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Finally got the color match right on that old Ford truck bed
A guy brought in a 1978 F-150 with a faded red bed that was a total eyesore. I mixed the paint three separate times, adjusting the tint each try over two days. The third batch, using a bit more maroon base than the formula called for, finally blended with the original cab color in natural light. Anyone else have to fight with old single-stage reds like that?
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perez.barbara5mo ago
That raw umber trick, does it work on sun-faded blues too?
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jake_anderson246mo ago
Man, reds from that era are the worst. I read an article once that said the old pigments break down unevenly, so you're never matching the original paint, you're matching decades of sun damage. That's why it takes so many tries to get it right. Your method of tweaking the base color in natural light is spot on. I'd have probably given up after the second mix.
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bethcarr6mo ago
You know, the binder they used back then can yellow over time too. It's not just the pigment fading. That old oil-based varnish or resin adds its own tint, so you're matching a color that's been filtered through a dirty lens. It makes the whole process a guessing game. Sometimes a tiny bit of raw umber in the mix can fake that aged look better than just adjusting the red.
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