B & J's battleship gray

[steve_feldman3]

I've recently bought a Burke & James 4x5 flatbed wood field/view

camera. Got 2 boards and an extention bed with it. I like the

battleship gray paint job and it's "almost" perfect. Just a few areas

of paint loss here and there. And there. Oh, and there too.

 

 

 

I've been to my local Home Depot, where they can scan the paint and

mix to match. But there is no absolute guarantee of a perfect match

and you've got to buy a gallon. That would be enough to paint 20

4x5's (or 10 8x10's). I just need a pint for touch up.

 

 

 

So, anyone out there know of a good sourch for a matching color?

 

 

 

Thanks in advance.

 

~S.<div></div>

[neal_chaves1]

Why worry about it? Cameras are only tools. Produce the best work you can with the tools you have available.

 

Neal

[thirteenthumbs]

I striped mine and am redoing it in flat black lacquer, will finish it one of these years. How close is the nearest OSH?

http://www.osh.com/Cultures/en-US?ft=true

[thirteenthumbs]

I forgot to mention that the origional paint on these is lead based and may be very faded or aged, a good match may match the origional color not the faded/aged version. Orchard should be able to do a quart. Sears paint is what we cary and is made by Sherwin Willams.

[dave_s]

Since nobody else has mentioned it, have a look at Kevin Bourque's <A HREF="http://www.largeformatphotography.info/burke-james/restore8x10.html">page</A> on refinishing a B&J. There may be some nice wood under that gray paint.

[User_503771]

Here's a tip from my old house-painting days (things a young musician did to stay alive while doing minimal possible work....) (I was very fortunate that my dad was a real expert on all things paint. Still is.)

 

If you need to touch up, use a very-oh-so-slightly *lighter* color. It won't stand out so much if -- that means "when" -- it's off. Also touch up the minimal possible area. Use a very fine brush. Take frequent breaks or you'll start seeing spots where there ain't and you'll end up with a leopard finish.

 

About the camera: As noted above, there's some nice wood under that paint -- kind of. A lot of the B&Js were made of maple. But the catch is, it isn't necessarily the best maple. Good maple is of consistent grain pattern and finishes up very consistently. I suspect that because they knew it was going to be covered up, they didn't worry about how it looked. They concentrated instead on how it would function. And of course it functions wonderfully.

 

By the way, if it ain't maple, it's probably mahogany or cherry. Is yours an early or late model?

 

I refinished a B&J 8x10 last year and I learned the hard way how difficult it is to make that stuff look good. Especially if it isn't a real consistent high grade. Sure, it looks beautiful if all goes well, but the look can vary drastically from one inch to the next unless you go to the extreme of some fairly insane preparation work before you even put the stain on it. Then you're only left with what goes after -- oil? Lacquer? French polish? A quick trip to the pro finishing shop, just finish this up and no questions asked? I came closer to gibbering insanity working on this one than I ever have on any other restoration project.

 

You could just repaint the whole thing. But if you do that, do test first to see if the paint and brush combination you're using will leave no brush marks. Sand the existing coat first. Etc.

 

Good luck!

[tim_curry]

I wouldn't use house paint! That is going to be an oil or latex based paint. It will be too thick and look pretty bad, even if you get the correct match. You need to be able to spray on a decent finish with sanding between coats, not a brush finish. My old B&J 8x10 is now called "Frankenstein" because it has parts from different cameras (old extension rail & back, Graflok 4x5 reducing back, etc.) and various finishes.

 

The wood used in this camera was maple and birch. There was no cherry, mahogany or other wood which would look like furniture. The best you can hope for is a refinish with the proper stain to make it look like it is all one type of wood. Try a very BLACK stain. Let it dry completely. Next do a coat of very RED stain and wipe after a couple of minutes. Let dry and use a good varnish or durable clear coat with several applications for a nice finish. Please, no house paint!

[john_kasaian1]

Steve,

 

Try Testor's enamel from the hobby shop. Itty bitty bottles & lots of shades of gray to choose from. Good Luck!