What color is a Hardinge lathe

The HLV_B is getting to the point where I should be thinking about cleaning the stand, head and bed and giving them a lick of paint. I don't know what color it should be.

Ok, I know that Hardinge lathes came as standard in "Gray 7B", What I would like to know is whether anyone knows an equivalent RAL number shade or similar that I could obtain in the UK. I think the spooks would get excited if I tried to get a couple of quarts airmailed to me from the USA!

I could just paint it in a similar colour to the other tools in the workshop, but that might get boring. I won't leave it the colour that it is, because it is being rebuilt using parts from three separate machines and they are all different colours... where the paint is left, that is..

Mark Rand (help me or the lathe gets pink paint! ) RTFM

Reply to
Mark Rand
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Mark. I never did find any conversion tables for US, BS, or RAL colour codes.

Somewhere I had recorded the BS colour that ZMT (all ex Hardinge people) used to paint stock Hardinges when the customers didn't have other ideas. But I can't find that now either!

Might be worth a visit to your local paint factors and take a look through the colour chips for something close.

I'd use a 2 pack enamel if I were you, and if they will sell it to you ;) Will need an Air fed mask though. I found 1 part Polyurethanes not durable enough.

Funnily enough I have yet another Hardinge here to paint and rebuild this summer.

Wayne....

Reply to
Wayne Weedon

I hadn't though of that. I'll give them a call tomorrow and see if they will tell me what they use. I already know that they aren't interested in HLV-B's. But then, commercially, HLV-B's are scrap iron.

Regards (got a cross slide and a carriage drive motor today :-) Mark Rand

Reply to
Mark Rand

============= Pay particular attention about the air mask if you use a 2 part like Emron. Many people have got sick and quite a few have died using a standard resperator for "just a quick little job" or "touch up." ==>Be reminded that the fumes will affect anyone or thing in the area, and even if you wear an air mask it is possible to make your wife, kids, pets, etc. very ill or dead.

Reply to
F. George McDuffee

Reply to
Wayne Weedon

I phoned ZMT this afternoon and they said that they can't get an exact match, but they use BS4800 18B25 Dark Admiralty Grey. So that's what it'll probably get done with.

Mark Rand RTFM

Reply to
Mark Rand

Sounds familiar. They do a nice work over there, but are hellish expensive! I wonder how many of the original Hardinge builders are left there.

Is yours a US or UK made machine? My older Hardinge (69) is a Feltham made machine, the newer CNC one (84) was built at Exeter.

A friends father and grandfather both worked at the Feltham Hardinge. Sadly even now things are changing. Bridgeport are moving the whole lot up to Leicester. My parts man from Exeter has left the company completely as he was not prepared to relocate.

Wayne....

Reply to
Wayne Weedon

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