Olive Drab Green Formula for Sherwin-Williams Industrial Enamel HS

Ladies and Gents,

Here's a formula for Olive Drab Green in Sherwin-Williams "Industrial Enamel HS" (HS=High Solids) gloss paint
Sherwin-Williams lists "machinery" as one of the things this paint is suited for.

1 gallon Ultra Deep Base 640118709
BAC Colorant
G2 New Green 6 oz + 11/32
R2 Maroon 2 oz + 3/32 + 1/64
Y3 Deep Gold 2 oz + 28/32
W1 White 24/32 only

This was the result of a manual match to a WW2 jeep toolbox, which was somewhat glossy. The color match is near-perfect but the new paint is much more glossy than the original, The area matched was an unfaded area of the interior.

(Don't start in on me for repainting an "antique" toolbox. The original finish was ruined before I got it - a prior owner slathered his name on the lid with paint using a too-wide brush !)

Quite a few early 20th century metal toolboxes are olive in color. This color is "close enough" to any one of those.

It really amazed me that Sherwin-Williams did not have Olive Drab as a stock color. You'd think there'd be a market for that, but, no, it had to be custom mixed.

Comments this or on the genuine, authentic GI Olive Drab color of the WW2 era greatly appreciated......

John Ruth

SouthBendModel34 said:

Comments this or on the genuine, authentic GI Olive Drab color of the WW2 era greatly appreciated......

John Ruth

Click to expand...

The Model A Ford crowd has gone to great lengths to try to secure "proven" paint chips for the various Model A Ford colors.

However, it's difficult because 80 year (gosh it's that much now?) and the vagaries of original finish color consistency, time and climate and sun have all taken their toll, including on era original paint chips.

One just can't be sure what you're seeing is what they put there 80 odd years ago.

And even among the paint suppliers who work to MAFCA supplied chips and formula, there are variations. It must have something to do with manufacturing tolerences.

I went to a Model A Ford Show/Judging, and there were two cars painted in the same color Andalusite Blue. Distinct variation in color even using the same color code, same PPG source, and the same technique to apply (these old fashioned spray gun.)

Dunno. Maybe different environment/weathering in the time since repainting?

Joe in NH

Joe in NH said:

And even among the paint suppliers who work to MAFCA supplied chips and formula, there are variations. It must have something to do with manufacturing tolerences.

Click to expand...

Same thing I noticed looking at colors online, even 2 given cars/trucks were different appearing givenn the exact same color from same manufacturer. I was comparing several cars that said they had used TPC Global. Bottom line is the same...even given the same color, could be different thinner, different amounts of it, weather, etc...

No matter what color one uses they will still need to mix it the same and/or paint at a similar temp to get an exact match, IMO. Same mix should get it very close at similar temp, I don't think the temp where painting is as important, but could be if it was drastically different.

Cheers,
Alan

This thread was not intended to be related to Model A Fords in any way

Gents,

I think there's confusion between this thread which is about Olive Drab paint and a popular thread about Model A Ford Rockmoss Green. You may wish to copy your postings over to that other thread. (Highlight, Copy, Paste into quick reply window.)

I'm just trying to share a paint formula which I find attractive and which is a good match for a WW2 GI jeep toolbix ! No claim that the whole vehicle was exactly this color. The base I purchased is certainly too glossy to be a good camo color. I belive it would be handsome on a machine tool, but it is Olive Drab, NOT "Rockmoss Green" !

JRR

About "olive drab"... There are lots and lots of "olive drabs". To my eye, these range from distinctly-brown to distinctly-green with a broad selection of grey-greens. The OP was color matching an existing paint swatch, which is the way to do it.

If you are going for historical accuracy, you need to know which country, which branch of service, what year, and often what factory to pin down the correct "olive drab". Modelers get into this a lot, and argue ferociously over details as minute as whether the Wehrmacht switched from one shade to another in March or April of 1937.

If you just want some paint to match an existing vehicle, toolbox, or whatever, take it in to the paint shop and have the color matched.

A friend of mine went to a whole lot of trouble custom matching the OD green on his 1942 Ford Jeep. He painted everything, and then started on the inside and the bits & pieces. When he came to the dash, he removed all the data plates so he could do a perfect paint job. Under the plates, he found a darker OD - he finally figured out that OD paint can fade with time, and that he'd carefully matched the faded paint. It turned out that the now visible OD paint even matched a standard OD color formula. When he found out how many colors there are for OD paint, he decided to leave well enough alone.

If you need OD paint for a restoration, check with RAPCO Jeep Parts (Rapco Parts Company). They stock and sell the various colors that are OD green in gallons and spray cans.

BobRenz:

If I'd found that RAPCO site before I had the paint custom-mixed, I could have gone with one of those colors. The hazmat shipping is sort of prohibitive, though. It was interesting to learn that not all military vehicles are painted dead flat.

If anyone has any other references to original GI colors, especially formulas, perhaps this would be the place to post them.

It's surprising how many olive colored steel tool boxes show up. Some are very obviously GI because they have nomenclature stencilled on them. Many of these are Kennedy models, some with custom-configured internal dividers and a "contents" list under the lid. There are other olive colored tool boxes with decorative features such as a "Mansard Roof" top that must be civilian. At one time, olive was a popular color for office desks and file cabinets, even safes, and I don't think these were all gov't surplus.

I have one olive colored Kennedy box which I believe is a case for single-exposure film packs as used in some Speed Graphic and similar cameras, but this ID is quite tentative.

The Bell system used to paint at least some of their tool chests olive, but it was a glossy olive IIRC.

JRR

When I was in the Army stuck at Ft. Hood (1969), we painted our Jeeps (1957 vintage according to info plates on the dash) and APC's (vintage unknown) OD using official Army OD rattle cans. We used cases of the cans. It takes a lot of paint to do a command track! The Army seemed to have an endless supply of the spray cans. All paint cans had official military labels on them. Certainly some of this paint made it to surplus dealers. That was as official as any OD I have ever seen.
Jim

MVPA (military vehicle preservation association) might have info for you

SouthBendModel34 said:

Ladies and Gents,

Here's a formula for Olive Drab Green in Sherwin-Williams "Industrial Enamel HS" (HS=High Solids) gloss paint
Sherwin-Williams lists "machinery" as one of the things this paint is suited for.

1 gallon Ultra Deep Base 640118709
BAC Colorant
G2 New Green 6 oz + 11/32
R2 Maroon 2 oz + 3/32 + 1/64
Y3 Deep Gold 2 oz + 28/32
W1 White 24/32 only

This was the result of a manual match to a WW2 jeep toolbox, which was somewhat glossy. The color match is near-perfect but the new paint is much more glossy than the original, The area matched was an unfaded area of the interior.

(Don't start in on me for repainting an "antique" toolbox. The original finish was ruined before I got it - a prior owner slathered his name on the lid with paint using a too-wide brush !)

John Ruth

Click to expand...

Yet another antique piece for your museum.
Pictures of the restored item?

This link provides some good info on the various hues.

Olive Drab Paint for Military Vehicles