Two things....One for sure, the other - don't know yet!

VacuumLand – Vintage & Modern Vacuum Enthusiasts

Help Support VacuumLand:

C

crevicetool

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 21, 2006
Messages
3,856
Location
GA
After forty-seven (seems that way to me anyway) years of research, I may -MAY- (he types apprehensively) finally be on the road to re-creating a usable home applied Hammertone finish! I have located a manufacture here in the USA that manufactures the additive. Through my Internet searches, I have found tons of the stuff from Japan, India, and Australia. Can you imagine the shipping hassles? I hope to contact them sometime this week. I had written to Benjamin Moore paints, whom I worked for many years ago, without no response. Not even kiss our corporate a$$! I was also in communication with Dow Corning. That led nowhere as well. The company I have found now seems to be a small company, and may be more inclined to help a small-time operator such as myself. Wish me luck on this. I've got about fifteen machines that require a Hammertone finish in some shape or form, and it would be nice to be able to start those projects.

However, and this is the for sure thing....I have located several companies that sell wet-transfer, clear ink-jet printable decal paper. You may say big deal - but think of the restoration possibilities! Lewyts refinished down to the Good Housekeeping decal. The Compacts with the "Anniversary Model" decals on the side, Eureka Roto-Matics. The list is endless. I will be ordering some of this soon. Here's a link below. I suspected this was available, just now looked into it!

Rick

http://www.beldecal.com/inkjet_decals.cfm
 
Hopeful news indeed!

Fingers and toes crossed you find the way, Rick.

There are 3 brands of 'hammered' spray paint I've tried from local hardware/home improvement stores and they all leave much to be desired as seen in these cap samples.

Tremclad Decor is completely useless in appearance.

Rust-Oleum Universal (sorry) is closer but the hammer marks are too drippy and pool unevenly so it's no good on vertical surfaces.
Both Tremclad and Rust-Oleum are too watery and are only effective on flat horizontal surfaces while they set.

Krylon Outdoor Spaces comes the closet to the effect we want to achieve. It is the most effective because it drys quickly and so does not run affected by gravity. However each additional light coat mostly covers over the one below so strokes must be evenly applied in one continuous pass or you get 'seams'. It looks fine, although nowhere near that authentic deep smooth baked enamel look.

But the biggest problem is the colour choices other than the Krylon Gray.No blues, no greens no rose.
For some reason they are only putting out contemporary 'antique' weathered tones simulating copper, bronze, brown, pewter and black. Black?! All these tones - and I have auditioned them all - would look awful and distinctly un-period on our beloved vacuums.

I tried spraying transparent candy blue & green plastic model hues over the Krylon Gray but unfortunately the lacquer was incompatible and caused the Krylon to bubble and peel. I have yet to experiment further with drying times that might prevent this.

What we need is a fast drying hammertone paint base with the pooling additives, that can then be easily tinted to a match for the old colours.

A buddy here in town told me 2 years ago - 4 years after the fact - about the 7 unopened cans of vintage hammertone paint for use with a sprayer that he threw out of his father's basement workshop. His Dad was in the appliance repair business and Ted swears the colours were the old ones we know on sight. Too bad but no use crying over it now. But it does prove that hammertone paints were available in tin cans at one time.

'Crinklewrinkle' tone like on a Compact would be nice, too, as a base texture paint that could be tinted.

Dave

3-20-2010-20-51-32--aeoliandave.jpg
 
This C8, formerly a badly peeling and scarred Flower Power Yellow, was stripped and repainted with the Tremclad Decor Charcoal Gray, not so much for the hammertone but for the subtle sandy texture - rather than a hammered look it contains little black particles that separate and rise to the surface. The other two brand Hammertones were not yet on the market.

3-20-2010-21-14-10--aeoliandave.jpg
 
I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you Rick as I know how much you want to be able to recreate the hammertone finish. The news on the decal paper is fantastic. There are endless possibilities for that. Congratulations.

Terry
 
Yes, hammertone paint was available in quart cans. There was also a company who made dark blue hammertone spray paint that was the closest to "Electrolux Blue" I ever found. The comany, whose name I can't remember now, has been out of business for some 20 years.
 
Well, there is this stuff.....

and Rustoleum packages their product in quart cans too. This Hammerite comes in a wide variety of colors - black, silver, lt. blue, dk blue, red, gold, brown, lt green, med green. I have inter-mixed the colors with great success in matching "Electrolux" blue. (Which is my "pet" project) The product is tintable to a small degree too without effecting drying time or other properties. Problem is, it is still (even when thinned) the same product as packaged and produces such cratering it leaves the surface rough. Very much unlike the smooth, luxurious finish that was on the Lux E, the Lewyts, AirWays, etc. The product I've found is an additive. I can also buy it today from a distributor. I have to be assured it is compatible with the other finishes I have at my disposal. Even then, if it will work, there will be much experimentation required to achieve the right look.

I did find a product made by Sherwin Williams. It's called Deminso. A few years ago, they offered it in many colors. They only make it in blue and silver now. It was perfect. I even drove to a store that carried it about fifty some miles from home to "play" with it. It was perfect. It could even be baked!!! But alas, it is not tintable, and with only the two colors - no hope for the brown Kenmore Commanders, etc. DRAT!!! However, the blue was dead-on for my VC6700. But at $64.00 per gallon, and a six month shelf life.....

3-21-2010-07-19-3--Crevicetool.jpg
 
What about spraying a clear laquer coat or two over the excess cratering,, would that help smooth it out?
 
Tried that.....

Even after curing for weeks, the fresh coat of lacquer "eats" the previous coat and destroys the mottled look of the hammertone. I have also tried acrylic clear finishes. They are next to impossible to sand (being a water based emulsion). I've tried alkyd clear finishes too. But they "amber". It changes the color. It also darkens with time. Not in a few years - weeks.

No, I'm quite certain it has to be a one-application system, at least for the decorative portion. The color, even the "build" part of the system may require multiple coats.
 
Here's a machine. An AE as it arrived from EBay....

Dented, rusted, busted wheel. Ran as smooth as puddin'. A testament to the quality of these older machines.

3-21-2010-11-13-56--Crevicetool.jpg
 
Here's after the body work.

And an application of the Hammertone. Notice how rough it is. Great pattern though.

3-21-2010-11-16-19--Crevicetool.jpg
 
And here it is finished....(temporarily)

You can see how the clear has "amber-ed", particularly where it is heavier. And, the effect has been diminished. It's smooth and shiny though.

3-21-2010-11-19-26--Crevicetool.jpg
 
Well of course

you could let it be in the same room as all of your beautifully restored machines and then they could all just decide to run away and come and live at my house!!!

Ducking and running.......
 
Funny

you should mention that. I'm missing machines I think. It's odd too that you NEVER post pictures of your vacuum room.


Ducking and running might be a good idea......
 

Latest posts

Back
Top