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I have my 3 Altec 817's about 1/2 of the way built. I want to paint them with the Altec theatre grey color of paint when they are finished. Does anyone know where I may obtain paint that is near the original Altec color of grey and type of paint? Thanks, Reed
US Navy boatyard Annapolis, Maryland? http://www.hostboard.com/forums/
Sorry just kidding! Couldn't resist!
Actually if anyone has an original pair the paint would have changed with age by now and would have to be sanded down a little to get to a "preserved" depth or layer for a dead acurate match. Also if anyone is in the printing or graphics business would have access to a Pantone ink color swatch book they could do a comparison of all the grey colors in the book. But of course they'd also have to have access to a factory original painted original VOTT. That or grab a bunch of grey swatch cards from your local paint store. Is there a reason you would need a close match or would pictures on the internet and a rough guess on your part be good enough? I can hear it now "hey dudes how much for a 100 point "resto'd" A7s w/factory finish fasteners and decals." You could wheel them into the Barrett/Jackson auto auction in Scotsdale, AZ.
Reed,
I restored a couple of A7's a while back. They had been clad in cheap paneling. I removed that and took one of the removable panels to Home Depot for a match. They did an excellent job and now they look great. Attached (I hope) is a photo of the lid of the paint can they mixed showing the formula they used. They now have original 1005 horns on top and they match perfectly.Home Depot Theater Gray Formula
The Altec theatre grey enamel is fairly close to battleship grey! I would look for a Benjamin Moore, Satin Impervo, or Sherwin Williams paint in battleship grey. I, personally prefer alkyd enamel oil base paints over water base.
A good paint shop can match the color if you show them the exact color using high quality paints!
I once asked Bill what they used for "Altec grey" and he said that they used whatever gray they had on hand. He said they simply called up their supplier ...and used what they sent out.
Charles' idea was perhaps the best ...match the grey that you like.
I suggest you take a color sample to paints factory. Cause they can mix a custom tone for you. anyway, i think apporach tone is OK. Your speakers shall have a smart looks while you have pasted VOTT stickers. http://www.hostboard.com/forums/
Thanks to everyone for their input. I will go with Charles suggestion at Home Depot. Thanks again. Reed
As I have heard the story, the Altec paint color looks like battleship gray because it actually was surplus WWII military paint. In the Lansing Manufacturing Company era, the drivers and multicellular horns were painted a distinctive dark blue-gray. This color persisted well into the Altec Lansing era. At the end of the war, surplus gray paint became adundant. About 1945, the horns, transformer cans, amplifier chassis, just about all metalwork- changed to gray.
An update to my paint search. I have decided to use an oil based paint. I went to Home Depot looking for a Flat Grey oil based paint. They have semi-gloss or gloss. I then went to Sherwin Williams and found the same situation. He suggested that I use their B49W2 Preprite primer for the primer and final coat thus it will be flat. I had him mix a gallon with 4 oz. black added. He then put a little sample on a test card and dried it with a hair dryer. This is exactly what I want. He could have put more black in it and made it darker but I like it the way it is. It is a battleship grey color. I will be putting Altec "Voice of the Theatre" labels on the sides even though the Altec 817 enclosures were not part of the VOTT line. At least the 515's inside were part of the VOTT line and they will look cool. Thanks again everyone for your input. Together we came up with a solution for what I wanted. Reed