LNWR wagon grey?

[Compound2632]

1 hour ago, Edwardian said:

On a brief look it seemed that he chose darker shades for the later liveries.  I was not aware that LNWR grey was changed, just the markings/lettering.

 

I have never seen any suggestion that there was a change in the shade of grey used. It's possible that Richards' interpretation of the shade may have changed - as mine is doing!

[Edwardian]

32 minutes ago, Compound2632 said:

 

I have never seen any suggestion that there was a change in the shade of grey used. It's possible that Richards' interpretation of the shade may have changed - as mine is doing!

 

Yes, I suspect you are correct in inferring that; no reference to any change in official LNWR grey have I seen.

[Compound2632]

2 minutes ago, Edwardian said:

official LNWR grey

 

There has to be the caveat that whereas Essery quotes official paint specifications in Midland Wagons and The LMS Wagon, dated 1888 and 1929 respectively and essentially the same barring the substitution of zinc white for white lead in 1929, the authors of LNWR Liveries and LNWR Wagons do not quote any official sources. Nevertheless, half-and-half is such a simple formula that it seems unlikely to have varied. The Midland and LMS formulae specify the proportions of liquid ingredients to be added; I don't know whether variation in these would affect the final shade.

[57xx]

On 19/05/2020 at 14:17, mike morley said:

One thing I have learned the hard way is that Phoenix paint doesnt mix too kindly with other brands.

A few years ago I had a tin of what was supposed to be Midland freight light grey but was clearly much too dark.  I lightened it with a bit of Humbrol white and it took on a distinctly greenish tinge.  Then, only last week, I thinned some LBSC freight grey using ordinary DIY store white spirit and, again, it took on a distinctly green tinge.

 

The issue there may have been using white paint. The white pigment is too bright on it's own and can cause some funny effects, it's better to use cream or a lighter grey to try and lighten other colours.

[Caley Jim]

3 hours ago, 57xx said:

 

The issue there may have been using white paint. The white pigment is too bright on it's own and can cause some funny effects, it's better to use cream or a lighter grey to try and lighten other colours.

When creating a very dark grey for underframes and ironwork I always add a little light grey to the black.  It seems to create a more subtle tone than adding white.

 

Jim 

[Edwardian]

4 hours ago, 57xx said:

 

The issue there may have been using white paint. The white pigment is too bright on it's own and can cause some funny effects, it's better to use cream or a lighter grey to try and lighten other colours.

 

Pure colours don't really work at scale.  They need 'softening'.  Just as I would use a 'bleached bone' colour to, say, paint a man's shirt, I'd us it instead of white to lighten a colour. 

 

A degree of cream, like a degree of brown, takes the keen clean sharpness out of a grey and looks more natural.

[Guy Rixon]

4 hours ago, 57xx said:

 

The issue there may have been using white paint. The white pigment is too bright on it's own and can cause some funny effects, it's better to use cream or a lighter grey to try and lighten other colours.

It's a separation effect, I think, possibly brought on by incompatible solvents. I had a really old tin of Precision LNWR coach-white where the blue component had separated and gone a bilious green. I'd only use Precision thinners, so when fully mixed back together it turned the right colour and sprayed properly.

[57xx]

On 29/05/2020 at 20:23, Guy Rixon said:

It's a separation effect, I think, possibly brought on by incompatible solvents. I had a really old tin of Precision LNWR coach-white where the blue component had separated and gone a bilious green. I'd only use Precision thinners, so when fully mixed back together it turned the right colour and sprayed properly.

 

What's in Precision thinners? I normally just use white spirit, not had any issues so far but interested to know. I have some Humbrol thinners with Naptha but tend not to use it due to the pong.

[Guy Rixon]

On 30/05/2020 at 21:03, 57xx said:

 

What's in Precision thinners? I normally just use white spirit, not had any issues so far but interested to know. I have some Humbrol thinners with Naptha but tend not to use it due to the pong.

I don't know what Precision put in their thinners, except that it must be notably volatile to be "quick air drying". "Incompatible solvents" is a guess, not based on insider knowledge. If white spirit works, that's encouraging.

[Crewe North]

Following on from a discussion on the LNWR Society forum regarding wagon grey it was decided that Humbrol 27 Storm Grey is very close. It'll do for me until somebody with a time machine goes back 150 years and returns with a pot of the gen stuff :-)

 

John

[Penlan]

16 hours ago, Crewe North said:

Following on from a discussion on the LNWR Society forum regarding wagon grey it was decided that Humbrol 27 Storm Grey is very close. It'll do for me until somebody with a time machine goes back 150 years and returns with a pot of the gen stuff :-) 

...... Agreed 

[PenrithBeacon]

There were stories in the 1970s that someone had chips taken off surviving LNWR wagons and these were used by Precision Paints to produce their colour. Don't know about the provenance of the stories though. 

Cheers