Fuselage tubing color

[baldeagle27]

What color was the fuselage tubing in 1946? 1939?



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[Hank Jarrett]

Re: Fuselage tubing color

From what I found researching my 45, just after the war they used surplus Zinc Chromate primer on the tubes. What Taylorcraft used was either a green or a yellow color or (as was the case on my plane from small samples I found) a mixture of the two. The primer was NOT mixed to make a specific color, it is made for it's chemical and corrosion preventative properties. When I did my 45 fuselage I took samples and sent them to Pettit for custom mixing to reproduce the original color. They required me to pay in advance because as they put it "it is the most disgusting color we have ever seen". Hey, it is just like original, and that is what I wanted. I did NOT use Zinc Chromate, I got Epoxy primer and a color epoxy paint that was tinted to match the original.

Hank

They were right, it is a DISGUSTING color.

Short answer is, no one seemed to care what "color" the primer was. There is probably no way to tell what was used originally unless you find some in the deep corners of the fuselage tubes. I got lucky (if having a REALLY UGLY color on my tubes is "lucky"). I like it. ;-)

[Hank Jarrett]

Re: Fuselage tubing color

By the way, everywhere the tubes were showing they were painted the darker trim color.

Hank

[astjp2]

Re: Fuselage tubing color

Hank, wasn't Red Oxide primer also available? Tim

[Ryan]

Re: Fuselage tubing color

My '46 showed paint on the tubes just as hank described. I also found it on the metal panels under the original color.

[Hank Jarrett]

Re: Fuselage tubing color

Red Oxide wasn't used much on airplanes as I remember but was common on ship hulls and steel structures like power transmission towers. I guess it could have been, but as I remember the stuff I saw was really thick and nasty. Not something you could put a finish paint coat on.

Hank

[Ragwing nut]

Re: Fuselage tubing color

All the post war stuff I have seen was close to zinc chromate green, which varies mfg to mfg. most the exposed tubing I have seen was black, with exception to the cheap ace models the the interiors were the same metallic blue as the outside. I think prewar models varied a little bit more on exposed tubing, and not sure on rest of the tubing. Some of the early stuff in pics looks to be black like early cubs were.

[baldeagle27]

Re: Fuselage tubing color

Red oxide primer was very common on airplanes before WW2.



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[Ray36048]

Re: Fuselage tubing color

All the post war stuff I have seen was close to zinc chromate green, which varies mfg to mfg. most the exposed tubing I have seen was black, with exception to the cheap ace models the the interiors were the same metallic blue as the outside. I think prewar models varied a little bit more on exposed tubing, and not sure on rest of the tubing. Some of the early stuff in pics looks to be black like early cubs were.

Yes, Piper used black on all the fabric and tube airplanes. When Randolph mixed colored paint and then packaged it, there was always some left over. They dumped this left over paint into a large container. The combination of all the colors was black. This paint was then sold to companies like Piper to use as a universal black paint.

[Ray36048]

Re: Fuselage tubing color

All the post war stuff I have seen was close to zinc chromate green, which varies mfg to mfg. most the exposed tubing I have seen was black, with exception to the cheap ace models the the interiors were the same metallic blue as the outside. I think prewar models varied a little bit more on exposed tubing, and not sure on rest of the tubing. Some of the early stuff in pics looks to be black like early cubs were.

Yes, Piper used black on all the fabric and tube airplanes. When Randolph mixed colored paint and then packaged it, there was always some left over. They dumped this left over paint into a large container. The combination of all the colors was black. This paint was then sold to companies like Piper to use as a universal black paint.