6349 - Oldtimer truck (DS) Review

[Wesley Myers]

"historically accurate" in what sense?  I'm not even sure that there was a company called Transport Union nor whether if there was its vehicles had white cabs.  I can see no reason why white should not have been used as a cab colour on a delivery truck of this age.

I found this: 

The history of automotive paint dates back to just after the turn of the century. It is true that the process of coating metal, wood and stone surfaces dates back much further. However, we have to acknowledge that a true vehicle related coating began about 1900. It came of age about 1910, roughly 6 years after Henry Ford founded Ford Motor Company. These coatings were products from the "varnish" category. Most were a carry over from the horse and buggy days. Much like old wood coatings, they were brushed on the surface and allowed to dry. The coating was then sanded smooth and refinished in the same manner. When a desired thickness was achieved the surface was polished. In many cases the process of painting a car took as long as 40 days. These products were not colorful. Remember, Henry always said, "You can have a car any color you like as long as it is “black.’” This system was used until the mid 1920’s.

1930’S -- STOVING ENAMELS & A DENTIST INVENTS THE SPRAY GUN.

During the early 30’s the auto industry started using "stoving enamels" based on alkyd resins. Initially the product was applied much like the "varnish" used earlier. These enamels were originally selected because of a higher gloss yield than varnish. They were also thicker and applied a little faster. Then somewhere between 1930 and 1940 a dentist developed the "spray gun." The spray gun application was much faster than the brush method. It minimized sanding between coatings and applied the product evenly. Now, what used to take over a month, could be done in a third of the time. This product and process was the system of choice for most vehicle manufacturers until the 1950’s.

From http://www.protectall.com/artpaints.aspx

[playmofire]

But that refers to mass production of motor vehicles and Henry Ford's "any colour so long as it's black" was the result of economies of scale in buying paint and saving on time and cost in offering only one colour.  (From 1908-1914, Ford cars were available in a range of colours, but not black!) In the late 19th century and after there were horse drawn delivery vans and carts which were extensively decorate, and so were the early motorised ones.  Here's a link to a 1912 delivery used by a retailer in Birmingham:

http://www.leelonglands.co.uk/live/news/Motorised%20Van.jpg

We can't be sure of the colour, but it's clearly white or cream or light yellow.  Even red was used, a notoriously difficult colour to paint with even today because the pigment is semi-transparent.

[tahra]

Interesting discussion

Here's a link to a 1912 delivery used by a retailer in Birmingham:

http://www.leelonglands.co.uk/live/news/Motorised%20Van.jpg

What's with the tires?

[playmofire]

Interesting discussion

What's with the tires?

Some early tyre treads used solid blocks of rubber to try and improve traction and wear.

[tahra]

Some early tyre treads used solid blocks of rubber to try and improve traction and wear.

Ah, ok - thanks - makes sense.. must have been very muddy..

[playmofire]

It wasn't necessarily mud.  Roads then were often cobbled and there were also tramlines to negotiate.

[Wesley Myers]

But that refers to mass production of motor vehicles and Henry Ford's "any colour so long as it's black" was the result of economies of scale in buying paint and saving on time and cost in offering only one colour.  (From 1908-1914, Ford cars were available in a range of colours, but not black!) In the late 19th century and after there were horse drawn delivery vans and carts which were extensively decorate, and so were the early motorised ones.  Here's a link to a 1912 delivery used by a retailer in Birmingham:

http://www.leelonglands.co.uk/live/news/Motorised%20Van.jpg

We can't be sure of the colour, but it's clearly white or cream or light yellow.  Even red was used, a notoriously difficult colour to paint with even today because the pigment is semi-transparent.

40 days to complete a paint job isn't exactly mass production.

I really want to know about the use of white at that time like on the toy. It just seems wrong and non-period for some reason. 

[Tiermann]

Granted this is a current paint and may have been modified, this is someones photo from a visit to the Anheuser Busch brewery, a truck in the lobby there. I think white is just fine. It was available and in use, like with milk wagons prior to the era so a company certainly could have chosen to use it to be distinctive.

from this blog page about half way down http://www.buzzybee.byethost8.com/content/newfile7.htm

[playmofire]

40 days to complete a paint job isn't exactly mass production.

I really want to know about the use of white at that time like on the toy. It just seems wrong and non-period for some reason.

Your original quote referred to Henry Ford who brought the production line and mass production to the motor industry and it also said the "paint and rub down and paint again" could "take up to 40 days", i.e. it would take a lot less in Ford' case, 40 days being where to-end vehicles such as Rolls Royces.  But businesses saw the motor lorry as a source of advertising how modern and up-to-date they were and so would be willing to have expensive paint jobs, which might well take weeks rather than days.

[playmofire]

This link has a great deal of detail on Ford's painting processes:

http://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/118802/126638.html

Interesting points to note is that even in the early 1900s metal parts were painted with a paint which required only an hour's drying in an oven, while wooden parts used the old-fashioned air-drying varnish type paints which took longer.  Again, the "up to 40 days" applies to the latter type of paints which were used at the top end of the market for many years into the 20th century,.