True color/appearance of the "Graphite, or Smokebox colors

[NW Modeling List]

Mark,

Any or all of them could be correct.  You're absolutely right about the 
graphite - I've helped paint the smokebox of the shay at Spencer Shops, 
and it's a crude, messy job to say the least.

The color would vary depending on how much graphite was in that 
particular batch of paint, how recently it was applied, how heavily it 
was applied, and possibly how much crud was underneath the paint.  It 
would also tend to darken over time, simply because of the soot coming 
out of the stack.

My personal favorite "graphite" paint is a 50/50 mix of silver and 
black, from whatever range of paints I'm using on the rest of the model. 
  I prefer the slightly darker color that this gives, but it can also be 
lightened or darkened to suit.

NW Modeling List wrote:

> As I look over my collection of steam power I notice that the Graphite 

> or smokebox color is never the same on any two engines.

> Graphite on a pencil is metallic.

> I understand the graphite was powdered and mixed with linseed oil and 

> painted on with a big crude brush.

> 

> Well, my specific question is what would that smokebox and possibly 

> firebox color be if it were the mid 1930's?

> Did that change by the 1950's?

> 

> Secondly, is either the Precision Craft Models Y6b, or Lifelikes Y3 

> graphite correct?

> 

> I have seen a Sunset M2 factory painted and THAT smokebox was very 

> metallic.  Looked like Testors "Steel" which is a flat, darker than 

> "Bright Silver" silver.

> Could THAT one be correct?



> 

> Mark Lindsey

> N&W Historical Society

> Stuck in the 1930's


-- 
Kenneth Rickman - krickman1 at carolina.rr.com
Salisbury, NC

"You're a bubbling wealth of useless information!" - Holly Whitten