Warbird Information Exchange

Does anybody know what the FS number of military silver paint is? I'm talking about the color you would paint a Stearman or a T-6. Is there a commercial name for it?

Anybody have any preferances for the best paint for Aluminum and fabric? I've heard good things about PPG auto paint

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Brad

The silver on a Stearman (or a T-6 control surface) is aluminum powder added to the dope to protect the fabric from UV damage. Don't think there is an FS number for that.

I've used Krylon Dull Aluminum 1403 (as does Planes of Fame/Fighter Rebuilders) which seems to be a good faux aluminum shade.

There must be some modellers out there that have a better answer than I!

Brad,

It is not the military silver but it is the one I like the best for not being to dull or too much on the metalic side.....

The one I used on the undersides of the 170 is called Diamond Silver and it is a PPG paint.

Hope that helps...

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Blue Skies,
Dan
http://www.flytoanothertime.com

WELL I HATE TO LET OUT A CLOSELY GUARDED SECRET BUT FOR THE BEST RESULTS USE RUSTOLIUM SILVER CHAIN LINK FENCE PAINT, IT LOOKS EXACTLY LIKE WHAT YOU WANT.I PAINTED DICK KNISLEYS T-6 MANY YEARS AGO WITH IT AND IT STILL LOOKS GREAT.THE BEST PART IS IF YOU NEED TO TOUCH IT UP A SPRAY BOMB OF RUSTOLIUM SILVER MATCHES ALMOST PERFECT.GOOD LUCK. MIKE

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IF YOU CAN FIND IT WE CAN FIX IT

My research says the silver color they sprayed SNJs during Navy
overhauls prior to going to the school bus yellow color was a
mixture of aluminum paste and (nitrocellulose-based) clear lacquer.
This is the same concoction NAA used in the wheel wells and other areas
of period production aircraft (it's what they sprayed the wings of P-51s
with when they went to a "bare-metal" production configuration vs over-all
camouflaged earlier aircraft). I found layer upon layer of this stuff
underneath the school bus yellow paint of my SNJ (it's no fun at all to strip
10+ layers of paint!).

How much aluminum paste was mixed with how much clear lacquer is
a good question.... Much of the NAA archives were destroyed by
Rockwell. I keep meaning to visit / have a look at what's left (now
held by Boeing) but haven't gotten around to it.

For what it's worth, if it's just a glossy / silver repaint you're
after, my electronic notes say a local P-51 Mustang (didn't note
which one!) was painted with 44716 Corvette silver (Dupont #).

Bela P. Havasreti

The paint is...

Diamond Silver - LE7Y or L97A

It is a VW color - so now the bottom of my 170 looks like an old VW pickup truck...

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Blue Skies,
Dan
http://www.flytoanothertime.com

I had to pull out some old North American Aviation (not AAF or AF) B-25 C/D manuals to find it, but this is what is in there about the "Aluminum" color paint:

"Clear Lacquer (AAF spec 3-158) mixed with a minimum of 4 onces of aluminum paste ( AAF spec TT-A-466 Type B), per U.S. gallon of spraying material (3.3 oz. per imp. gal.)."

This pretty much matches what BDK & Bela said.

Thanks Paul!

What manual did you find that in? Erection & Maintenance perhaps?

I'll have to look at the Finish Specifications pages in my T-6
E&M manual to see if it's in there as well.

Bela P. Havasreti

Bela,

It was actually in the "Service Manual" that NAA printed for the B-25C/D, dated March 1943. This spec is located under "Material Specifications", "Finish Specifications".

It's pretty cool, it lists how to paint all the areas on the B-25C/D, color, spec, and even the number of coats. Good Stuff!

Let me know if you'd like me to look up anything in there.

-Paul