7 replies to this topic

[Cooperman]

In 1968 my then wife had a 1963 Mini with an MG1100 engine. It needed some minor bodywork, as they do, and I re-painted the new parts with Almond Green cellulose.

 

Fast forward to today when I went to paint the underside of the 1865 850 I'm currently restoring. It is Almond Green. After priming it this morning, I then needed to get the Almond Green cellulose paint out and came across the remainder of the Almond Green I bought in 1968. There was almost 1 litre of partly thinned paint, so I decided to try it. I thinned it a bit more and sprayed it. Wow, that old paint went on superbly. The old Cellulose was much better than this modern stuff and it dries so much quicker. 

 

Who would have believed partly mixed paint can last almost 1/2 a century and still go on beautifully?

[Baldspeed Racing]

good call ive had a tin or two of celly in my garage for a while..........not as old as yours was want even born then but its always good to go from the tin

[FlyingScot]

Waste not want not....
Fantastic!

FS

[Minimattvan]

It is good stuff- haven't heared of any paint lasting that long! 2 k doesn't seem to lay down as nice as celly, but suppose what with all these health and safety regs it is a bit safer to use- not that I would recommend inhaling too much of any paint!!!!

[myredmini]

Im a painter by trade and the modern paints are fantastic IF you buy good quality materials. I have used celly with great results but just doesnt hold up as well as a 2k finish. Very ideal for a DIY home respray though.

[Cooperman]

For a home restorer who doesn't have a heated spray booth I think cellulose is ideal. It is easy to work with, so long as the preparation is done well, and it polishes back easily. Only a basic mask is needed together with a good quality spray gun

 

The only problem seems to be that modern cellulose paint doesn't harden off as quickly as the old stuff used to. I wonder, did the older cellulose car-paints have some sort of hardening accelerator added? If so, what was it and can it be bought separately now?

[myredmini]

Totally agree, its the safest option for a home restorer.

I dont think its possible to have any accelerator. The cellulose dries through solvent evaporation so for best results a top quality fast thinner will be as best you can do along with good air flow and heat. Obviously modern paints are hardened with a cataylist so more range of hardeners from slow-medium-fast and accelerator products.

[Cooperman]

Totally agree, its the safest option for a home restorer.

I dont think its possible to have any accelerator. The cellulose dries through solvent evaporation so for best results a top quality fast thinner will be as best you can do along with good air flow and heat. Obviously modern paints are hardened with a cataylist so more range of hardeners from slow-medium-fast and accelerator products.

Thanks for that.