Paint colour codes

[derekn]

Hi, anybody know the colour codes for the original 1933/34 dark cherry red for the bottom half of my RP Box Saloon currently being prepared for painting. I have been searching for the correct colour for a long time but can't seem to find the correct shade? Regards Derek

[Lance Sheldrick]

Hi Derek,

Get in touch with Adam Brown at Craftmaster Paints. He now has the correct colours for Austin Sevens.

[derekn]

Thanks Lance, I will try that. 
Derek.

[JonE]

also read this... be interested to know how the Craftmaster stuff links into these... several Nippy owners currently looking https://aus7in.wordpress.com/2018/10/01/...red-paint/

[derekn]

Thanks Jon, I will let you know how I go on with Craftsman paints.

[Lance Sheldrick]

Hi jon, I don't know who wrote the rather sweeping statement that the 1936 cards in my possession have "degraded", but I can assure them that the Nippy/65 ones are in perfect condition and the "cherry red" is about the colour of a cherry, which is what I would expect! I owned a type 65 a few years ago which had been the pale primrose yellow originally and that card matched a hidden area of paint perfectly.
Also, when I first got my Box saloon, the area behind the patent plate on the dash still had the original green which also matched the Westminster green card perfectly. I do not believe that the author has actually seen the cards in question either. It seems to me that when modern eyes see how dark the original colours were, they are disappointed and try to convince themselves that the shades should be lighter.

[Mike Costigan]

Lance, I also think that a small panel of colour will often look darker than the same colour when applied to a complete car, especially when it is contrasted with black wings. Many years ago I repainted my 1927 Austin Windsor; I chose Triumph Gunmetal as being a nice dark grey, but the finished car was much paler and brighter than I anticipated. All turned out well in the end, everyone complimented me on achieving an authentic colour!

[JonE]

Hi jon, I don't know who wrote the rather sweeping statement that the 1936 cards in my possession have "degraded", but I can assure them that the Nippy/65 ones are in perfect condition and the "cherry red" is about the colour of a cherry, which is what I would expect! I owned a type 65 a few years ago which had been the pale primrose yellow originally and that card matched a hidden area of paint perfectly.
Also, when I first got my Box saloon, the area behind the patent plate on the dash still had the original green which also matched the Westminster green card perfectly. I do not believe that the author has actually seen the cards in question either. It seems to me that when modern eyes see how dark the original colours were, they are disappointed and try to convince themselves that the shades should be lighter.

I'll add your note in the post, Lance. I think its perfectly obvious to see that the edges have changed in that photo over time but degraded is too ambiguous, I agree. If anyone wants to provide text to improve these information sources, remember that it's a thankless task... all welcome.
The issue seems to be with Cherry that we are missing the earlier swatches for those cars from 1933/4. We simply don't have enough evidence or enough nosy owners taking their wooden dash panels off Nippies! Perhaps original Cherry 33/34 cars that arent Nippies could make contact...

another related post here... https://aus7in.wordpress.com/2020/12/21/...-progress/

[Lance Sheldrick]

Agreed Mike, the light over a whole vehicle changes everything. It should also be remembered that the colour cards are a guide only and not a definitive answer. They were used in the paintshop to either identify the colour of a car, or give a prospective customer an idea of how their car could look if repainted another colour. Small amounts of colour top coat would be made on the spot from basic colours kept in stock and larger quantities ordered from the local paint factors. Both of these sources would then have to be tinted to match a particular car. I'm sure that variants existed even back then.

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Yes Jon, the cherry red one is quite dark and more like a burgundy, especially when compared to the other two nippy colours of turquoise and primrose.

[JonE]

So has anyone got any thoughts on the Austin literature of the day, with the brighter coloured Nippies? i.e. why? The other complication is the maroons, which were complicated by light AND dark shades. I know they look dramatically different in the cards, but the oxidised paints on survivor cars seems to do all sorts of things.