Wednesday 26 February 2014

Fourth Colour

Earlier, I wrote about the three Soviet camouflage colours: green, yellow, and brown. However, Yuri Pasholok discovered a fourth that he describes as a "museum gray" that German tanks are often painted with.

"Instructions on the deforming paint scheme applied in factory conditions

The camouflage is painted on using mixed paints of the following colours at the viscosity of interior paint.
  1. Green "gray-earth" colour #4K
  2. Dark "brown" colour #6K
  3. Khaki "yellow" colour #7K
  4. General army 4BO khaki green paint
The distribution of coloured spots is done according to the attached diagrams. 

The process of applying the paint is as follows:
  1. Prepare the item for painting using the typical method at the factory. If putty is used, it must have anti-corrosive properties no worse than red ochre primer. 
  2. Apply red ochre primer with natural drying oils (or Oksol NKTP OST 7474/581)
    The recommended concentrations of the primer (OST 7814/753) are as follows:
    1. 40% dry primer (or appropriate amount of mixed primer)
    2. 55% of natural drying oil
    3. 5% dessicant #64
      The primer is applied using the commonly used method at the factory, depending on equipment. After primer is applied, the item should be dried. If possible, dry in hot conditions at 80 degrees for 2 hours.
  3. The first colour layer is applied with thick paints mixed with natural drying oil or Oksol drying oil in the following (approximate) ratios:
    1. 25 parts of oil by weight for 100 parts of colour #4K, produced experimentally at the Svobodniy Trud factory
    2. 40 parts of oil by weight for 100 parts of colour #6K, produced experimentally at the Svobodniy Trud factory
    3. 25 parts of oil by weight for 100 parts of colour #7K, produced experimentally at the Svobodniy Trud factory
    4. For 4BO paint, produced with different oil contents at different factories, use 30-50 parts of oil by weight for 100 parts of paint.

      Note: this consistency is for painting with a brush. If using an airbrush, dilute to necessary viscosity with white spirits.
  4. The second colour layer is applied with thick paints mixed not with drying oil, but with white spirits or turpentine. While painting, continuously add the solvent to compensate for it evaporating, bringing the paint to initial viscosity. 
After painting, the surface should be matte. When applied on the second layer, paint #6K is diluted with the same method as the first layer, using 40 parts of drying oils per 100 parts of paint by weight.

Deputy Chief of the Main Military Engineering Preparation Directorate of the Red Army GVIU, Lieutenant-Colonel [illegible]
Chief of the 4th Department of the UVIP GVIU, Major Badanin"
CAMD RF 38-11355-1

And now, a true rarity among black and white photocopies from the archives, colour samples! Keep in mind that the scanner may not replicate the tone of the paint exactly.

Colour 6K. Reflection coefficient: 0.04-0.06
Colour 4BO. Reflection coefficient: 0.100-0.130
Colour 7K. Reflection coefficient: 0.180-0.230
Colour 4K. Reflection coefficient: 0.180-0.130

A gray colour also shows up in post-war materials.

Samples of deforming camouflage for plant backgrounds.
Fig. 4: Overall view of a medium tank with camouflage paint.

2 comments:

  1. Apart from 4BO, the other paints seem oddly off - #7K is green instead of yellow and #6K looks black instead of dark brown. Scanner error or the paint fading? Or is this the result of different stages in the mixing process?

    By the way, I found out about the mysterious "Holland Society" gun manufacturer in "Penetration, Part 5". It's called HIH Siderius, and its full form is something like "Holland Industrial and Technical Company".

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    Replies
    1. That's why I said that the tone may not be exactly the same. And thanks, I saw that comment.

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