Lister paint

Apologies if this has been covered before, but who/where supplies the best match to Lister green. It's for a circa 1926 B type. and I would like to use proper enamel paint, call me strange, but I don't agree with using modern two-pack on vintage machinery.

Many thanks,

Joe

I use Tractol paint on my engines (synthetic enamel) it brushes on or sprays very well and covers a treat. Mid Brunswick green is the colour available online from smith and allen http://www.smithandallan.com/tractol-paint.aspx for a very respectable £9.99 plus vat and delivery.

Joe you won't be able to get an exact match as they no longer make paint with lead in etc so we use a modern enamal. Most good local paint suppliers should be able to help you out or there's a few places on ebay but don't let the prices fool you it's all the same basic paint but SE dealers like to make a little extra profit by saying there's is best.
As for shade don't worry to much as Lister used different paint suppliers so they are all a slightly different shade.
These ain't bad for prices if you have to order on line.

http://stores.ebay.co.uk/DISCOUNT-CAR-PRODUCTS/_i.html?_nkw=paint&submit=Search+Shop

Stu.

Thanks guys,

I was hoping someone would recommend Tractol, I've used it on a few different things over the years and I've found that when it's thinned with drop of petrol, it brushes as well as it sprays and vice-versa. Didn't know if they did a Brunswick green or not. Also found that Tractol red oxide is good as well.

Stu, seems like Lister engines are like International Harvester tractors, the correct shade is whichever one the paint shop had in stock that day!

Joe.

Thinned with petrol? I wouldn't recommend doing that again as petrol is refined oil and tractol paint is synthetic. When spraying I thin with synthetic thinners, when brushing I heat the paint tin up in a sink of hot water before application. It always goes on easily and as you don't thin it, it covers well too.

I have to admit that I thin down with petrol also, never had any problems yet but I'm sure there's a first time.

Joe the make of the paint doesn't matter as long as your happy with the results carry on using it, only thing is make sure it's petrol proof or you'll need a clear coat on the tank.

Warming the paint is one of the best things to do, makes for a lot better result.

Stu.

I use Bradite ME53 fastrac gloss enamel. A lot of the tractor restorers use it as well, it's available in all colours, only costs around £12 a litre, can be thinned & sprayed (as can pretty much all paints) & I like it, but I did have one dodgy tin of it once.

The colour you want is Mid Brunswick Green, the paint code for it is BS 381-226. It comes from the BS381 colour chart (there's 3 main paint colour charts, there's the RAL chart, & a couple of BS charts, this one is colour number 226 from the BS381 chart).

Whatever paint you prefer (sounds like Tractol for you, I keep meaning to give it a try myself) you'll need to find a paint suppliers that can get it for you & tell them the colour you want. They will have to order it for you, but it will only take a couple of days at most.

Having the paint code will help this process along.

Most industrial estates in most medium size towns will have at least one or two paint suppliers. Don't bother with DIY shops, they are useless or proper machine enamels.

When you find a suppliers you will need to ask, as oten they can get these paints for you, but they won't have any of it on the shelf. Most suppliers only stock gloss metal paints in white & black, any colours need ordering in. Also, Tractol & Bradite ME53 are more for trades, they only keep the expensive stuff on the shelves, like the one-coat-wonders, which are usually pretty useless (like Hammerite, which is a bloody poor excuse for a paint, or Rustoleum, which is infinitely better but very expensive in comparison to a normal gloss & a good primer).

You'll need a decent primer as well, there's loads to choose from, I like Teamac red oxide, it's very good, very reasonable & available in a lot o places.

Try not to buy paint that's been standing for years. Always better to order in a fresh tin, specially mixed for you.

I have used Tekaloid for my restoration, it's the next one up from Tractol, I can't remember the exact differences but I think the pigment is finer and as such sprays a little easier, quite a nice paint to spray especially once you get a hanging coat on,and definately 24 hours between coats as it will orange peel.

It also came from Smith and Allen who are very good, its bloody good paint, I am well happy with the results, especially with a couple of coats of clear over the top.

Available in all the standard colours, plenty of photos in the later posts of my Lister D thread.

biomed32uk wrote:I have used Tekaloid for my restoration, it's the next one up from Tractol, I can't remember the exact differences but I think the pigment is finer and as such sprays a little easier, quite a nice paint to spray especially once you get a hanging coat on,and definately 24 hours between coats as it will orange peel.

It also came from Smith and Allen who are very good, its bloody good paint, I am well happy with the results, especially with a couple of coats of clear over the top.

Available in all the standard colours, plenty of photos in the later posts of my Lister D thread.

I'm going to have to get the hang of this spraying lark. I just need a bigger workshop, a compressor & some equipment, but that may just be in the not too distant future for me, & if everything comes together I intend to have a damn good go at spray painting. Self teaching, asking questions on forums, reading books, watching "How-To" videos on YouTube, that kind of thing. Not necessarily for stationary engines, as I prefer the brush painted finish, but the bottom coats could be sprayed. It would probably be more of a sideline for me in the future, along with a few other skills. My dad wants some bike bits painted & is having trouble finding anyone who is both good at it & reliable, those people are very much in demand as it seems to be a bit of a cottage industry, getting small bits painted for vintage projects. You either end up with a crap job, or not getting your bits back for months, sometimes even years, sometimes not at all!

Its well worth doing, the most expensive part is a reasonable compressor, you need a reasonable size tank but for small work does not have to be huge.

A devilbiss gun is lovely, and i would love one but at £200ish not for hobby work, I have got one of the mini ones from flea bay and get good results with it. Takes some practice, knowing how to set the gun up, how much to thin the paint etc etc but once your away its great.

You'll come to love it, I find it most theraputic and for intricate or awkward areas its great, and for covering larger areas quickly.

Good for bike bits, I have done a few small jobs for people, earns good beer tokens. I manage to do mine in the workshop, I have to pick a still day, clean up and avoid stirring up the dust but it works well.

Go for it, good skill to learn.

The only thing I can add about paint is try and use the same manufacturer so you can touch up without it being to obvious.

My compressor isn't very big ( about 25 litres) but it sprays great, it's done vans and large mini buses without any problems. I have just updated it for a 100 litre tank a 3.5hp so hopefully I should be able to use other tools such as nail guns and sand blasting, I've been told this size should work them ok but nothing any smaller.


Stu.

Well, when I get a compressor it will need to be big enough for basting as well.

It's not so much the tank, although the tank does play a vital role, it's the CFM (probably now cubic metres, rather than Cubic Feet per Minute) for high flow jobs like blasting. Don't think nail guns use much at all. The motor/compressor pump need to be able to catch up. Although with a bigger tank, if the motor doesn't keep up, you'll get longer between sessions, but it will also take longer to fill back up again (longer tea breaks ).

I looked into all this years ago, but all I remember was looking at CFM for most small compressors & finding it wouldn't be enough or blasting. That was back in the 90s though, when we didn't have so many cheap tool suppliers. I think for a really good compressor (& air tools) it's best to go 2nd hand, like a bankrupt stock sale or a garage closing down or upgrading.

I'm also quite happy to make my own compressor, using an old gas bottle as a receiver. I've seen it done before & heard of it being done many times, you can even use an old brake cylinder as a stop switch actuator, if you really want to be cheap. But you need a good motor & pump unit. I don't think I would go down the cheap tool route, like Sealey, Clarke or Lidl/Aldi stuff for a compressor, I'm going right off cheap tools lately, I want stuff that's going to last & put up with a bit of punishment.

Nuts you could go really cheap on the motor by using an old fridge motor, I've heard it done but don't know what is like or the output is. My comressor was bankrupt stock or similar, it was about half the proper price (about £225) so it was a great bargin as that was the only way I could afford one unless I went secondhand. Used compressors are a mine field to find one in good condition that hasn't been bodged up to sell. It's also best to know where it can from, example I wouldn't have one from a tyre and exhaust center as it's running non stop all day same goes for a body show running tools and spray equipment, best is small garages or engineering works as they only run when needed in the day time. So best place to buy is at auction when a company closes and you can work out what use it's had.

Stu.