Model 19S fuel tank livery

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZsIGpT3JuU

Looks about right.

I've just been measuring the lines on a 1937 machine. They are clear on the oil tank where the painted lines protected the chrome plate.

The black was half an inch wide. But that was a 'nominal' width. Somebody else might know better but I'm sure that they were painted by hand by a man with a chisel-tipped half inch brush who painted broad strokes rapidly. Probably without accurately setting them out either. The width varies just enough for it to be obvious that the hand of a craftsman and not the width between masking tape bands governed the stripes.

Similarly the red lines were painted with a lining brush. And although nominally 1/8 inch wide, this was not as exact as lining tapes or something like a Beugler lining pen would give.

My oil tank lines were about 1/4 inch in from the edges of the curves in the tank. Then there was about a 1/4 inch gap, followed by the red line inside. The fuel tank lines have a curve to follow the knee pad - about 3/4 inch from it - and then the familiar sweep around the side faces and the Norton transfer. Chrome tank; 1/in black line; 1/4inch silver paint; 1/8inch red line; silver paint panel; Norton transfer in black. Then there's a tank top painted panel.

A year or two back there was a film on TV of the Indian Enfield factory. One man seemed to paint all the lines on Enfield tanks for UK. He picked up the tank in one hand, his paint brush in the other, did a sweep each side of the tank - entirely freehand - and placed the tank on the bench. Less than a minute, and no marking out whatsoever. Of course he might have cheated a bit and scribed a faint line first.

Look at George Cohen's site for more info on tanks.

Good luck! I'm about to start the same thing. Hope it goes all right! I shall be using tape to mask before spraying the black I think - but the red will go on last of all by brush. If it comes off, I shall re-do it. So no lacquer on top of the red.

Mark,

Look for a sign painter, those guys are good at hand painting lines, and I'm sure there are plenty of them in Cornwall.

Colin.

Previously wrote:

hi Dave thanks for the info Ive looked at a few tanks on the internet but they all seem different. Ive been told since that the 1956 model 19s has 1/4 inch black and 1/8 inch red but weather that's right who knows. i was told that the model 50 and 77 is the same tank. i would like to put my lines on with a brush and then lacquer over the top but im know good with a brush and those guys who can do it are hard to find down here in Cornwall. any way thanks again for the info.

regards mark

I did some lining many years ago with a home made brush. Last week I bought a brush from these people

http://www.cornelissen.com/

Magic shop! Lives in a time warp - just like our bikes!

The brush has bristles about 2 inches long and about 1/8 inch wide - and a short handle.The method is to pour some paint into a saucer and thin it if needed to a creamy consistency. Then run the brush back and fore through it until it is fully loaded but not dripping. Drag the brush with about half the length of bristles on the tank. Any wobble gets damped out by the length of bristles and the line should come out clean and long without re-loading. Not exact - but it shouldn't be. If it all goes horribly wrong, a bit of white spirit will wipe it off if it is on top of synthetic rattle can paint.

The other way is with a Beuglar lining tool but for a one-off that's expensive. And the line is perhaps too perfect...

The paint is a problem. You cannot lacquer over oil based enamel with synthetic lacquer so if that's the paint then it has to go on last. I don't know if it's possible to line with modern quick dry paint.

Anyway - don't know how good it's going to be but I hope it all goes well.

The shop assistant said the last one he sold was to someone from Rolls Royce. I like to hope the big difference between the amateur and the pro is the time taken rather than the quality of the result. But then again - "it is the duty of the wealthy man to give employment to the artisan" (said Hillaire Beloc...) and we need our craftsmen!

Hello, I have a 1955 19S and my bike have 1/4" black and 1/8"red lines and I think this is right to this model.

Regards from Svein.