what color is correct for 1917 mg08 sled and gun?

Post by **oprod** » Sun Dec 06, 2009 2:10 pm

im going to reblue the gun but am pondering if to paint the jacket or not and what color paint would be correct for the sled?

Post by **IMBLITZVT** » Sun Dec 06, 2009 3:34 pm

Oprod,

If that was only an easy answer... It looks like anything from a dark green to a bluish Gray is correct. If you want to prime it, I can hook you up with good original lead primer. The sleds came primed and unprimed.

You don't have a source for lead paint do you?

Post by **dwmmg08** » Sun Dec 06, 2009 3:57 pm

Feldgrau is the obvious correct answer... but then the question is, what is that?? WWI German field grey ran in a range, not one exact color. Most paint from the factory on a sled should at least be consistent, though. I would paint the waterjacket and the sled the same color, for simplicity's sake, but be aware they might not have been exactly the same shade in real life.

You might want to try 1944 militaria's WWI Feldgrau, (Grey Green) or Try Great War Militaria, they both stock some paint that is pretty good. The 1944 stuff is in spray cans, and really is not bad.

Glen

Post by **oprod** » Mon Dec 07, 2009 11:47 pm

ahh shucks you guys make it so easy! I will go with the 1944's ww1 fieldgrau.

Now the second question, my sled is missing the shoulder pads (wouldent want Hanz to get sore would we?) How do I go about replicating or replacing these?

Post by **MarkFinneran** » Thu Dec 10, 2009 1:18 am

Oprod, Matt and Glen - one of my favourite topics!! At last the company in UK (Europe's leading paint specialist) have investigated the bolts I sent them. The elevating gear bolts had original perfect condition Imperial German paint untouched. With their clever jiggery pokery they have broken down and identified the chemical paint make-up and will replicate!! In due course I will have available original 1917 period German Imperial paint for MGs, sled or guns or eqpt. I will keep the forum updated - costs are unknown at the moment but i will certainly send to USA if you require. it is indeed a beautiful olive green/grey/bluey colour!!

Oprod as to your fine efforts - feel free to publish some images as we all love to see the ongoing projects. I will do so myself on my sled restoration. Back to painting when I get around to painting the sled I will want to try and age it too - so apart from having it attached to my wife and have her drag it around for a week or so - does anyone have any tips on painting skills/techniques?
VMT
Mark

Post by **IMBLITZVT** » Thu Dec 10, 2009 7:27 am

Mark,

I have been looking into it a while now and it really seems to me that there are two very different colors used. Early war it was a Gray with blue tint. This rather light gray with a blue tint. Later in the war it changed to a dark green. So I don't know its one color. I will try and post pictures later.

Post by **IMBLITZVT** » Thu Dec 10, 2009 8:57 am

If you look at the sleds on the left you can see these are a gray with a slight blue tint. The ones in the middle look to be the later war dark green but with little paint left. Then there is one with a very bluish paint and I am not sure what to make of that.

Hopefully one day my Gun room will look like that!

and thats just one row!

Post by **LA MITRAILLE** » Thu Dec 10, 2009 1:00 pm

Hello,

For me imblizvt, all the sledmounts on the picture are not in original paint!!

One time, i found in a original german instruction manual, how to make 100 kg of fieldgray paint. I think that some chemicals can't be found today.

Best regards
david

Post by **IMBLITZVT** » Thu Dec 10, 2009 2:29 pm

David,

I know the owner of them as he is here in the US and I have asked him about them.

That being said, what you would suggest for how to get the original color? Even if we can't get the lead paint, if we could get the color correct, that would be better that just guessing at it. If you were repainting a sled what would you do?

Thanks,
Matt

Post by **MarkFinneran** » Fri Dec 11, 2009 7:32 am

Post by **MarkFinneran** » Fri Dec 11, 2009 7:35 am

7 sleds and potentially more - it is just not possible!!!!

Mark

Post by **MarkFinneran** » Fri Dec 11, 2009 7:49 am

Oprod - don't forget images of restoration proj please ...and Matt too!!
As you can see the original colour of this particular sled remained underneath with the sled serial number. It is that lovely olivey green colour and is the shade the laboratory is investigating. I am slowly but lovingly stripping the current pant off and so depending upon colour/condition of metail will dictate re-paint or not.

As for those 7 plus Matt - Glenn Hyatt had some USMC restoration sleds that were that grey colour - do you think the US ever painted them post WWI? We now know that captured items used by the Belgian Army post WWI were all black. Just a thought! Have they been 'media' blasted to remove old rust/paint perhaps?
I guess a test would be if this was a in-the-field painted colour- what theatre were the users in?
Excellent photo nonetheless.
Mark

Post by **oprod** » Sun Dec 13, 2009 8:33 am

OK I give up, im selling the lot after reviewing mark f's pile o maxims !
No really thanks for sharing. Id sure like to find a spare steamport cover and metal barrel carrier like you show on the mg08/15's!
My sled is currently painted black obviously with a brush. Im thinking it was done over here in the 1960's. Im lucky that it does not have any rust on it. Ive thought about trying to media blast the black paint off slowly to preserve the paint underneith, but i doubt that will work successfully. There are so many nooks and crannies on one of these things. I guess i will look for some german cammo canvas scraps to make covers for the shoulder mounts.
I forgot to take pictures of my finnish tripod as i was re doing it. It came out great. I reblued a lot of the parts and used an air sprayer to paint what needed painted. I learned to hold the air sprayer at a distance to avoid the high sheen that enamel will often give you.

Post by **MarkFinneran** » Sun Dec 13, 2009 3:53 pm

Oprod - Matts photo are not my sled mounts!!! So your sled is black? My 2 years in Belgium allowed me to study closely many Belgian Govt private and Mil collections - and almost without exception all captured German kit in Belgian service appears black painted. So perhaps you have a good post WWI example.
As for the sled pads - leather and ersatz seem to be the only materials ever used so a good thick hessian would be a good match. Those on the forum will know better than I but there used to be an excellent gun dealer/collector who made 08 parts incl cushions - someone somewhere must have the pattern!!!
Mark

Post by **MarkFinneran** » Thu Dec 17, 2009 3:17 pm

Oprod - some images of canvas pads if it helps:
[img=http://img34.imageshack.us/img34/3944/dsc02522n.th.jpg]
[img=http://img39.imageshack.us/img39/7760/dsc02519f.th.jpg]
[img=http://img709.imageshack.us/img709/491/dsc02520k.th.jpg]
[img=http://img39.imageshack.us/img39/6140/dsc02521a.th.jpg]

Post by **MarkFinneran** » Thu Dec 17, 2009 3:25 pm

Updates on restoration:
[img=http://img39.imageshack.us/img39/7770/dsc02485w.th.jpg]
[img=http://img9.imageshack.us/img9/1007/dsc02481w.th.jpg]
[img=http://img51.imageshack.us/img51/8262/dsc02476w.th.jpg]

Post by **MarkFinneran** » Mon Dec 28, 2009 10:23 am

I have now received my beautiful scientifically matched paint. The examples I sent were 4 bolts which showed the olive green and where there was wear some grey colouring. The company have matched this and said it was the primer. So I now have perfect primer match and the olive green colour.
Here is a suggestion for consideration:
Who actually knows what colour is field grey?
Some photos show sleds in the 'greyish' colour.
and now I have physical proof that a primer (or paint scheme) used on my sled was once upon a time this grey.

What if the first sleds that were sent to France and Belgium, were actually just 'mint' sleds and were this grey colour ie the primer??? Could it be feasible that units received factory produced sleds 'primed' ready for field use and therefore would be painted for the relevant theatre of ops. The responsibility is then upon the user to further paint in the 'colour of choice'? Hence the variations?
Some units may have chosen not to paint and therefore early captured sleds have remained this grey and clearly are in the minority.
Any thoughts????
Mark

Mark

Post by **LA MITRAILLE** » Wed Dec 30, 2009 1:36 am

hello,

i think there is not only one fieldgrey in german army, i also collect uniforms and equipments of german army during WW I and i never found 2 same colour. It's look like, it's fieldgrey, but never the same......

After, for sledmounts; i thing that before war and beginning of war, the sledmounts were first paint in primary colour (red) and paint in fieldgrey (more grey than green).....during war, sledmounts i have seen in original colour were directly paint in fieldgrey.....and some times repaint on the battlefield in fieldgrey more dark. I think they do that to maintain the sledmount in good condition, and some times for camouflage....
I don't think that sledmounts were sent to battlefield without paint......

Best regards
david

Ps: i collect uniforms and equipments; i am still looking about, so i can make swap against MG accessories if you have some.....

Post by **MarkFinneran** » Wed Dec 30, 2009 1:46 am

David thanks for input. Earlier on Matt has placed an image with some MG08s/sleds where the sleds are very very light grey. Much lighter than the examples you have displayed. Have you seen this 'colour' before?
You are right Field Grey seems to be in many shades, bordering on olive green in some cases yet my restoration projet has shown the first coat, be it primer or paint, as this lightish grey, with then the second coat the 'olive' field grey.
Having now had both original sled colours exactly matched, and I mean chemically/scientificaly matched, I am faced with a choice on what to use, IF I re-paint. Now that I am down to the metal she looks good 'naked' too.
Mark

Post by **MarkFinneran** » Wed Dec 30, 2009 1:49 am

[img=http://img689.imageshack.us/img689/17/latestsledimages010.th.jpg]

Underside panel showing 'olive' field grey. Other colour is being removed. First underneath grey colour not shown. This shade looks most like your trommel David that is closest to the camera, not accounting for normal daylight image.
Thanks again.
Mark

www.MG42.us

what color is correct for 1917 mg08 sled and gun?

what color is correct for 1917 mg08 sled and gun?

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Re: what color is correct for 1917 mg08 sled and gun?

Re: what color is correct for 1917 mg08 sled and gun?

Re: what color is correct for 1917 mg08 sled and gun?

Re: what color is correct for 1917 mg08 sled and gun?

Re: what color is correct for 1917 mg08 sled and gun?

Re: what color is correct for 1917 mg08 sled and gun?

Re: what color is correct for 1917 mg08 sled and gun?

what color is correct ? My project

Re: what color is correct for 1917 mg08 sled and gun?

Re: what color is correct for 1917 mg08 sled and gun?

Re: what color is correct for 1917 mg08 sled and gun?

Re: what color is correct for 1917 mg08 sled and gun?

What color is correct for 1917 mg08 sled and gun?

Re: what color is correct for 1917 mg08 sled and gun?

Re: what color is correct for 1917 mg08 sled and gun?

Re: what color is correct for 1917 mg08 sled and gun?

Re: what color is correct for 1917 mg08 sled and gun?

Re: what color is correct for 1917 mg08 sled and gun?