Tin of 'paint'

[ragtop]

Good evening this is my first post here, but since finding milsurps I have been reading many of the archived threads and have to admit to nipping very impressed at the friendly nature of the people on here and the depth of knowledge.

I have 3 Brens, 2 I've had for a while the other a recent addition. The most recent one is what looks to be quite an original 1940 Mk1 with all matching numbers including the barrel. The finish is however VERY worn, so am pondering refinishing it. I assume that it would have come out of the factory blued?. Back in the early 80's in the Army Cadets the SKN's and Mk3 live firers I used all,seemed to have a very thick painted finish, presumably this was applied during the many years that they were in service by armourers?.

Some years ago I was given a litre tin of paint, the guy who it came from said 'it was the stuff that army used to paint guns with' not sure if this is correct because the labels have been pulled off. It's red with a screw top, the paint is the foulest smelling stuff but once it's been shook up and stirred up it is fantastic, brushed onto bare metal it gives a perfect Matt finish (the job does however stink for weeks after). The finish I saw on those old cadet Brens was a little satin looking, as is on my L59A1 whereas this lethal brew I have gives a Matt looking finish, wondering if this is the same stuff used on the cadet weapons but I am not applying it correctly?

Information

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[browningautorifle]

Welcome to the forum, are you referring to Suncorite paint that was applied after Phosphate or bluing? I think it's still available, there are others here that can say where if it is.

[tankhunter]

The Correct Paint is Suncorite 259. Manufactured by Henkel Chemicals originally. & You are quite correct, it does indeed give off VERY distinct & hazardous fumes!.....

You should SPRAY it on your guns OUTSIDE. The Army does it in a spray booth. & bakes for 30 mins to harden the finish.

I take it by your forum title of 'Rag Top'. You also collect ex military vehicles?......If so, there is also a section here on the forum.
Of that Subject, which will interest you no doubt?

[Brit plumber]

I've a feeling Henkel stopped making it a few years ago. I tried to do a small group buy for 1 Ltr tins about 8 years ago and then they emailed to say that they were going to suspend production.

---------- Post added at 09:14 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:08 AM ----------

A 1940 Mk1 would have been browned and subsequently refinished in Sunc. Irrelevant of the Gun Mk, Certain parts were not authorised to be painted (i.e. the barrel) until much later (1970s?). Peter L has an encyclopaedic memory of these EMERS.

PS, what s the number of your gun?

[ragtop]

Thanks for the replies. I really do not know what the paint is, I've had it for about 20 years and it is so noxious that if I use it I have to use it outdoors and leave the work in the shed for a week or two before bring it in the house. A work mate and former REME armourer says it sounds like the stuff they used to use but is banned now, however I can't understand why the finish ends up so different.

Yes tankhunter, ragtop comes from me owning a Land Rover Wolf soft top.

[Peter Laidler]

Sunkorite was made under licence by a few suppliers including Trimite, Glassurit and another who's name I have forgotten. Anyway....... The trouble with your tin is that sunkorite has a shelf life because it it heavy and as it settles, it separates. In fact it would separate during the day while in tye spray gun. That's why it was always being stirred and the reason why you can get a finish from shiny to dull deep matt black. It should be a satin finish and baked. If you don't bake it, don't bother because it will never cure properly.

It's fairly toxic but nothing to be a woos about......... Our Armourers shops used to smell of the stuff but by the same token, we all had a big drum of trichlorethylene in the shops too...... You can thin it down using industrial CLEAR methylated spirit. But look......., if it's gone solid at the bottom, don't even bother to use it and you can shake it until the cows come home but it ain't going to mix again.

You really need to strip your gun to do it properly. You could get away with bead blasting the gun and repainting it in Land Rover exhaust manifold paint - and then bake it in the over. No bake = no use!

Let's have the numbers of your guns

[bigduke6]

Its still available on that auction site...... 1ltr tins, I stocked up on a few last year.

[Flying10uk]

When I need to bake paint onto items I use the oven on my domestic cooker but, obviously, you can only bake small parts in that, not a complete Bren receiver body. Also you tend to make yourself rather unpopular with other members of the household because as the paint is baked, it tends to stink the house out. The fumes given off by baking the paint are likely to be toxic so adequate ventilation MUST be provided by opening windows and doors to prevent a build-up of fumes in the house.

[Peter Laidler]

One of these days I'll take you on a nostalgic memorable journey through a huge Base Workshop Armourers and A-vehicle (tank) shop F-10. H&S was in its infancy in the late 70's or so and the uncovered trichlorethylene vapour tank would swallow a complete Merlin/Meteor engine PLUS my complete MGB GT V8 front crossmember. and rear axle. And the paint bays stretched for 40 yards - including the sunkorite bays that sprayed and baked said crossmember and axle. We didn't need to wash our hands..........we just dipped them in the tricho tank. I suppose our one concession was that we opened the windows. And so far as I know, we're all still here complete with all of our marbles........ It's all about ........ just thinking of the word.........

[Flying10uk]

The trouble is these days that unless you constantly cover your back when you give advice or make suggestions, people who make mistakes caused by their own stupidity are likely to look for someone else to blame, especially if there is financial benefit in it for them.


Some years ago one of the classic car clubs ran a series of articles describing in detail how to rebuild the engine in your classic car but the author of the article didn't consider it necessary to actually state "when you have finished rebuilding your engine and reinstalled it in your car remember to refill it with engine oil". Off course some idiot rebuilt his engine, as described, but forgot to put any oil in the engine before running it and wrecked his engine. He then had the cheek to claim that it was the author and the clubs fault that his new engine was damaged because the article didn't actually state "put oil in your engine". He then went on to try to claim compensation from the club and possibly the author but I don't know if he had any success.

* I forget which classic car club this story relates to but it was some years ago now.