In a message dated 5/28/2003 12:22:31 PM Eastern Daylight Time, Patrick@aardvark-pro.com writes:
<< Just to clarify, my take is that opaque enamels/lacquers were the standard
up until the late 1950's, or perhaps the early 1960's, and then metallics
appeared. Then flamboyants appeared in the mid-1960s, first called "candy
colors" by the 1960's hot-rod crowd. These were/are essentially a
translucent colored sprayed over white, silver or gold, depending on the
look you wanted. At least that seems to be the time-line that I've seen on
vintage cars. In restoring bikes from the 1940s/1950s, opaque enamels would
have been the original finish, correct? Just trying to get handle on this,
as I'm trying to determine the color-scheme for a couple of vintage frames.
>>
While reading old Cycling mags from the 1020s on, and looking at various manufacturers brochures, I feel confident to say that there were many wild and fancy paint applications at least back into the mid-1930s! For example, flam paint over nickel and later chrome, metallics, swirls and marbles... I originally thought that the colors of that era would be subdued and opaque, but not so!
Dale Brown
cycles de ORO, Inc.
1410 Mill Street
Greensboro, NC 27408
336-274-5959
fax 336-274-6360
http://www.cyclesdeoro.com
http://www.classicrendezvous.com