Thread: Correct colours for a 1943 9"?

Hi folks,

This is my first post.
I'm restoring my wife's grandfathers old Hercus 9"
over the years it has been painted cream and then green. It's a 1943 C model.
I've found traces of the original grey/red, I'd like to put it back to original..

Can anyone point me to the right shade of grey or a close match?

Cheers!

Hi Delux,

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Welcome again

Grahame

As it happens I have a 1943 Hercus 9 C. I'm not sure it is the original colour (previous owners may have changed it), but it looks like the right and original battleship grey to me. Anyway, I had it colour matched at Bunnings, so I could touch it up. Photo of machine and paint can label att.
I'm told there was no particular Hercus corporate colour, they tended to use whatever batch they could get at the time. I've seen grey, navy blue, cream, and two different shades of green. There may well have been others. Green seems to be the common colour in the later years. I have a colour match for my green 1964 Hercus AR.
Let me know if you need more info.
Hope that helps.
Cheers, Tony

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Thanks Tony, this appears to be a much darker grey/blue??

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Looks like the dark/navy blue version. Can't help you with that one. If there a sweet spot somewhere where the paint is in good nick and not faded...and you can remove that part...take it to a paint place (even Bunnings) and get it matched.

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It sounds like they had a few colours on the go at that time!
There's not much to match a colour to but that might be the best way to go if there's no known good match already.

So I've done some more digging. Well scratching really!
From what I can tell the bed and legs were originally dark navy.
The headstock, tailstock, carriage, gears etc etc appear to gave originally cream.
I'm guessing maybe it was put together from bits of two lathes??





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My serial number is VB911....close. There should also be a (matching) s/n on the tailstock and on the frame holding the motor/pulley shaft. Yours does sound a bit like it has been built up from some donors. Still very worthy of restoration and bringing back to life. Given the mix of colours you found, which one will you pick to go with? Be very interested in seeing updates of your progress.

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Thanks for the info! I'll have a look for those numbers tomorrow! I didn't realise they were stamped elsewhere.
At the moment I'm thinking of going with the bed colour as that's kinda the heart/basis/bones of any lathe, that's my theory at the moment anyway..

Hercus lathes were sold with or without legs. It depended how much you wanted to pay - or needed!

Many were sold as bench mounting lathes as this is all the buyer wanted. eg. a small garage and mechanical workshop, or an electrician who refurbished DC motor with commutator skimming and undercutting as the only lathe work done.

I have a C model that belonged to an auto electrician in Queensland. The change gears were still in the original box and had never been unwrapped 50 years after it was made!

I have VB901 from late 1943 and it is a deep blue colour. Mal is looking after it at the moment!
Go with the bed colour.

I'd love to see some photos of it if that's possible? I'd like to get this as close as possible to the correct blue.

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Good Evening Delux,
I have sent you a private message.
Regards,
Alan.

Thanks Alan!

Cheers
Jeremy.

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So, I stripped the tailstock and found what I presume is the number!?



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Serial number should be on the end of the tailstock. Often buried under the paint!

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