A dab of this and pinch of that paint

[nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org]

nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org wrote:
Yo, Mister Blevins !
 
We shall know that you are really serious about your
N&W PL signal when you report to the List that you are
mixing up your own black paint for the old gal, using
linseed oil, lamp black, Japan dryer, and just a touch
of graphite to make the paint go on easier.  Then
we'll know that you have recovered the sacred
mysteries.
 
Why shucks, Ben...  Ya wouldn't wanna use store bought
paint, wouldja ?
 
-- /s/ burnettovych
signal maintainer on n&w's pennsylvania division


Date: Thu, 28 Apr 2005 03:43:32 -0700 (PDT) 
To: "NW Mailing List" <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org> 
From: nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org
Subject:  Re: Ben Blevins' Position Light Signal

Wow Abe, what a paint recipe.  Now, if only we didn't
have to answer to the EPA about such things...
 
I suppose I'll have to march up to the local Sherwin
Williams to get what I need.  I'm not sure what I do
need.  I want it to be black, and flat black turns
gray pretty fast.  Mr. Shell is correct about what he
experienced with his signal, the gloss black creates a
glare.  I had that problem myself when I had my signal
set up at my former residence.  So, what do I do?  
 
I have considered painting it gloss black and then
shooting it with dull cote to knock the shine off it. 
Does anybody know if that will work?
 
Ben Blevins


April 29, 2005

Hello, Ben and Abram:

I'll eventually be repainting signals too, so this is
an interesting thread.  I had always assumed that
railroads used commercially-available paint for
signals and structures.  This again gets into N&W
standards, so I wonder if the Archives has anything
that specifies the brand and tint of paint to be used
for certain applications such as signals.  Of course,
during the eras we are most interested in, lead-based
oil paints were commonly used.  I suppose that the
shift to other ingredients for the black color is why
newer paint fades to gray.  Abram's lamp black (i.e.
carbon) stays black since it is a stable element.

So, Abram, do you have the measures for each item in
your recipe?  Perhaps a signal crew can stir a boiling
kettle under moonlight in your backyard, which
unknowing neighbors might confuse with a satanic
ritual.

In the meantime, Ben, you want to surely apply a rusty
metal primer after wire brushing or sand blasting the
parts.  Derusto or Rustoleum matte black is, I think,
what you should be using, not a Sherwin-Williams
product.

Good morning,

Dr. Frank R. Scheer, Curator
Railway Mail Service Library, Inc.
f_scheer at yahoo.com
(202) 268-2121 - weekday office
(540) 837-9090 - weekend afternoons 
in the former N&W station on VA rte 723 
117 East Main Street 
Boyce  VA  22620-9639
 
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