[R-390] It followed me home

[Barry]

> Ray,   Sorry, I am a little confused.   Are you looking for
> information on the Collins St. James Gray paint, i.e., that used on
> the Collins A-line such as the 75A-4, KWS-1, etc? Or the semi-gloss,
> light-gray finish as used on the R-389, R-390, R-390A equipment?   To
> answer Barry's question: the FED-STD-595A color code 26152 Semi-Gloss
> Gray enamel paint that I described in my message of yesterday, is
> available directly from Spectrum Coatings, of Providence Rhode
> Island. Call Nancy of Spectrum at 401-781-4847 for pricing and other
> information. The minimum they will mix for you is one gallon, and I
> paid $70.00 for one gallon several months ago. The shipping is
> expensive, as the paint is considered a Hazmat. But the color is
> absolutely dead-on when referenced to my pristine original '67 EAC
> R-390A; this is important, as everyone here knows there were always
> variations in the color of the R-390/R-390A front panels, depending
> upon who the manufacturer of the receiver used for a paint supplier,
> the paint lot, ageing of the paint, etc., etc.    The manufacturers
> of these receivers and the CY-979A/URR cabinets always used oven-dry
> enamel for the front panel paint, and with good reason. The paint
> becomes very hard, and with very little orange peel if properly
> applied. And that is why I used the exact same type of paint when I
> restored all of my R-390/R390A/CY979A equipment.    Unrelated to
> this, in a manufacturing environment, the oven-dry finish is
> critical, as it drys quickly, speeding production.   Here is the
> information you must specifiy to Spectrum for the paint for R-390
> family of receivers:   Per FED-STD-595, Color Code 26152, Semi-Gloss
> Gray, I.A.W Specification TTE-529D, Class B Oven Dry Enamel   Based
> upon my experience, I would not consider any supplier other than
> Spectrum for this paint. I have seen samples of this color from
> Sherwin-Williams when done in their urethane finish; a little too
> glossy and too much orange peel.    It is also available in an
> air-dry finish, but the orange peel (i.e roughness of the finish) may
> be slightly greater and the hardness of the finish may be less.  
> Suffice it to say, one gallon of this paint will provide enough
> coverage for a number of R-390 front panels, CY-979A/URR cabinets,
> etc.   73,   Bruce, W2XR


I have painted two R390A front panels with the same color as the Collins S-Line (#250 from SurplusSales of Nebraska).  While not planned that way, it is very, very close to the same color as this CY-979A/URR.  I'll need to get them both out in the sunlight to get a much better idea of how close they really are.

While I'd really like to preserve the closest color match to the cabinet as possible, I doubt I'll spring for a gallon of paint, especially at that price.  If I were going to do another front panel for another R390A, maybe...

One thing I don't want to lose is the lettering that's inside showing "CY-979A/URR" and "Taffet Electronics Inc.".  I don't plan to paint the inside so I need to stick as close as possible to the original color so it won't be as obvious it was repainted.

The original paint is in pretty good shape and I almost am tempted to just leave it alone.  There is some overspray on the back that I think will come off with a bit of polishing compound and that might be enough for the rest of the cabinet as well.  We'll see.

The thing that's not so pretty are the shock mounts and rails.  This thing saw a lot of use in an apparently rugged environment.  Someone mentioned the rails were plated(?) but these are simply painted so at the very least, I plan to remove them and clean-and-paint those.

Thanks for all the input.  I did find somewhere on the web where one can order a paint chip on an index card of the various FED 595 paints.  At $35 I doubt I'll do that either, but it might be a good way to get a local paintshop to reproduce the color if they don't do FED paints.

Barry - N4BUQ