[Boatanchors] Re: Re: Wrinkle Paint

[Barry L. Ornitz]

Carl Huether, KM1H, wrote:

> 1. Yes it covered less than perfect metal work, it was great 
>    over bent lip cabinets and spot welds.  But I dont 
>    believe it was cheaper. It took time to cure and Im sure 
>    rejects were fairly common at least with the OEM 
>    suppliers such as Philco, Delco.

Remember this is 60 to 70 year old technology.  It was much 
cheaper at the time.  For a good glossly paint finish, it took 
a skilled painter to put down several coats - over a properly 
prepared surface.  The wrinkle paint could be applied in one 
heavy coat by an unskilled operator over a fairly rough 
surface. As far as oven curing, this was done with all paint 
in use at the time if you needed fast production.  The 
original wrinkle paints took only slightly longer to cure in 
the oven than did the gloss paints (due to their added 
thickness).  But consider that parts had to be oven cured 
between the minimum of two coats needed for gloss surfaces.

Setting up the painting process took longer then than it does 
these days since there was more variability in the paint 
batches.  Typically test panels made of scrap would be used to 
adjust the painting parameters and the oven curing time.

> 2. It was durable. Particularly auto radios and speakers 
>    that were firewall mounted and got kicked a lot. Thats 
>    one of the reasons Im looking, Ive several radios and 
>    speakers to restore.

Like all oil-based paints, it is durable.  But also the 
wrinkle finish does not show scratches and dings as bad as 
does glossy paint.  Likewise fingerprints do not show.

> 3. Powder coating. That was mentioned  on a car forum as 
>    well as from here.  They are also supposed to be easy to 
>    clean, something old wrinkle couldnt claim. 

I think we have a problem with many readers understanding what 
a wrinkle finish actually is.  Many obviously think any 
textured surface is wrinkle which it is not.  And as I noted 
earlier, there are many varieties of wrinkle alone.  

As of a few years ago, when I checked with the Eastman chemist 
who headed their R&D efforts in powder coatings (Mike Chang), 
there was no wrinkle finish available in powder coatings.  
Textured coatings, like those found on modern electronic 
equipment, abound.  He noted that probably there would be no 
demand for such a product, even if it could be developed.

So duplicating the original wrinkle finishes on commercial 
equipment of the 1930's and the military stuff of the 1940's 
is quite difficult.  Sadly most of the formulations used in 
wrinkle paints in those days were kept as trade secrets.  
Relatively few patents were ever issued, and as anyone who has 
read many patents knows, these give little useful information.

Tung oil varnishes are still available (but at high cost).  It 
might be worth looking at these to develop a wrinkle base that 
could be oversprayed with colored lacquer.

        73,  Barry L. Ornitz     WA4VZQ     ornitz@tricon.net

P.S.  The comments about Earl Scheib by Duane amusd me: "A 
blind man with a spray can could do better!"  This reminds me 
of the bargain paint job my Turkish office partner in graduate 
school had done to his VW beetle.  It came back painted, all 
right, including the chrome, headlights, wiper blades, and 
windows.  I think that blind man did the painting.