The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Paint and Body Shop How do I get hammertone effect? 1946 GMC 1/2 ton interior color

I've asked for info on the original color of a 46 GMC truck with no responses. Seems no one knows. Well I found the answer underneath the dash trim on my own truck. See the link below.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/1u827tlbv27ugtx/2015-04-10%2010.57.21.jpg?dl=0

Notice that it is hammertone and therein lies my question. What do I need to add to acrylic enamel to get the hammertone effect? I bought paint from Carters but even if the shade is correct I doubt that it will be hammertone unless I add something. Anyone know how to get the hammertone effect?

I can't say for sure, but I seem to remember accidentally making some once using a water based(the milky type) paint thinner and some acetone as my reducers... It wasn't what I was looking for so I didn't really make a mental note of it.
Paints cheap. play around using faster (lacquer thinner/acetones/MEK) and slower (paint thinner/turpentine) reducers and you might find something... or just settle for the rattle can in your closest color.

In short: There is no way!!!!
Long way round: I was into restoring antique radio for many
years and they used every kind of texture known to man on
those old radios to fancy them up. For many, many years I
looked into getting paint to wrinkle, crackle, hammertone in
various ways. All the methods are propitiatory and they're not
in any new or old treaties on paint manufacturing or
finishing that I could find. I've heard hundred of different
opinions on how to get the textures and tried most of them.
Never had success with any of the methods.
CASO, best bet is to choose a rattle can that is close and go
with that. Even that will not give you the same effect that
the original hammertome looked like. I'll bet it is rough but
the surface is completely smooth. The Rustoleum or Hammertone
brands leave pock marks, makes the part look like it had acne.

Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL

Acne... yeah that was it! Like chickem pox...

http://devestechnet.com/Images/Projects//HeaterRestore/heater18lg.jpg

from here: http://devestechnet.com/Home/HeaterRestore

That is about the best picture I have of what Hammerite Rust Cap Bronze used to duplicate what the original heater looked like. You can see what they are talking about, however, I think it came out really nice. But Denny is right, there is no way to really duplicate those old hammered finishes better.

Grandpa told me to paint with refrigerator cold paint to get a hammered finish but that was in the lacquer days. It seemed to work back then but I am not sure how it works with urethane.

This is a home remedy and I do not have pictures but it is good enough for the old man next door so it is good enough for me. I learned to paint the first coat on the metal as if I wanted a good paint job. Next spray lightly with some sort of contaminant such as silicone (armor all works well too). Next spray again with your paint. The fisheyes will be everywhere you sprayed your silicone (this does take practice to stay even) but when it pulls away the color underneath will be your original color. This is DIY at its finest but it does the job.

Good luck.

Thanks guys. When I Google hammer tone there are dozens of additives to specifically make the hammer tone effect put out by dozens of companies but they are for industrial applications. One product comes in 180 kilogram pallets! I had heard of folks adding Toluene to paint to get the effect, (see Sheridan's 46Chevytruck.com). Lots of info on wikipedia under http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hammer_paint. Wikipedia says, "To make the "hammered" effect more pronounced, a small percentage of silicone oil may be added directly before application." This is consistent with what I read because silicone oil is polydimethylsiloxane and that ingredient is common to a lot of the industrial products. Silicone oil is available locally and I think it is in Armour All. I think experimenting with concentrations of about .05% by weight is a starting point. Deve, I like your heater (and your website!). I'll probably use that same color you used since that is really close to my interior color.

Well Scott, that's one that I haven't heard. I just happen to
have some cellulose acetate butyrate lacquer left over from
the days when I was into building my own airplanes.
So....I can't get to that project right now, but...I will put
it on the list for sometime this summer and give it a try. I
gotta admit, I'm gonna approach it with a great big dose of
doubt.
But thanks for throwing that out anyway.

This paint is about as pristine as you will find and you can
see how smooth it is, even though it gives the appearance of
being rough:
http://www.pbase.com/dennygraham/image/159627378/original

Decve, hope you don't mine my stealing a snippet from you
Hammerite photo to compare next to an original paint sample.
The Rust Cap looks very good, not quite the original shade,
and not quite as smooth, but tucked down under the dash,
who's gonna notice:
http://www.pbase.com/dennygraham/image/159900982/original

Tried toluene, ng, that's simply a thinner that's used in
many paint formulas. Got sample of silicone oil from the
lab at work years ago when I heard that story, that didn't
do the trick. Haven't had time to surf the net to check out
your links, maybe this evening after I finish the chores.
I also just ordered an ounce of silver gray mica powder, I'll
give that a shot in some Rustoleum, when I get a chance.
Post your results Bogart, good or bad, when you do your
experiments, I'd like to hear if you have any better luck
than I've had.

Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL

Rustoleum sells rattle can hammertone paint. It lays down pretty well and it is pretty tough if you let it cure in direct sun a week or so. I have it on a vise and I beat the fun out of it. It is holding up pretty well.

Yes, that hammertone I showed a few posts up is Hammerite Rust Cap Bronze in the spray can. I am very impressed with the durability and shine. I have not talked to my PPG supplier, but it would seem you could get hammertone in automotive paint for spraying HVLP. No?

Toluene worked very well for me. Pics on my web page.

If you can be satisfied with rattle can paint, I have found through Home Depots web site a very close matching color for my 48 interior in hammertone. I think I had seen quart cans also.

I have had good luck with the paint so far in restoring some old distributor test sets and other automotive test equipment.

Tim, I've been to your site many times and enjoy and appreciate
your sharing the journey with all of us. You have certainly
become the authority on the restoration of the Art Deco
series trucks. But....the site is a book in itself and after
looking for a good while this morning, I can't seem to find
any close up photos specifically showing the interior paint
texture, which always seems to be where the problem lies with
hammertone paints.
Think you could post a link to one of the photos your addressing?
Also, when you say Toluene worked very well for me, I'm sure
you mean you used it as a thinner, but what did you use for
a base paint?
Thanks,
Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL

I like the rustoleum hammer finishes. Yes it will look like acne after applying the first coat. Give it a second coat.

Also, shake the heck out of it, regularly (before your paint and while you are spraying).

Maybe someone will post a link to a recent post showing a home-made spray-can shaker. I wish I had seen it before I painted my heater with the Rustoleum Hammertone spray-can paint.

I used a grey Rustoleum Hammertone paint on the interior of my '64 with a topcoat of flat clear. The only problem I had was that the thinner metal, like the ash tray, had a much smoother texture than the dash and cab which were thicker metal.
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn214/jfnar/1964%20chevy%20truck/79bb3aa7.jpg

The shaker that comes to mind is a hose clamp on an old sawzall blade... low tech but effective.

I keep waiting for the grand kids to show up but they are never there when the can shaking is needed.
I started to look an old HF vibratory tumbler I have, simple enough just a offset weight on a electric motor, could rig a unit from a old window fan motor, but concerned on how much agitation would really occur.
So I have been waiting for a sale on the HF 1 gallon pneumatic shaker. Some where I have a couple of old flip latch band clips for a old automotive fire extinguisher to make a quick latch spray can adapter for it.

OK.... not really wanting to upset anyone....but ....It's not rocket science. Shake the darn can and spray. I like the sawzall shaker but by the time you take it out(remove hose clamps) contents could have settled...I haven't used but understand the principle...but what happened with just shaking...it's been used forever....I used straight out of the can Rustoleum Hammertone on my heater, shaken and paint looks ok and I'm pretty anal..If it appears to have acne...wet sand and clear coat....Sorry beat a horse to death..,,,or step on toes...I'm all for learning. I'm all for helping and trying new things....but sooner or later things seem to run rampant...
Dan

Jeez Dan, I was hoping someone would go to the effort of actually hooking up one and posting a video... I fear you've shed a little too much light on the subject there buddy.

....a reminder, depending on temperature I've found that laying a can in some warm water for a few minutes prior to spraying seems to help. Then shake, shake, shake your.......