, this is a real difficult colour to mix!!!

 

What I understand, is that matte colours won't scan very well with modern methods.

 

If you mix the model paint tin in the right proportions (see chart below, from Mike Starmers books, highly recommended!), you will have at least a test sample.

 

 

Hope this helps, but remember computer screens are the worst media to compare colours!

 

Lex Schmidt

Edited November 10, 2014 by welbike

[Davey089]

Dave, if you put a painted sample up against the panel they scanned from is the match close or not?

 

The trouble is there are so many opportunities to get a paint mix wrong, let alone any variations or fading in the original colours. I've seen plenty of mixes in the past where the supplier's sworn blind they were mixed to the recipe, but later turned out they'd forgotten one pigment or put double the amount of another in.

 

Hi

 

The panel in the photographs is of the original "light brown" ,the darker of the two Browns which is painted alongside is the scanned / mixed paint supplied by the paint shop .

 

Dave

[goanna]

Under the steering column clamp on a 1939 production CS8, I found the original colour .. I have Mike Starmers books and the colour I found on this particular CS8 is a definate Light bronze green from the pre war BCS chart

 

As far as early production vehicles go , paint would have been in short supply and the factories would have used anything that was available and fell within the BSC chart .

 

I have a factory pic of a early MW somewhere. The shade is a very light colour , not dark at all

Edited November 15, 2014 by goanna

[simon king]

just to add petrol to the fire, I read that there are two SCC2 shades-early and late. The late is matched to 499 Service Brown, I suspect that Mike Starmer's SCC2 is the early version. I think the mix was amended to provide a stronger contrast with the disruptive colours used

[Davey089]

I've taken the 15 ltrs I had mixed back to the paint shop , left it with them to rectify the problem (Hopefully ).I'll see what they come back with , if its a no go then its refund time and back to the drawing board :-) .

[Davey089]

As I expected its a no go , they can't mix the colour its still far to dark .

 

I've read that the SCC2 was used with SCC1A .I was only going to paint it with the one colour (SCC2) is this correct or do I need to use both ?.

[Lauren Child]

If I remember right service brown was used alone pre-war, so for a 1938/39 vehicle that would be right.

[Richard Farrant]

If I remember right service brown was used alone pre-war, so for a 1938/39 vehicle that would be right.

 

I was sure that pre-war, the vehicle colour was Deep Bronze Green, followed by Khaki Green No.3. Not at all sure if "Service Brown" was actually a colour officially designated for vehicle use. SCC No.2 Brown was an overall vehicle colour during the middle part of the war year with a disruptive overlay of a Dark Brown, SCC No.1A. I have checked a sample of Service Brown against SCC No.2 and it is very different. Read Mike Starmer's book, it has copies of regulations in it an a timeline of use, very informative.

[MatchFuzee]

As I expected its a no go , they can't mix the colour its still far to dark .

 

I've read that the SCC2 was used with SCC1A .I was only going to paint it with the one colour (SCC2) is this correct or do I need to use both ?.

 

Have you had a refund for the paint or have you still got it?

If you have the paint, you could try to lighten it yourself. I suggest the following method:-

1. Buy a small can of white paint that is the same type as your 15 litres of brown.

2. Tip a small amount of the white paint into a container and add the brown until you hopefully achieve the brown that you are looking for but remember paint is darker when dry.

3. Paint a trial area.

4. If the trial has worked, you will need to know the ratio of brown to white so that you can mix a larger batch (enough for the whole job).

It is very difficult if not impossible to mix a number of batches of paint and end up with an identical colour.