Mills surface paint?

[Radek]

Hi to all,
I have a few Mills and I would like make renovation. Could somebody tell me which kind of paint have I to use?

 

[Weasel]

Hi Raden,
They were coated in Shellac, there are quite a few threads covering this subject on the forum.
Best regards Weasel.

 

[Millsman]

Paint was made in the factories not bought 'off the shelf'. There was a prescribed formula for each colour regarding the bands.

Red

Vermillion 13 oz
Terebene 3 oz

Green

Celestial blue, dry 1 oz
Yellow ochre 8 oz
Terebene 12 oz

Pink

Oxide of zinc 1 oz
Vermillion oz
Terebene 1 oz
Turpentine spirits of oz

Good luck with the first batch!

John

 

[siegfreid]

Terebene is a kind of syrup of turpentine used by artists for fixing dry colours for oil paint . It's not easy to get these days but you can use a substitute available at most good art supplies shops . It's best to heat treat it after application to about 45 C otherwise it takes ages to dry . Most WW1 Mills weren't varnished but rust proofed by heat treating with oil , much the same as some firearms . Siegfreid .

 

[BMG50]

As for the shellac coating you get better results spraying the shellac than dipping.