Olive drab paint

[Chris in Japan]

Dear all - again a question...

These are many about painting!

I will restore an 1917 HD bicycle and I am being told that only were available in olive drab paint - exactly the same color used in the HD motorcycles at that time.

a) I wish to buy the color in the closest possible tone to the original! I need some advice about where I can buy this paint and which is the number/code for the proper color.

b) I would also appreciate a recommendation regarding how much to buy (we are talking about a bicycle frame and fenders). Do I need to thinner it and if yes in which proportion?

c) Also wondering if this is a professional job only or today there are good quality sprays that would allow me with zero equipment to do this by myself.

d) How about the preparations? Sand blasting yes or no? Sand paper yes or no? Is a "base layer" (anti corrosion I guess, I do not know the name in English) mandatory? If yes which are good?

e) How many layers of paint are necessary for a good paint job?

f) Is necessary at the end some transparent lacquer layer or similar?

g) The last one: the bicycle should feature very thin black strip lines everywhere! What a challenge! Can I do this with two tape bands and painting on them? If yes which tape are good to avoid fresh paint to flow underneath the tape but can be also easily removed without damaging the green base color? If not, it is hand painting the only way???

I hope I can call the attention of somebody!

Many thanks and kind regards.

Chris.

[Rubone]

Chris, the color is Olive Green, not Olive Drab. Olive drab is a flat finish used on military vehicles. Antique cycle supply has the color chips.
Robbie

[Chris Haynes]

You can buy the paint from Antique Cycle Supply http://antiquecyclesupply.com/paint.htm
or from John Pierce. http://www.freewebs.com/colorwrite/index.html

[Chris in Japan]

Aha! I thought military and civilian models were using the same "green"! I understood properly? "Drab" for military, I guess not glossy and maybe more clear. "Olive" for civilians (mostly since I heard that at he beginning some civilian painted ones went to serve Oncle Sam), I guess glossy and darker?

I think these bicycles used then the civilian version: a glossy "olive"... Just guessing.

And what happened to the later green painting for export? My 47F is green... Should this be an "olive" or "drab"? I think Palmer says something of "drab" for export... Somebody knows this?

Many thanks and kind regards.

Chris.

PS - Chris. Many thanks for the links- Which of both should I priorize? Some preference between both?

[Chris Haynes]

Olive Drab is the color name. Military models were painted flat, not glossy Olive Drab.

[Chris in Japan]

Wait a minute, Chris... Now my limited english is going to its limits...

Allow me to sumarize a color/application chart to check my level of understanding...

Olive green glossy -> Civilian models, maybe also my famous HD bicycle...
Olive green matte -> no applications
Olive drab glossy -> Export color for 1947 (among other years, I guess) models?
Olive drab matte -> Military models

Did I got it right now?

Kind regards,

Chris.

[Steve Slocombe]

Dear Chris, the glossy olive drab was used on US military bikes in the 1930s and early 1940s. The olive green was used extensively on early Harleys, and as an export colour in 1934-36 at least. The best match I've found for olive green is the Rover car colour called 'Seaweed' which you might still just find. The ICI paint code is 10C39/P420-0857.

[Chris in Japan]

Thanks, Steve.

I understand from your information that no "matte" colors were used - only "glossy". Even for military applications. Right?

And what about the export color of the 1947 OHV? I read once these were "green"... But which green? Olive green or olive drab?

Kind regards,

Chris.

[Chris Haynes]

In Harley speek Olive Green is Olive Drab. The WWI models and expoet models were glossy while the WWII stuff was flat.
Indian seemed to use both glossy and flat during WWII.

[Smarty]

The PPG paint code for it is "1001" which is "Olive" Green in the
Harley range, this is the paint my painter has painted my bike with and its an almost exact match for the BS 10C39 Steve mentions above which I also checked by having an original paint part spectrum analysed.

My bike is painted in 1001 and is gorgeous looking

Regards,

Martin

[pete reeves]

The green used on military bikes in the 30s and 40s gloss or matt was much darker than the gloss olive green used on civilian and export bikes.

I don’t know when the practice of painting export bikes gloss olive green started and finished but I have seen the gloss olive paint used on what are believed to be export bikes from 1934 until 1939. I also have an original olive paint 1947/48 rear fender.

Pete Reeves 860

[Chris Haynes]

Here is the original paint 1936 export model.

[c.o.]

Wow! Ain't that a beauty?

[Perry Ruiter]

Here is the original paint 1936 export model.

Somehow I think Pete is already very familiar with what that bike looks like ... Perry

Hint: check the Fall 2007 club magazine

[c.o.]

I knew I'd seen that bike before! Great machine!!!