identifying pigment

[curt stenz]

While striping a restored old car, the owner, an older fellow, gave me a tube of what he said was laquer striping paint.

The lead tube has a small metal cap. The front label reads:

Acme White Lead and Color Works, Detroit, Michigan

The label on the back of the tube reads:

Ground to the finest degree of fineness in specially prepared drying oil. These goods are very permanent and posess perfect working qualities.

The color within is 'Chrome Yellow Orange', which is a good description of the color. The tube is completly full and still soft with a small bit of oil that has separated.

This looks and smells to be an oil based pigment, and I am not sure if it is a laquer or not. Could this be mixed with linseed oil to make a oil based lettering/striping paint? I have heard of laquer striping colors, but how do they work? How would I mix this stuff if it is indeed laquer?

Any help will be appreciated.

Thanks. Curt Stenz

[Jim Moser]

I have been pinstriping for almost 50 years and have never seen anything like that. I do know that some of the old time painters mixed their pigments with linseed oil and white lead. Maybe Kent Smith would be able to shed some light on the subject since he is a second generation sign artist and the resident paint expert.

There have been several brands of lacquer striping paint available over the years. Paul Moura marketed one called Dagger Lac and Bill Carter had a line called Pro Paint. These were basically silk screen lacquer which you would thin with retarder to enable brushing it. Paul's gold was wonderful as it would cover good without any streaks or brush marks and the durability was excellent, but I was never able to duplicate it with clear screen ink and bronze powder. I have been told that Von Dutch made his gold striping paint with clear and printer's ink.

Sid Moses currently sells a line called Mo Lac, but I have no experience with it. I have been using House of Color urethane striping paint for anything requiring a clear coat ever since Paul quit selling the Dagger Lac. I use the House of Color silver, copper, and golds for pinstriping cars and brush a coat of clear over it.

Try thinnig a small dab of the paint with paint thinner and another with lacquer thinner. That should tell you which type of paint you have.

[Billy Pickett]

...Like Jim said. Couldn't you just mix some paint with various thinners and SEE WHAT WORKS? ...Nice of you to ask us first though. Mix away, and let us know what you find out.