Paint? Color?

[great white]

I’m getting to a point where I’m wanting to give my Atlas TH42 a fresh coat of paint. It’s working well mechanically, but it’s pretty …worn… in the appearance department. It’s old, chipped everywhere and its had at least one repaint in it’s past with what looks like a brush.

it’s orginal color (well, close to it) in that Atlas mint green. While it doesn’t bother me that color, I think I’d like something a bit more along the “Ford” theme I’m following in the garage.

I’m thinking painting the Atlas a Ford engine blue (or maybe a little brighter than the dark ford blue) . Something along these lines:



I’m not concerned with orginality or resale. This little lathe won’t likely leave my possession until my estate sale…

Anyone see issues with this? Things like eye fatigue, dirt accumulation, etc.

It’s just a color and as such, subject to personal preferences, but I’d just like some input on possible issues with a bad color choice that I’m maybe not realizing.

 

[mmcmdl]

John Deere green , Cub Cadet red or yellow , Kubota orange are a few that come to mind .

 

[RJSakowski]

I am reminded of the old adage, " a good horse is never the wrong color". If you like blue, go for it!

 

[benmychree]

Machine tool grey.

 

[Video_man]

If you're so minded, and have a Tractor Supply nearby, their "Massey Ferguson Grey" with the Tractor Supply paint hardener added looks nice....

 

[benmychree]

To paraphrase L Francis Herreshoff, "There are two proper colors for a machine tool, one is grey, the other is black, and only a fool would choose black" He was a famed yacht designer, his actual quote was "There are two colors to paint a yacht: one is white and the other is black, and only a fool would choose black", the quote is to be found in "The Common Sense of Yacht Design". c 1945

 

[great white]

To paraphrase L Francis Herreshoff, "There are two proper colors for a machine tool, one is grey, the other is black, and only a fool would choose black" He was a famed yacht designer, his actual quote was "There are two colors to paint a yacht: one is white and the other is black, and only a fool would choose black", the quote is to be found in "The Common Sense of Yacht Design". c 1945

That some pretty closed minded thinking. Kinda like “you can have it any color you want, as long as its black”.

I’ll be painting it whatever color I want, and it probably won’t be black….that statement has probably also put me off on machine gray too.

Maybe hot cherry red with hot rod flames and pinstriping?

 

[benmychree]

Strange about machine tool colors, in the early days, say maybe in the 1850s to the 1870s and before the 1890s, some pretty bright colors were used, even with striping and other decoration, then William Sellers introduced dark grey on his line of machine tools, but in the same period most machine tools were painted black with an underlying black filler, I have one such machine, a Monarch Jr. 9" swing which retains nearly all the black, except the legs, which were way too knocked up, they are now a medium grey with the nicks filled up. Even nowadays, especially automotive machine tools are often painted red or some such color.
Some folks may take my stated opinions too seriously; can't we have a bit of fun?

 

[MrWhoopee]

I’m not concerned with orginality or resale. This little lathe won’t likely leave my possession until my estate sale…

Perhaps, but do consider your poor spouse (if such there be) trying to sell a hot pink (or whatever) lathe.

 

[benmychree]

Perhaps, but do consider your poor spouse (if such there be) trying to sell a hot pink (or whatever) lathe.

On the other hand that might appeal to the ladies taking up the hobby ---