Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984 Posted September 6, 2015 Share Posted September 6, 2015 I was looking at some camo painted aircraft yesterday, helicopters and fighter jets. Took some illegal pictures too. ))) I got an Alpo-like thought and could not find the answer on the internet (very un-Alpo-like, I know). I remember when I was in Germany that we sometimes got camo patterns on our vehicles because every can of OD paint was a different color. Is the paint pattern applied freehand? Is there a standard for how to do it, some percentages of this and that other color? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdeacon Joe Posted September 6, 2015 Share Posted September 6, 2015 I know that in WWII there were exact patterns for aircraft camouflage. Somewhere (might have been on my last computer) I had a bookmark showing the plans for their systems, and even the color specifications. Here is a decent little article: http://defence.pk/threads/ww2-planes-camouflage-and-paint.359582/I'm not sure about ground vehicles, but I would think that there are still specifications on where the colors go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Utah Bob #35998 Posted September 6, 2015 Share Posted September 6, 2015 There are specific patterns and paints in the regulations for vehicle camouflage. You don't want to leave it up to units to do their own thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cliff Hanger #3720LR Posted September 6, 2015 Share Posted September 6, 2015 Here is some light reading. Lots of photos Aircraft Camouflage Did you know there is a Comopedia for uniforms? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chili Ron Posted September 6, 2015 Share Posted September 6, 2015 Howdy, One time when I was camping in da North a fella had a camo bus. He said he was stopped by some fed muckettymuck who wanted to know how he got the plans for the pattern. Supposed to be sorta restricted. All he did was copy a army jacket and scale it up a little. Muckettymuck made a face and went away. Any help? Best CR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colorado Coffinmaker Posted September 6, 2015 Share Posted September 6, 2015 The paint(s) used for Camo have specifically called out pigments for color and must meet requirements. The paint is also issued a Federal Stock Number, which insures the provider meets the exact color requirement for uniformity batch to batch. Then, following a pattern guide, the paint shop paints the object (airplane, vehicle, building, slow moving observer) freehand with a spray gun. Knowing the actual procurement system, the chance of two batches of paint actually being the same color are .......... nil. Coffinmaker PS: You'd be amazed at how much weight paint adds to an airplane. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Utah Bob #35998 Posted September 6, 2015 Share Posted September 6, 2015 Howdy, One time when I was camping in da North a fella had a camo bus. He said he was stopped by some fed muckettymuck who wanted to know how he got the plans for the pattern. Supposed to be sorta restricted. All he did was copy a army jacket and scale it up a little. Muckettymuck made a face and went away. Any help? Best CR BS . No such thing as a "restricted" pattern. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Litl Red Posted September 6, 2015 Share Posted September 6, 2015 Notice how US aircraft were delivered unpainted toward the end of WWII?? More than one reason for that, but the two big ones were they were lighter and could carry more, faster for one. And for the other, at that time we were having trouble finding Axis a/c to shoot down, which was one of the main goals along about then. We didn't mind their being able to spot us and engage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Birdgun Quail, SASS #63663 Posted September 6, 2015 Share Posted September 6, 2015 Army camo paint is also supposed to be CARC (Chemical Agent Resistant Coating) paint. CARC paint has health hazards and therefore not supposed to be applied by line units. The operative word in both the above sentences is "supposed". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparky Nelson Posted September 6, 2015 Share Posted September 6, 2015 Army camo paint is also supposed to be CARC (Chemical Agent Resistant Coating) paint. CARC paint has health hazards and therefore not supposed to be applied by line units. That's funny, because one of the purposes of CARC is to prevent chemical warfare agents from being absorbed by the paint on the equipment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bad Jeemes Kelly Posted September 6, 2015 Share Posted September 6, 2015 I was looking at some camo painted aircraft yesterday, helicopters and fighter jets. Took some illegal pictures too. ))) I got an Alpo-like thought and could not find the answer on the internet (very un-Alpo-like, I know). I remember when I was in Germany that we sometimes got camo patterns on our vehicles because every can of OD paint was a different color. Is the paint pattern applied freehand? Is there a standard for how to do it, some percentages of this and that other color? I have painted the camo on Jeeps and 8 inch howitzers before. We did it freehand. Turns out there is a manual that shows how it's supposed to look, but nobody told us that beforehand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt. C.J. Sabre, SASS #46770 Posted September 6, 2015 Share Posted September 6, 2015 We spray painted the C.O.'s refrigerator camo once. Not at home, the office. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noah Cash Posted September 7, 2015 Share Posted September 7, 2015 Todays aircraft have a very specific pattern that must be followed. Fer instance, here I work in a paint shop and some of my coworkers have been painters on the A-10, F-16, and C-130 planes. They have to follow aspecific pattern down to the color change is on specific panels and within a few rivets of being the same on each plane. The pattern on the Thunderbirds must be exact although that is certainly not a "camo" job! We also paint the expandable shelters with CARC, and in the storage yard they are stacked up after complete refurbish, their patterns line up so from top to bottom and / or side to side their paint jobs look like one continuous paint pattern. Our basic job is the single color kind of a forest green, then depending on the end user and where in the world its going it may get a camo job, or stay Light Desert Tan, or Sand in color. Normally the LDT and Sand stay one color and the forest green may get flat brown & flat black overlay in specific patterns. Years ago when I was an Airman, we painted the Jeeps M-151, in a camo pattern, IAW Tech Order 36-1-3, a number I'll never forget no matter how hard I try!! That has since been resinded and no longer in use but if you google it there are old versions on line that show some pics of the old method of outlining the pattern with chalk. The Federal standard colors is Fed Std 595 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chief Rick Posted September 7, 2015 Share Posted September 7, 2015 PS: You'd be amazed at how much weight paint adds to an airplane. Now, imagine how much it adds to a ship! Naval Ships Technical Manual (NSTM) Chapter 631 - Preservation of Ships in Service - covers the requirements for the Navy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.