Davis-Wells Bandsaw Color ?

Dan Mosley

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Palm Springs, Ca
I went to the automotive paint store the other day to try to figure out the original color of the Davis-Wells bandsaw im restoring. I was unable to match the color up due to fading and the store really dosent carry industrial equipment colors. They can match it if i had a pc of the machine that is not faded but i dont.
So i have two options: 1) Find the original color and i have tried but have struck out so far............2) Pick a new color - not a bad option as there are alot of colors to choose from
I dont have a set up at this time for spraying and the guy at the store said that most automotive type paints are mixed (3 part - paint - hardner and something else) and sprayed on at shops.......the other option is to pick a color and they will mix it "single stage" requiring no mixing and they can put it into aerosol cans........the aerosol cans sounds like the best idea and they said that one quart would get me 5 cans or so...........
prep work suggested was to wash the machine down with Laquer thinner or acetone........sand lightly with 300-400 grit and then it would be ready to spray.........

Ok so my question is if this sounds like the right way to paint the saw and does anyone have suggestions on the color or how to find the original color?

Thanks for the help in advance..............


PS - a update on the restoration - i have sent the wheels, shafts with bearings and housings, guide blocks, all into Davis-Wells in Lynwood for repair, new bearings,tires and crowning etc......will be all original when done.
One day soon i think this machine will run again..........LOL
 
I have an opinion but it is only worth what it costs you. ;)

I like original colors but I don't get hung on matching them exact. Usually you can find some original paint somewhere on a machine. Somewhere there is something that bolted together and protected the original color. When I did my joiner I found hints it was black but I never did find any paint on it, but that is unusual.

No one probably knows exactly what it was anymore and it doesn't affect the way it works. Assuming your going to use and not just look at it, it's going to get dirty and dusty so I just get close and that's enough for me.

I wouldn't go to a lot of expense if your going to use it. It's going to get dinged or scratched. So I would and do often use rattle cans with good results. Rustoleum works OK, not great but it's easy to acquire and holds up well. Just seems to take a few weeks to really harden up.

My favorite paint is from Tractor Supply but it only comes in tractor colors. :) That really limits the choices. But it is some tough paint! If you going with a gray the Massey Ferguson gray is a little darker than the Delta Gray. I used that on my RAS and it has help up very well.
 
As Jeff said, you can often find some original paint underneath things like trunnions etc. If you can find some in good shape any decent paint store can match the color. If you can't find some original or close to original, then I'd make a reasonable attempt to match it with color chips. I'm a fan of original colors too, but you can take it to a ridiculous point. Keep in mind, manufactures often chained their color formula over the years too. What was the "correct" color for one year might be wrong for the next. For example, Powermatic has used at least 6 different colors that I can think of off the top of my head. Boice Crane had at least 4 that I can think of. Bottom line, Get it close and don't sweat it.

I like Benjamin Moore Impervo enamel, but I've also used Sherwin Williams enamel with good results. Both can be sprayed easily with about 25% thinning. I have a good/expensive quality HVLP gun, I use a cheap harbor Freight gun to spray machines. Cheap and effective and if I screw up the gun, then it's a disposable and I'm not out much.

I'm not a real fan of rattle cans, the color selection is limited, but more importantly, the finish is thin and it takes a lot of coats to build a decent thickness. A good quality enamel sprays nice and builds a decent thickness only 1 or 2 coats. I would not mess with automotive finishes. 2 part is a pain to work with, enamel is so much easier to work with.

Mike
 
PS - a update on the restoration - i have sent the wheels, shafts with bearings and housings, guide blocks, all into Davis-Wells in Lynwood for repair, new bearings,tires and crowning etc......will be all original when done.
One day soon i think this machine will run again..........LOL

Wow - what a resource to have the manufacturer still in existance and willing to restore old parts / equipment. I guess this way we'll all miss out on your frustrated, explative filled message on your tire crowning experience.

The machines i've restored i used rattle cans and was able to very closely match the original color (after finding some hidden, untouched spots here and there) on two of the three occassions. The only one that you'd notice any difference on would be the Bradley band saw where the grey i settled on was not as "tan" as the original paint. I tried, but i have a shop, not a museum.

sounds like you're having fun with this resto. That's great. Any idea how long it will take Davis-Wells to return your parts? I'll bet you're a touch anxious to get things done.

Paul Hubbman
 
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I am not sure yet on how long the parts will be at the shop but i did talk to him today (Dan at Davis-Wells in Lynwood,Ca.) and told him he should have them today or tomm........i am a bit anxious to see how long he is going to take to do the work and return them and ill let you know when i can.
Thanks for the advice on the sprayer and the paint, i will check on the sources mentioned and start to sand it down soon.
Yep ill be using it and im not that particular about the color but thought i would get it as close to the original as i can but it dosent really matter that much overall.........main thing that i am happy about is having it all original again and working...........
so im guessing that cleaning it with acetone or laquer thinner and sanding with 300-400 will do for the prep?

Thanks Dan in calif
 
Scrub any dirt and grease off with soap and water. Then I sand with 180 or 220 if the paint is firmly attached and not flaking. Just enough for the new paint to get a grip.
 
SCORE!!!!! Good to hear about the mfg still being around. My main air compressor is a late 50's-early 60's Quincy twin and Quincy is still around making compressors and parts!!! I recently picked up a 1920's Patterson Tool Supply Co. band saw and will be restoring it along with a Delta jointer, Craftsman jointer, Craftsman 6" planer, and a Craftsman 8" table saw. Always looking for old "arn"!!!!


For old wood working arn, I have found this site, OWWM, to be quite helpful, informative, and resourceful.
 
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hey Craig.............wow and i thought i had my hands full with this project.....you need to post some pics and explanations of this stuff.....i find the restoring is alot of fun ............good luck to you
 
Dan, I did a quick Google & Google Image search and found a few in good condition. Maybe that can help you find the color.

For example:

4509-C.jpg
 
I recently picked up a 1920's Patterson Tool Supply Co. band saw and will be restoring it along with a Delta jointer, Craftsman jointer, Craftsman 6" planer, and a Craftsman 8" table saw. Always looking for old "arn"!!!!

Not to hijack the thread, but i've had one of those C-man 6" planers. It works well enough, but what a pain to change/adjust the blades. I also rebuilt a King Seeley era C-man 4" jointer, and last spring wrapped up rebuilding an Atlas 8" table saw (they made the same saw with the C-man lable on it for Sears). If your model number starts with 101, it's an Atlas made saw. 103 would be King Seeley, and 113 would be Emerson. They're all good serviceable tools - not cadillac, but definitely not junk. The Delta stuff i've worked on was a step above a lot (but not all) of the C-man stuff i've seen.
Have fun with them.
Most of my shop is rebuilt old iron.
Paul Hubbman
 
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