Am I correct in that the frames were dipped to paint them originally and that any interior part of the frame that is visible should be the same black as the outside?
Tom
Tom
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Re: Original Frame painting Method
Tom-----
No, they were not actually dipped. They were coated with the asphaltic paint in a recirculating "bath" at the A.O. Smith frame manufacturing plants in Milwaukee, WI and southern Illinois. In this process, as silly as it sounds, two men with hip boots stood in the rather shallow bath and used hoses to liberally apply the coating to the frame. The unused coating (which is what the shallow bath was comprised of) was returned via a circulating pump to the hoses and made-up, as necessary. Why a simple dip process was not used is totally beyond me.
In any event, the characteristics of application of the coating which you described (i.e. some internal coverage, etc.) was just about the same as it would have been if the frames had been dipped. So, you can proceed with restoration on that basis.
Also, if you were not aware, this original coating was NOT a paint. It was just an asphaltic coating. Unlike paint, it does not cure by polymerization; it simply dries via evaporation of the solvent. So, it can be re-dissolved and "wiped off" with a compatible solvent. Although the asphaltic coating remains available, for driven cars, I recommend restoration with a paint which produces a finish that appears like the asphaltic coating.In Appreciation of John Hinckley -
Re: Original Frame painting Method
Tom -
I don't know about the Milwaukee process (C1's and C3's), but I witnessed the Granite City process for C2's several times; the frame was hung by chains from an overhead conveyor and was sprayed. If there was any treatment in the closed box sections, I didn't see it.Comment
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Re: Original Frame painting Method
Thanks Joe and John. This will help me and a few friends who are in deep or will be soon.
TomComment
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