The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

What is the best black spray paint for the Edison Diamond Disc bedplate?

Some of the cheap spray paints look like a off black (more gray). I have a few places to mask and touch up, including a corner plus trademark decal.

Most of the stuff you'll find in a spray-bomb at the average home-center, etc. has a muddy, grayish look.

I have yet to find anything that comes close to the real, jet-black, shiny "enamel" used on phonographs, typewriters, fans, telephones, etc. made before the Depression.

It's probably the same stuff as used on the bedplates of Edison cylinder machines ?

I agree Frank. I dont think there is anything close to the black on the market.

If the DD bedplates are anything like those used on the cylinder Phonographs, the original finish was probably asphaltum.

For touch-ups, it might be best to use shellac mixed with nigrosene (black aniline dye). That would have to be brushed on, not sprayed, and built up to a good surface, then scraped and polished smooth.

Bill

Go to the internet and look up automotive paint suppliers. Take a bed plate with you and match it to samples-if you are not set up to spray the paint, many of these shops will mix up the paint and put into spray cans for you. Not cheap-about $14.00 at a shop here in AZ called Space Age paint but what I picked out was dead on. Austin Henry-Don Henry's father needed to had an oak Amberola V's bed plate done but he wanted to keep the rest of the parts orginal-because I did not want to buy a quart of the paint (the smallest amount they will mix @ $90 a quart I had them do it in a rattle can-it matched perfect and he mounted the original parts to it and you could not tell it was a repaint. I did overshoot it with some leveler to dull it out a bit but it worked very well.
Abe

I have had great success in getting a true black in using lacquer or a eurathane.

Wes

I actually stripped the old finish off dried it very good. Then I repainted with Black spray paint (Rustoleum); I have let the bedplate dry. It looks great now, nice and black and smooth. I will add the Thomas Edison Decal to the upper left corner next (one on order from Greg Cline).

Victrolacollector wrote:I actually stripped the old finish off dried it very good. Then I repainted with Black spray paint (Rustoleum); I have let the bedplate dry. It looks great now, nice and black and smooth. I will add the Thomas Edison Decal to the upper left corner next (one on order from Greg Cline).

I'm curious. Under direct sunlight, does the end result color appear to be "greyish" or "jet black"?

Fran

Rustoleum appliance epoxy mimics the original paint used on phonographs, fans, etc. It can be sprayed on thick,is very black when viewed in sunlight and if done right, looks just like the japan used back in the day.

I use Krylon fusion gloss black. I use that for model work for years. I have used it for Edison bed plates, Victor back brackets, and the like. It is a jet black color and doesn't look like muddy gray under sunlight. From my experience, it is spot on.
Harvey Kravitz