Is black always the same - and what black is it?

Not sure about Norton black but a good Black black is Citroen black as used on Saxos etc. Some blacks have a reddish/brownish background to my eyes. I did mine black with Halfords cans several years ago and did use the fuel proof lacquer. However, it needs to go on quite heavily otherwise it does not flow well and needs a lot of colour sanding and compounding to get a good finish.

On the transfers I like the waterslide decals and have just redone mine with those on the tank but due to availability had to settle for vinyl on the side panels. (gold + black outline). If you go waterslide they should be put on after the base paint has been sanded and then given 3-4 very light dust coats of clear lacquer to seal. They will then be immune to lifting when the full lacquer coats are applied. With vinyl they go on after the clear has been sanded and compounded. It seems they will shrink with lacquer over them. ATB.

Previously hugh_dickinson wrote:

Hi Nortonistas,

I want to return my 1972 850 Commando back to its original black. I have a number of questions..

850 or 750 ? First 850 Commando came out of the factory in April '73.

I always use base black tint from a mixing scheme, this a pure black, with nothing else added, virtually all car manufacturers âblacksâ have red, blue, white or yellow tints added which gives the reddish/brownish appearance referred to. I have used this to blow in a repair on a GRP Commando tank, which had the original colour in the gel coat, & it matched perfectly.

The best, & really only lacquer to offer any resistance to petrol containing ethanol is a high solids 2 pack, & even this will not stand prolonged exposure. If you are not wanting to lacquer over decals etc, I would suggest a solid 2 pack colour, these seem much more resilient than lacquer in the war against ethanol, as they have a much higher solids content & dry much harder than clear lacquer. Unfortunately, no off the shelf rattle cans will be ethanol proof at all, as by nature, they have to be air dry, i.e. the solvents evaporate & therefore exposure to any solvent, which ethanol is, will simply soften them again. A 2 pack system uses a chemical reaction to harden the paint, similar to adding the hardener to your filler, & once itâs gone off, itâs much more impervious to attack from solvents.

With regard to transfers, as has been said, waterslide really need to be lacquered over to protect them, & if using these, you may aswell use a basecoat for the colour, fit the transfer & then lacquer. If you are not confident fitting the transfer, you can spray one or two coats of lacquer before fitting the transfer, then another couple of coats after, this way if you have a disaster, you can wipe the transfer off without harming your paint & have another go. (Raw basecoat marks very easily) Vinyl decals donât have to be lacquered over, although I always do as it gives them some protection & stops corners lifting when you are washing/polishing in the future. I have never had a problem with them shrinking or wrinkling. Again, they can be applied directly to basecoat, but itâs best to give a coat or two of lacquer first, then another couple of coats after. If using solid colour, lightly flat once dry, apply your transfers & then lacquer.

Regards, Tim

Yes you can still get Tekaloid, but I believe the chemical composition of it has changed and it is supposedly more chip resistant than it used to be, no doubt the makers would be able to vouch for its ethanol resistivity.

Personally, my favourite black is the colour originating in Crewe,which the LNWR, LMS and later British Railways used for painting Steam locomotives and which went by the wonderfully evocative name of Blackberry Black.