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Bluebird paint codes?

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WillyD

On Training Wheels
Hey everyone,
This is my first post and this site seems like a great resource. Thanks for that.

Wondering if there's any information out there on repainting a 1935 Elgin Bluebird. French Blue seems to correspond to a fairly specific color code, but "red accent" is vague. Does anyone here have any tips for finding appropriate paint?
 
You have a blue bird?!?! If you do would you mind telling how you got it? found, bought or a gift?
That is my favorite bike ever made and i am sure i am not the only one that thinks that.
 
This happens to be an area that I've found fellow collectors/restorers reluctant or just flat out won't share the info. I've asked this question a number of times and have never received any information. The only guy who tried to help me was Evan Hatcher--he just didn't have the info due to someone absconding with his paint code book he loaned them. I've hit some of the big guys up for info and I guess they think this may cut into their livlihood by offering up this info. Bob Strucel had a world class french blue BB at Ann Arbor last year he did so if anyone has the info he should. You may try contacting him to see if he can help. V/r Shawn
 
This happens to be an area that I've found fellow collectors/restorers reluctant or just flat out won't share the info. I've asked this question a number of times and have never received any information. The only guy who tried to help me was Evan Hatcher--he just didn't have the info due to someone absconding with his paint code book he loaned them. I've hit some of the big guys up for info and I guess they think this may cut into their livlihood by offering up this info. Bob Strucel had a world class french blue BB at Ann Arbor last year he did so if anyone has the info he should. You may try contacting him to see if he can help. V/r Shawn

It's not like you can say Elgin French blue is Dupont #xxxx. It is something that is typically color matched to an original color sample. These samples and this knowledge takes years to master. If you talk to a professional bike painter, it certainly is not in their best interest to divulge too much info, as this is the way they earn their livings. This is where the hobby lines get merky. We consider these professional painters to be our friends (I have at least 4 that I consider good friends) and fellow hobbiests, but when it comes to how they put food on their table, that becomes a different deal, as it should. It then reverts to a business relationship, as again, it should. I do not expect them to give me their secrets, color codes (if there is such a thing), etc. I hope that they can do a great job on my next project.
 
It's not like you can say Elgin French blue is Dupont #xxxx. It is something that is typically color matched to an original color sample. These samples and this knowledge takes years to master. If you talk to a professional bike painter, it certainly is not in their best interest to divulge too much info, as this is the way they earn their livings. This is where the hobby lines get merky. We consider these professional painters to be our friends (I have at least 4 that I consider good friends) and fellow hobbiests, but when it comes to how they put food on their table, that becomes a different deal, as it should. It then reverts to a business relationship, as again, it should. I do not expect them to give me their secrets, color codes (if there is such a thing), etc. I hope that they can do a great job on my next project.

One of my painter friends shared a color sample to a collector that was taken off an original bike, only to be told that the color was wrong.
 
Would it be possible to reverse engineer it from a high quality photograph with a known exposure and F-stop setting? Perhaps take a picture of a bike with the color you want while noting the amount of light and exposure you've set the camera to. Then load the digital image into your computer and open up Photoshop. Photoshop has a tool that allows you to view the color content of a color displayed in the picture. You would then sample a high number of places all over the picture and average them, this would control for bright sunny spots vs. shade. The composite average you have would give the color content controlled for light and shade spots.
 
One of my painter friends shared a color sample to a collector that was taken off an original bike, only to be told that the color was wrong.

I am gonna have to disagree with the logic on this one. Many of the bike companies used automotive colors although some did use proprietary colors. The thing is the guys that are going to send their bikes out for a high end resto will still go to these guys. I will paint any bike that I restore myself so they wouldn't be losing my business anyway. Most better paint jobbers now have the ability to color match any color using a spectrophotmeter. You just have to have enough of the original color. Of course if your working with something that was stripped long this isn't going to help. Most of the other hobbies I'm involved in people share information much more freely regardless if they do it for a living or not. By not providing the info misinformation is perpetuated and bikes wind up getting painted the wrong color(s). Of course that's jus my 2c. V/r Shawn
 
I'm going to jump into this thread not because I know much about it but because I am asked this question about 5 times a day. On my area of interest, Columbia/Westfield I have just about every year catalog there is. I have never seen any paint codes listed. There is some paint charts I have but the samples are labeled with Westfield's own name for the color, not the paint manufacturers code. My question is even if there was a paint manufacturers # code say back in the 30's or 40's would that even mean anything to an automotive paint supplier now? As was already stated any automotive paint supplier can scan a paint sample (under the headbadge works best) and recreate the color as accurate as anyone will ever get. I'm not sure if it is much a question of being a secret as much of paint "codes" for antique bikes simply not existing in most cases.
Please correct me or fill me in more completely because I'm in the dark on this one. I'd love to give people a number so they could paint their bike correctly.
 
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