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Norton ride out

A few friends had told us that Poppies have been planted around a sports field near us. Any excuse to take the bike out and thinking that would make a great picture background for a WD bike, we rode off to find it. We managed to get onto the field via a footpath and rode across it past people enjoying a picnic. I was expecting people to be looking at us in disgust, but people were smiling and acknowledging us. I couldn't help thinking as an old bloke moved out the way on the gravel track, if we were on a different bike like a trials bike, people would be moaning at us, but he smiled and said nice bike. So as long as you have a quirky old bike, you can ride where you like :-)

I think the Poppies made a great background for some "arty" pictures.

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email (option): horror@blueyonder.co.uk

Re: Norton ride out

Horror, great shots of your Norton, I guess its KG3. colour, did you mix and paint this yourself, and did you use a matting agent in the paint?
I tried mixing KG3 from the formula on the WD Norton website using model paints, but it looks too "green" to me, doesn't seem to have that sometimes green sometimes brown effect that your bike has. I know from Rons posts that he has his paint mixed by a bodyshop in polyurethane and his colour looks spot on too, wouldn't expect anything else from him of course! I don't know if poly is still available, thought everything was water based now and I've never painted using this. Its my Big 4 and 16H I'm thinking about, I love KG3 but the 16H has traces of what looks like Service Brown under post war applied black paint so maybe this is the way to go. A local accessory shop has what looks like a good match for SB on the shelf so would make this an easy option.
Any guidance much appreciated.
Tony

Re: Norton ride out

The paint is a polyurethane single pack matt. Ron and I went to his local paint supplier and bought various 1 litre tins to mix together to make KG3. I think I put 1 or 2 litres x Bronze Green, 1 x Olive Drad, 1 x service Brown, all tipped into a 5 litre tin. I said whatever it comes out like is what's going on the bike. Ron was a bit more scientific about it than me, adding a cup of this and a spoon full of something else. We both did a sample and laughed, as they were about the same. The colour is great, the matt is brilliant, but it's still not very petrol proof. Where I've tickled the carb, the paint dripped on the engine plates and the paint pickled up. I've had to touch it up a few times. I lacquer the tank with fuel proof Matt enamel from a model shop. They use it on Nitro model planes etc.

email (option): horror@blueyonder.co.uk

Re: Norton ride out

Thanks Horror, That's very helpful I'll check with my paint supplier who I haven't used for a few years since I stopped painting cars, He's pretty old school so may still have poly paint.
Tony.

Re: Norton ride out

I was very dubious about Polyurethane paint, as initially I bought some for my WD16H from my local paint supplier. Luckily, before I started spraying a mate said do a test piece as I don't think that's petrol proof. It took weeks to harden and a wipe with a petrol soaked cloth took it straight off. I think they sold me some sort of coach paint. I went back to my shop and showed them, I told them it was for a bike petrol tank and that's what they sold me. I ended up mixing my own colour in 2 pack paint. It came out a bit darker green that the Model 18 although I mixed the same colour paints. The olive drab they sold me was very dark almost black in the tin. The 2 pack is OK, but not very Matt, I had to over-spray it to Matt it off. It also tends to crack when you do up any bolts so had to go round after with a small brush.

I asked Ron what he used and drove 130 miles to his paint supplier. His shop's Poly is very easy to use, no mixing hardener etc and dries to a very Matt finish.

email (option): horror@blueyonder.co.uk

Re: Norton ride out

I've found the Polyurethane mat to be quite hardy and petrol proof but I am extra careful about spilling any petrol on the paint. Once the mat paint has hardened, I give it a good spray and wipe over with WD40 with a soft cloth, which adds a bit of sheen to take away the complete mat finish and add some protection.

But here's a thing. I've been advising a guy 'Simon' who has acquired a Velo MDD. He's not particularly into WD and I don't think he really knew what he had. Anyway he's taken up the WD gauntlet and going to restore it into military trim. I sent him one of Arnaud's lovely repro EXIDE batteries, which Arnaud had already painted in his KG3. Simon went on the hunt to match Arnauds paint and came up with "Turtle Green" which he says is a good match. It's definitely another option as a starting point! Ron

https://www.e-paint.co.uk/search_colour.asp?cQuery=10%20B%2025&cRange=BS%204800/5252&cDescription=Turtle%20green%20/%20Turtle

MDD-KG3

email (option): ronpier@talk21.com

Re: Norton ride out

There's always satin and matt lacquers from vehicle paint suppliers to experiment with as well...Totally petrol proof...Ian

email (option): ian@wright52.plus.com

Re: Norton ride out

Yes, I use the petrol proof Matt lacquer on the petrol tank, which protects the decals and C number etc. But haven't sprayed over every part with it. At about £13 a can, it would double the paint cost. Even then, the paint around the filler cap has softened and wrinkled. I also cover the bike in WD40. This new fuel is evil stuff.

email (option): horror@blueyonder.co.uk

Re: Norton ride out

['At about £13 a can, it would double the paint cost...'

Horror, Do you mean aerosol cans?....I was referring to commercially available vehicle lacquer which consists of a two part mix with a lacquer and a seperate activator/hardener. This would normally be applied with a spray gun of course...These lacquers are impervious to modern petrols as they are on car bodies and can be obtained in satin and matt finishes as well as gloss......

I would imagine if the tank was taken to a local paint shop for lacquering after the initial spraying was done the cost wouldn't be too bad if all the preparation was completed and it was ready for the lacquer, even with the paint shop supplying the materials...

Here's a picture of Ron's M20 I took by a field in Normandy to get the poppy background...Not quite as 'dense' as yours though!!..Ian

email (option): ian@wright52.plus.com

Re: Norton ride out

That's a good suggestion Ian, I can spray it myself if I bought some. I've used the cans after they were recommended here many years ago and a can is enough for what I've needed on each project. I used the gloss equivalent over the decals on my little B25 and it's good stuff. A tin of 2 pack would make more sense. Maybe I could spray some tin lacquer I've got on the paintwork under the carb to protect it. This poly paint may also harden with age, as this bike build is only just a year old now and did get a lot of use, 1000 miles last Summer.

Ron, that brilliant if someone has finally found a modern equivalent to KG3.

email (option): horror@blueyonder.co.uk

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