[TheForge] RE:

Thu Oct 17 11:42:03 2002

right.  It used to take about 90 to 120 days to paint a car, using brushes
and enamel.  The storage of car bodies, out of the weather were huge and
expensive and it became a major limitation to volume production.  Between
brushed coats or primer and color they rubbed out the finish with finely
ground pumice stone.  Each painter had his own special collection of
brushes, and and assistant.

The early model Ts came in a hand full of colors. Painted by brush.  In
around 1915 Ford switched to a paint formula called Japan Enamel because it
could be baked dry and thus eliminate the storage, 90 days to dry, cranky
elitist painters (who were the only ones allowed to drink on the job!) and
keep up  with production.  Only problem was that they could only make in in
one color, you guessed it, black.
I am not sure what Japan Enamel is.  I have never seen a discussion of the
difference and ingredients.  My guess is its based on a fast evaporating
solvent called Japan drier.

This part is from memory; so forgive me if I get the dates wrong.  With some
digging I can get the real dates..

GM had a long partnership with Dupont and they came up with a nitrocellulose
based colored lacquer (similar basis to guncotton..).  Lacquer dries by the
evaporation of a solvent in a few minutes so it was well suited to
production line use,  GM had an exclusive deal on it that specifically
denied selling it to Ford, I think this came out in about 1922 or so.  It
took Ford until 1926 to come up with their own version of a colored Lacquer
so the Model Ts in 1926 had colors again.  This was about the time Ford had
its own chemical labs, was playing around with Soybeans (Soybean
bumpers...), Aluminum hoods and heads, and coal tar.  Lots of coal tar from
his coke ovens and coal gas plans.

These nitro Lacquers were brittle and chipped or scracthed easily so the
fenders and runningboards were still dipped in Black Enamel to resist
chipping; which is why Fords came in two tone black and color from 1926 thru
1931; the commercial cars were two tone for  more years after that.

Bet that's more than you wanted to know.

I think I have a copy of th epicture of Ford painting cars with lawn
sprinklers, if I can find it I will post it somewhere.

bob.

----- Original Message -----
From: "Bob Ehrenberger" <[email protected]>
To: "theforge" <[email protected]>
Sent: Thursday, October 17, 2002 8:08 AM
Subject: [TheForge] RE:

> Bob,
>
> It was my understanding that they put the paint on thick and then rubbed
it
> out to get it to shine. Maybe that was only on the high end cars.
>
> Bob Ehrenberger
> Shelbyville, Mo
>
> From: "bob ollerton" <[email protected]>
> Subject: Re: [TheForge] Chemical Questions ?
> Date: Wed, 16 Oct 2002 19:17:24 -0500
>
>
> On the model T, they sprayed the body with fast(relatively) drying black
> enamel.  The "sprayer" looked like a garden hose with a fan type nozzle,
the
> same you can buy today at the hardware store.  So much for the fine show
car
> finish you see today on restored cars of the period!
>
>
>
>
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