SIGNAL CORPS GREEN?

Radio Telephone and Telegraph Transmitting and Receiving Equipment
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GPW
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SIGNAL CORPS GREEN?

Post by GPW » Thu Apr 05, 2018 3:46 am

Hello from Spain,

I have in process of restoring an old BC659 Fr. (make for the French army) but I do not know what is the correct color for WWII Signal Corps radios. I have painted the radio, but I think it is wrong.
I have seen some opinions in this forum, but there are no photos of this wrinkled paint color.

Does anyone have a color image?

Regards

August

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Augusto Mas
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Re: SIGNAL CORPS GREEN?

Post by Radtech » Thu Apr 05, 2018 4:40 am

That color is not correct.The Army Signal Corps had their own paint color available from TM9 Ordnance company.

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Re: SIGNAL CORPS GREEN?

Post by GPW » Thu Apr 05, 2018 5:19 am

Hi, yes, I know that TM9Ordenance has a SC Green "type one", so I think that if there is "Type one" there must be other types of "Type X" shadows. In my case, the first layer of paint I found in the BC was similar to wrinkle yellowish green (see bottom right).

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The added color SCGreen of TM9Ordenance is from the PC monitor and probably does not correspond to the same color seen face to face. It would be good to know the approximation to the Federal Standard or Pantone color.

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In any case, I can not buy TM9 paint from Europe.

regards
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Re: SIGNAL CORPS GREEN?

Post by Radtech » Thu Apr 05, 2018 10:06 am

The other type is post WWII color not used until the early 1950's.The French used different colors at least two different colors I have found on French sets.

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Re: SIGNAL CORPS GREEN?

Post by GPW » Thu Apr 05, 2018 12:19 pm

Okay thanks. Do you know what is the SC Green color in Federal Standard or Pantone?
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Re: SIGNAL CORPS GREEN?

Post by MkDorney » Sun Apr 08, 2018 10:28 am

On a BC-659-J I'm restoring, I used the late WW2 "Semi Gloss" ( it isn't glossy, but it stands us better than the early war stuff) and matched the original paint on the radio perfectly. I was able to save the Signal Corps stamps on the radio by simply covering them over with tape and painting the radio. You can't tell the radio has been repainted. When I restored my BC-611 radios, I repainted the radios with krinkle Signal Corps Green I got from Robert Downs when this paint was still available ( it is no longer available). The shade of green is the same to my eyes as the late WW OD.

If you are dead set on putting a krinkle finish your radio, use black krinkle paint you can still find at your local auto parts store, and once dry, cover the black with the late war OD. You'll be pleased with the results.

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Re: SIGNAL CORPS GREEN?

Post by GPW » Sun Apr 08, 2018 12:22 pm

Thanks Mark, then... is the wrinkle paint O.D. 24087 correct for US radios WWII?

And, do you know if the radio latch fasteners are paint in wrinkle or whit flat paint?
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Re: SIGNAL CORPS GREEN?

Post by Radtech » Sun Apr 08, 2018 1:49 pm

These sets were originally all Signal Corps wrinkle finish paint.24087 is correct for 1950's reconditioned and Vietnam era radios but is not correct for WWII radios.WWII wrinkle paint was not semi gloss only post war rebuilds with the smooth finish.

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Re: SIGNAL CORPS GREEN?

Post by MkDorney » Mon Apr 09, 2018 8:08 am

It has been my experience in the military that when we repainted radios and other equipment, we did not pay too much attention to what specific shade of OD we painted the radio ( or any other) equipment with. The official WW2 OD green krinkle paint I used on the BC-611 was slightly darker than the late WW2 semi-gloss I used on my 1942 Dodge Weapons Carrier and the associated radio equipment mounted in the truck ( purchased at Army Jeep Parts - AJP WW2 Semi-Gloss, Late WW2 thru 1957). I used the late war OD on the vehicle because it's not really a semi gloss paint ( it doesn't shine like semi-gloss), and it stands up to weather far better than the early war flat OD, and is no different in color shade to my eye to the early war OD, and is nowhere near as dark at the 1950's dark OD or chocolate colored paint used on equipment of Korean and Vietnam War Vintage. The early war flat OD really isn't much better at preventing rust than just painting a vehicle with primer. I know this because having originally painted my 1943 MB with the early war OD, I had to repaint the vehicle withing a year because the paint simply didn't stand up. As the krinkle paint on the Handie Talkies has faded over time, I see no difference in shade between it and the WC painted in with the late World War Two "semi gloss" OD.

So you can paint your sets with paint that is available and will work, or wait and hope for a supply of unobtainium paint that will fade to the same shade as the late WW2 OD green to materialize. Me - I don't like having to repaint my stuff every year nor have my stuff rust away waiting and hoping for somebody to make the absolute factory original type paint for me to use, which fades within a year to the same shade as the readily available stuff anyway.

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Re: SIGNAL CORPS GREEN?

Post by MkDorney » Mon Apr 09, 2018 9:03 am

Also, the Vietnam Vintage radios we had in the early 1970's through the 1990s were dark OD, and nowhere near the color of late WW2 OD

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Re: SIGNAL CORPS GREEN?

Post by GPW » Tue Apr 10, 2018 1:22 am

Thanks Mcdorney, you're right, we are perfectionist fools. But I am surprised that no one can give a reference SCGreen WWII in color charts of Pantone, RAL, Federal Standatd, etc.

In my city I can make textured paint in any color if I have a reference, but I have seen modern photos of BC whit range shades from almost black, greyshis, US OD, all type of kakis and finally green glass bottle.

Regards
Augusto
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Re: SIGNAL CORPS GREEN?

Post by MkDorney » Tue Apr 10, 2018 5:37 am

Use the late WW2 OD as your base, and make it a krinkle finish, and you'll be good. Just be sure the paint has that finish, and doesn't really shine.

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Re: SIGNAL CORPS GREEN?

Post by GPW » Tue Apr 10, 2018 6:51 am

Ok, but which can be the reference (Federal Standars, RAL, etc) for late WWII OD paint? Because I think that semi gloss 24087 OD is not same to late WWII.
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Re: SIGNAL CORPS GREEN?

Post by MkDorney » Tue Apr 10, 2018 7:39 am

We could go around forever on this. Can you send your regular mailing address off group to me at MkDorney@aol.com? I think I have an old can of the Signal Corps Green that I can spray a card with, and mail you. This way the color won't be distorted, and you can see it for yourself and make the paint.

The spray paint I got years ago from Robert Downs. It's not available now, and shipping you a spray can of it in Spain is a problem. Better I mail you a color sample so you can make your own.

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Re: SIGNAL CORPS GREEN?

Post by DodgeMan » Tue Apr 10, 2018 9:23 am

[quote=GPW post_id=1717371 time=1523371885 user_id=8432]
Ok, but which can be the reference (Federal Standars, RAL, etc) for late WWII OD paint? Because I think that semi gloss 24087 OD is not same to late WWII.
[/quote]

Augusto,

The FS colors do not exactly match the WW2 colors, although they are close on some colors.

The FS595 standard did not come out until 1956. Even within the various versions of the FS595 standard there are discrepancies.


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