I have started a new 182 crane restoration project, and am looking for silver paint for the superstructure and the crane base. The top of the structure and the crane base seem to be the origional silver. The base is different. It’s still silver but it’s different from the top.
Yes Brutus…I’ll be sand blasting the superstructure, probably a fine silica.
Any suggestions on the 2-silver colors, and where I can find them? I’ve been to Trainenamel, and Olson’s, but didn’t see silver, nor the 182 listed.
Olson’s library shows the Silver paint for the 165 is the same as the Silver on the 2328 Burlington (color 2328), but I have not been able to confirm that this was true for the 182.
Charles Wood does not offer color to accessory numbers online.
I tried the CW paint in the past, and I don’t like it. It takes a very long time to dry, dries rough, and the colors are not a close match IMHO. Krylon makes a great match to PW silver. It is 1511 Silver. Don’t let the chrome finish on the cap fool you, the actual paint is an extremely close match to the silver paint Lionel used in the PW years. You can get it at Walmart.
If you haven’t removed the paint yet on the part(s) that are original, and if these are the color you wish to duplicate, any auto-parts store that sells paint should be able to match it perfectly using a sample of the original. It costs about $20.00 for a “shakey-up” can of it. I did this for the green on the milk car platform base, cattle car base, and gateman base. Perfect match. I purchased a quart, with the hardeners and reducers, and it cost less than $50.00. Spray it through my airbrush. Well worth the cost, as I’ve painted all my stuff, other people’s stuff, and still have enough left for more, and a paint formula to get more made. The local repairman gives me all his “green” repaint business, so it works out for both of us.
I deleted the paint info I had posted earlier because it was based solely on speculation (on my part) and I didn’t want to pass along potentially bad info to you. What I said was that Floquil Old Silver is a perfect match for the post war silver pieces I’ve touched up, including some 2400 series plastic passenger cars, 2500 series aluminum passenger cars, and 2343 silver F3s. Floquil doesn’t come in spray cans, so an air brush is your only option other than a paint brush.
My speculation was that all of Lionel’s silver painted pieces would have been painted the same silver color. Considering their frugality, why would they have had several different versions of silver?
However, variations in shade would not have been uncommon, considering that the paint came in 55 gallon drums and wasn’t always mixed as thoroughly as they should have been before application. They often just slapped a pump on the drum and started spraying from what I’ve heard.
So I surmised that your 182 was most likely the same silver as all those I mentioned.
Although you mention 2 different silvers on your piece, all the ones I’ve seen only had one shade with a black structure base, and black screws.
So there you have it. My opinion is, if there is a Testors silver or other brand that comes close and is available in a spray can, why not use it? It’s an easier process. Anyone worth their salt will know right away that the piece is a restoration and not an original near minto 182.
Best of luck with your restoration! I would really appreciate seeing a photo documentation of the process.
I have noticed shade differences in the same color paint on the same item. For example, the black 3459/3469 dump cars are painted with the same paint, but the bin always seems to have more of a gloss than the frame does. The bin is sheet aluminum, while the frame is cast zinc. Lionel didn’t use primer back then, so I think that the shade difference is caused by the surface, not the paint.
Jim Trumpie: I tried the Krylon approach, since it was easiest and least expensive, and I was very impressed with the quality/ease of application of Krylon’s Semi-flat black I used on the 2025. Krylon Chrome Aluminum. It has a chrome color top, but I didn’t see any numbers. I found it at ACE. This seems to be a great match for the 2400 passenger cars, but not the crane. It came out too bright. The crane seems to be a darker grayish color, and I’m looking at the paint color that was hidden by the crane base.
Could my crane paint be oxidized in some way that I’m missing something on the paint color?