Well even though I can't do any work on my saw/joiner yet I am trying to get things lined up to be ready when I can. I have found even as I have read so many of the post here I have so many questions. I hope I'm not the only one so I be the one to post the questions.

Where do you get your paint to reprint your delta tools? I have an '87 model Unisaw and it seems the color on it is a little darker than what is on the '48 Tilt Top saw/joiner combo. So are there different shades for different periods?

Have you just taken a swatch to a paint store to match what is on there now?

Looking for some discussion on this.

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John Moody
Site Administrator


John Moody Woodworks
http://www.johnmoodywoodworks.com

John,

Delta used several shades of grey over the 80+ years they've been in business.

Machines from the same time period may even look different due to chemical exposure, exposure to sunlight, etc.

Colors can be matched by taking a piece to the paint store.

Rust-Oleum makes several shades of grey, that come close to original colors.

Early to mid 30's machines come close to Light Machinery Gray, or Ford Engine Gray

Mid 30's to mid 40's are closer to Dark Machinery Gray, or Smoke Gray which some claim has the blueish tint that Delta had. I haven't used the Smoke Gray myself yet.

What looks right to one person, may not look right to another.

I myself am not a purist, and like a little more color/colour than the typical grey/gray.

 

Larry

Old Woodworking Machinery Forum Host

I have used the smoke gray from Rustoleum a couple of times. It is a good close match but not perfect. A good place to look for the otiginal color will be in a protected spot somewhere on the machine. In your case the paint under the motor where it mounts to the stand will be a good place to look. Here is my Delta 14" band saw done with the Rustoleum

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My job is to give my kids things to discuss with their therapist

Thanks Ken that is a good idea. I love the bandsaw and it is a nice color. Was the original stand black or gray. I like the contrast.

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John Moody
Site Administrator


John Moody Woodworks
http://www.johnmoodywoodworks.com

The stand was originally gray. I had it powder coated black. I wanted it coated gray but they did not have a shade of gray I was happy with.

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My job is to give my kids things to discuss with their therapist

There's some good info and paint codes for the Delta paint colors on the VM site here 

http://wiki.vintagemachinery.org/PaintColorsDelta.ashx

Thanks for the links

Shane Whitlock said:

There's some good info and paint codes for the Delta paint colors on the VM site here 

http://wiki.vintagemachinery.org/PaintColorsDelta.ashx

Larry, for a long lasting durable paint, is there something that folks use besides off the shelf rattle cans? Or are the rattle cans sufficient?

Larry Buskirk said:

John,

Delta used several shades of grey over the 80+ years they've been in business.

Machines from the same time period may even look different due to chemical exposure, exposure to sunlight, etc.

Colors can be matched by taking a piece to the paint store.

Rust-Oleum makes several shades of grey, that come close to original colors.

Early to mid 30's machines come close to Light Machinery Gray, or Ford Engine Gray

Mid 30's to mid 40's are closer to Dark Machinery Gray, or Smoke Gray which some claim has the blueish tint that Delta had. I haven't used the Smoke Gray myself yet.

What looks right to one person, may not look right to another.

I myself am not a purist, and like a little more color/colour than the typical grey/gray.

 

Larry

Old Woodworking Machinery Forum Host

John,

Paint can be mixed to match original colors, some people will apply with a brush others will use spray equipment.

I've never needed large amounts of paint for my projects, but some people prefer the Sherwinn Williams enamels.

I myself use the rattle cans because my machines are on the small side, and I hate having to clean spray equipment.

 

Larry

Old Woodworking Machinery Forum Host