Mean Green

[skoalmint]

The krylon color is called semi flat, it is the closest to the original blitz black i have found. Blitz black of today is way off from 30 + yrs ago, it is basically flat black today. just my opinion i might be wrong. LOL Brock

[400brian]

I have touched up the tunnel on my '74 X8 where the paint had been worn off, and I found the Blitz Black to be a nice match to the original paint. Your mileage may vary.

[JDT]

Satin is a very good discription by today's standard.

[ddub]

Blitz Black...IMHO, it is not flat, it is not semi gloss, its more of a satin. Krylon used to sell cans called "half flat" that I liked the look of.

Blitz Black is still available from Deere, I have used a few cans where I wanted authenticity. Not all the black on the sleds was Blitz. The skis for example; we have noticed that the vendor used more of a semi gloss on those.

I guess this is what I would say are my thoughts from what I have seen. For what it is worth I have a Satin Black already. For those that want aerosols, while I can mix it, I am not promoting it. To much available on every corner and I cannot compete price-wise with paint filled on a assembly line. But, I have actually had a lot of requests for a quality black. That is when I developed my series of blacks. What makes mine different? The flattening agent is part of the paint. If sprayed the same, you will get the same results. It is also a true Polyurethane. When used with the epoxy that I sell, it is a bullet proof combination. That was the complaint that I kept hearing about the blacks available from the ag dealerships, quality. So, If you want a better paint, I have it.

I'll ponder whether or not to actually list my blacks on the JD page.

As for the ski's. I would guess that it is actually what i call my "chassis black". It is between semi gloss and full gloss. Possibly splitting hairs, but it is what I have found on the sleds. My theory is that they used "full gloss" cheap implement paint of the time. My paint was matched to Ski-Doo and Scorpion. For production, the paint was probably applied very heavy in a single application for speed. Cheap paint, period technology, and over application led to a flatter finish than what we call "high gloss" today. but it is a bit glossier than semi-gloss. It depends on how crazy ya wanna git!

Now for some technical tips on spraying paint with flattener.

If you take the same paint and apply it differently, you may get a different gloss level. Thin coats with plenty of flash times will yield a flatter finish, heavy coats with short flash times will yield a glossier finish. If applied to heavy you may even get a "blotchy uneven gloss" look.

But with this knowledge, you can "adjust" the gloss level a bit to fit your needs.

Also I use a special paint strainer when dealing with flattened products. It is a 125 micron filter, compared to a normal 190-200 range filter. This helps take out any "chunks" of flattener which can give a "seedy or dirty" look to the paint. I actually provide these when I ship any flattened paint out.

[400brian]

Thanks for the info, and your efforts.

I think that at least some of the black parts on the Deere sleds were actually dipped. The runs and gobs of paint indicate that to me anyway.

[JDT]

I agree with your thoughts on "chassis Black" also ddub.

Used it before and liked the results.

[chriszildjian17]

I have been messing a little with the deere blitz black. If I just add thinner and spray, It come out as a Flat black. My camera is low quality so I couldn't get any pictures to turn out decent. Now If I thin the paint out, add a little hardener, It comes out like a semi flat which looks a lot better in my opinion.. I used a quart if blitz black from my local deere dealer. I bought the hardener at my local tractor supply. I am by no means a paint expert, Just Thought I would share.

[ddub]

Guys, I have pulled the emerald green and the mean green out of production in the 1k aerosol.

I won't bore you with the details, but it is a combination of the aerosol can itself and how the paint itself is mixed. (not color wise, but product wise)

Basecoat or the 2k urethane will continue to be available in the aerosol,

This does not effect any of the paint produced for paint guns.

Sorry for this, but I felt it was the best decision.