Need Your Advice On A Color For Gun Barrel

[Iron Mike]

Hello All!
Working on the paint for my Tiger I and have come to the gun barrel. In several of my reference pictures, the barrel appears to be a metallic or semi gloss dark grey . I have read that this was a protective coating applied at the factory, can anyone please shed some light on what color this really is. Thanks in advance!!

 

[AndyFettes]

Yes, its a medium grey colour thats heat resistant,

 

[Iron Mike]

Thanks for the quick response, Andy! Would you say it's like Tamiya XF-24 Dark Grey or more like XF 63 German Grey?

 

[Viper_MP]

I know for mine, I used Tamiya Dark grey and rubbed it with graphite powder. Then gave it a LIGHT over spray of dark grey.

I've also seen them in normal Dunkelgelb paint and in the red-oxide primer.

 

[Iron Mike]

Perfect! Thanks for the quick responses!!! Back to the spray booth!

 

[jknaus]

Viper_MP wrote:

I know for mine, I used Tamiya Dark grey and rubbed it with graphite powder. Then gave it a LIGHT over spray of dark grey.

I've also seen them in normal Dunkelgelb paint and in the red-oxide primer.

Why do you give a lite overspray after the graphite? Also do you rub the pencil on paper and then pick up graphite dust with finger to "smear"on or do you have another method? Thanks for the hints.
James

 

[AndyFettes]

Id use a cotton bud to rub on graphite, or youll get fingyprints, after Ive rubbed pencil on a bit of sandpaper

 

[Viper_MP]

I have a pure graphite pencil [no wood]. I shave it into a pile, crush a bit, then rub between the fingers and pub all over the barrel. It's kinda like painting, if you do the final rubbing off the piece, you can avoid fingerprints. The light over spray just knocks down the metallic look a little. I usually go for about 10% paint to 90% thinner. Then flat coat after that.

 

[S P Hammerton]

Greetings and Salutations Folks

As I understand it, the grey was the colour applied at the ordnance factory, the red primer would have been applied at the vehicle factory over the grey.

As gun tubes were replaced (quite frequently) in theatre they were sometimes fitted still painted in the gun manufacturers grey.

Simon