# 1964 Schwinn Deluxe American blue color?



## Shelbygt (Mar 22, 2021)

I’m not a fan of re-paints as I’m more on original. I’m going through my wife’s 1964 blue Deluxe American that was yard art for who knows how long. She’s more about shiny than I am. The paint is thin in many areas. It appears to have a silver base with a blue overcoat. Is that how they did it?
I can post pictures if it helps.


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## dirtman (Mar 24, 2021)

Most older Schwinns used a 'Candy' type paint process, the color of the primer, and silver base coat both will affect the final color. 
Years ago I repainted a mid 60's Typhoon, the color was flamboyant red, I used all original paint that was still available back then. The only reason I repainted that bike was because someone had stripped it to bare metal and brush painted it. I had gotten it for free and paint was the only real expense. That was over 40 years ago. 

There are a few places selling original Schwinn paint but its crazy expensive. The last I looked they wanted $68 per can plus shipping for a single spray can. 

The original color was called Opalescent Blue, later they called it Sky Blue, I'm not sure if its exactly the same color or not but side by side its really hard to tell the difference. 

Its hard to just match the color because its a two part process, the base coat is aluminum, the overcoat is sort of a tinted clear. 
The best I can describe the original color would be a candy cobalt blue.  
Something I found out years ago is that the primer greatly affected the 'tone' of the silver base coat. different color primer, resulted in a different shade of red.  Looking at a set of forks for my 1957 American in blue, I can see they used a very light gray primer under the aluminum coating.


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## rollfaster (Mar 24, 2021)

Your correct blue color was called Radiant blue. Duplicolor makes a very close match to it, Chrysler intense blue pearl.


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## rollfaster (Mar 24, 2021)

@Schwinndemonium


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## dirtman (Mar 24, 2021)

Does the Chrysler version of that blue have metal flake in it? 
The original Schwinn paint had no flake. 

I have a '99 Dodge truck in Intense blue and its a good bit lighter than my blue American or my Blue Typhoon. 

My American came to be pretty well rusted up and looking 'faded' but some really good cleaning and a few days in an Evaprust bath and I was really surprised at how much it cleaned up. Once I got the dead paint off the surface and did some light polishing the original color came back out. 


As found



After just cleaning and wiping down with some polish the first time. 



Same bike, with some cleaning and some light polishing by hand. 
(Same camera, same location under the same lighting).


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## dirtman (Mar 24, 2021)

If your looking for spray cans, look at Honda Fiji Pearl. 

I was thinking that a repaint was going to be inorder for mine when I first saw it, but I'm thinking some airbrush touch up will be good enough to make it presentable again. 
If I were looking to repaint I'd be looking toward either House of Kolor, or Autobahn paints for a custom candy color.
When I took my fork to the paint shop here, the scanner ID'd the pigment as a Cobalt, 
one of the closest off the shelf colors was Autobahn Candy Cobalt Blue, which is a four part finish, Primer, metalic base, mid color coat, and clear over coat. 
With the cost of the paint, reducer, and other supplies going that route would be an expensive option. I'd figure at least $250 in materials plus time. The only way it would be worth while is if you had several bikes to do in the same color at the same time.


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## Shelbygt (Mar 24, 2021)

a House Of Colors candy came to mind as I looked at it. I worked in a body shop as a kid and the owner did custom painting too so I’m familiar with the process. I’m not thrilled about a re-paint but I’ll admit it’s thin from sitting outside for who knows how long. I’m going to put all the chrome back on and make a decision then. I do like things original.
Thanks everyone!


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## Shelbygt (Mar 24, 2021)

rollfaster said:


> Your correct blue color was called Radiant blue. Duplicolor makes a very close match to it, Chrysler intense blue pearl.
> 
> View attachment 1378495



Is this a sliver, then blue, then clear process?


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## rollfaster (Mar 24, 2021)

Shelbygt said:


> Is this a sliver, then blue, then clear process?



If your going to bare metal, I believe that’s the process. I used it on a couple sections of my 59 Jaguar and kinda blended it together.


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## GTs58 (Mar 24, 2021)

Shelbygt said:


> Is this a sliver, then blue, then clear process?




The candy colors had an aluminum silver base over the red oxide primer. Then the candy color was shot over the base coat. No clear coat is needed. Intense Pearl is a metallic and the color itself is a darn good match, but definitely not the same look. Radiant Blue is pretty much the same color code as the Opalescent Blue, but the early Sky Blue is not even close to those two colors. 

This is about as close to perfect as you're going to get with off the self spray can paint. I shot VHT's Flat Aluminum and about ten minutes later I shot one coat of Dupli-Colors Metalcast Blue. A few minutes later I shot one more coat.


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## GTs58 (Mar 24, 2021)

Here's a comparison with Radiant Blue, Opal Blue and then 1969 Sky Blue. Poor lighting though


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## Shelbygt (Mar 24, 2021)

GTs58 said:


> The candy colors had an aluminum silver base over the red oxide primer. Then the candy color was shot over the base coat. No clear coat is needed. Intense Pearl is a metallic and the color itself is a darn good match, but definitely not the same look. Radiant Blue is pretty much the same color code as the Opalescent Blue, but the early Sky Blue is not even close to those two colors.
> 
> This is about as close to perfect as you're going to get with off the self spray can paint. I shot VHT's Flat Aluminum and about ten minutes later I shot one coat of Dupli-Colors Metalcast Blue. A few minutes later I shot one more coat.  View attachment 1378989
> 
> ...



Dayum


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## dirtman (Mar 25, 2021)

I also noticed that in the 50's they referred to two blues, one they called Opal Blue, and one they referred to it as Opalescent Blue. 
The second is a darker blue, like the forks on the right in the pic above and much like the later Radiant blue in the 60's. 
I've got a 1957 American, a 1965 Typhoon, and a 1972 Typhoon, all three are the darker blue, and I've got a 1971 Tandem frameset here with the same blue, but a neighbor has a 1972 Tandem, nearly identical, in the lighter blue. 
I have a 1954 three speed here, in what I believe is Opal Blue, with the name Tourist on the chainguard.
(The 54 looks just like a Schwinn World or early Varsity and I'd call that blue more of a  slate color than the other blues).
I also have an earlier American that's painted in the earlier blue color. 
The earlier blue appears to be a one step process, the color coat is right over the red primer. 


1957 American (Left) Opalescent blue - 1954 Tourist (Right) Opal Blue This blue darkens in pictures a bit, in hand, its more of a slate blue color.


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