RCBS Paint Color

[101VooDoo]

I've got an old Rocker Chucker press given to me by an uncle that I'm cleaning up. It's one of the old flat green types, sort of a sea foam green color (if you've ever seen a Chevy 3100 in that shade).

Most of the paint is intact, just lots of edges rubbed off and rusted. It's sitting in evapo-rust right now, figure I'll hit those spots with some mineral spirits and a brush when it's done.

Can anyone point me towards a close match in a spray can color? Also, since most of paint is intact I was thinking of using a regular finish instead of a hammered finish, figuring the original wrinkles would show through. Or, am I off-base on that and should use the hammered paint?

Jim

 

[JimKirk]

Jim
I been looking at the same thing. I have a RCBS Trimmer that got wet some years ago when a storm blew the roof off my building. The paint has flaked off little by little until is almost bare now.

I looked and what I found is that Krylon makes a color called Celery.
It looks as close as anything I found. Walmart has it in the paint section.

http://www.krylon.com/color/families/


Jimmy K

 

[101VooDoo]

Thanks Jimmy, I was going to swing by home depot with one of the 'legs' to compare it some rustoleum colors; Walmart's nearby so I'll check out the Krylon as well.

Jim

 

[Offfhand]

Check with RCBS, they have a toll free number and may be helpful. They're nice folks.

 

[JimKirk]

It may not be close enough to "match" exactly, but I believe it will be pretty darn close.

I'm going to paint the whole base of my trimmer, so it does not have to match, just be close.

Jimmy K

 

[delta5]

If you can find a place that has electronic paint matching, you could have them duplicate the factory color and maybe the mods here could make a sticky listing all the colors and what to order at the paint stores..

 

[JimKirk]

VooDoo
After doing a Photoshop sampling of the various colors, I not sure if the Krylon Celery will be close enough. I attached a photo of the RCBS color, you won't see the texture, but just the paint colors. Maybe this will help.

Jimmy K

 

[101VooDoo]

Thanks Jim,

I emailed RCBS to see if they have a recommendation, I'll post it if they have one.

After soaking in the Evapo-rust, the press didn't look all that bad. I hit the rusted spots with a bit of steel wool to knock off the oxidation left by the soak, and shot some Shooter's choice rust preventer on them. Might not repaint after all...

Put the press back together using some 90wt Marine oil (same stuff I use on my MEC 9000's) and mounted it. Amazingly smooth. Its the only RCBS press I've had, not sure if its just worn in nicely (date on the top is 79), or if it never got much use and the wear and tear was just garage bench damage.

Jim

 

[flashhole]

Can you post a picture of your press? I'd like to see how it came out.

 

[JimKirk]

Post what color they say if you will.

Thanks
Jimmy K

 

[Superblackrifle]

how do you find out the birth date of a RCBS RC?

 

[wild willy]

Screw out the bushing the dies screw into the dates under it

 

[THe Dove]

WW

I didn't know dat! EGGZELENT!!!!

The Dove

 

[101VooDoo]

Didn't get a return email, so I called today. No recommendations for matching paint; they recommended delta5's solution of getting an electronic match.

Jim

 

[JimKirk]

I meant to come back and update you a little.

I went to Walmart and got a can of the Krylon JADE, not Celery. It is not an absolute 100% match, but is a 95+% or so.

I think you would have to have two pieces of older color RCBS stuff side by side to see the difference. I painted a sheet of good white typing paper and let it dry a couple days and placed it up close to my old color Uniflow and it is SO close!

I waiting on some reasonable weather to strip my RCBS trimmer, then I'll paint it with the Jade and post some before and after photos.

Jimmy K

 

[ArchAngelCD]

I was just about to say Krylon Jade looks closer to the RCBS color than Celery. I think Jim has it right, if you paint it with Krylon Jade I think it will be fairly close to the original. Well at least it won't be the completely wrong color like mine. I bought my Rockchucker use and someone painted it Royal Blue. It's good paint so I left it for now but it does bug me every time I look at it...

 

[101VooDoo]

Actually, I had thought about painting it red to match my Hornady LNL AP press...

Jim

 

[JimKirk]

Arch has a blue, you'll have a red... all we need now is for someone to paint theirs White. Red, White and Blue.

I could see a white press ... with oil smears, powder smudges, burnt primer dust ... what else am I missing?

Make sure you use some of that China Red ... like their star. They own us now.

Jimmy K

 

[delta5]

I was thinking that maybe one of those hammered or textured paints might look cool on that press...

 

[Gik-tal]

Take a look at DuraCoat and their CavArms Eletric Green

 

[THe Dove]

My GAWD I can't wait for the pics!!!!!

The Dove

 

[JimKirk]

Update!

OK I promised some update photos... I finally got a decent day to go outside!

Krylon Jade is the new color, minus the RCBS texture. It is a fair match, could be closer.

I know why they use texture... to hide the bad castings!

My trimmer had got wet after a storm blew the top off my reloading shed, I didn't find it until later after the damage.










Jimmy K

 

[flashhole]

Nicely done sir, thanks for sharing the pics. How did you restore the metal to a shinny finish?

 

[JimKirk]

Wire brush and a flap sander in my drill, I did not sand the critical under side of the round parts as not to change the fit to the base.

Jimmy K

 

[THe Dove]

Eggggzzzelent!, Most EGGZZZEEELEENNTT!!!!

The Dove