Primarily Petroliana Shop Talk Forums Shop Talk Petroliana Forums Showcase and Stories, Petroliana Collectible of the Month - Auto Paint Memorabilia

The Collectible of the Month for August is auto paint memorabilia. I've been an auto body technician for 39 years, so this stuff is in my blood - probably literally. I love the old cans that have instructions about washing your car with benzine, sanding only if needed and applying one coat with a good brush.

The cans above are from the Steelcote Company of St. Louis, Missouri. They are still in business today, making industrial coatings.

I'll add more pictures as the month goes on. Please post photos of items you may have or have seen like cans, signs or brochures.

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Jim "Oldgas" Potts
Your host and moderator

[This message has been edited by Oldgas (edited 08-12-2007).]

Here are three more. I like the cans with pictures of old cars. Early auto paint companies often marketed to the car owner for owner applied paint jobs. I believe the car graphics helped to sell the product. Some brands that were marketed to body shops had plain labels with little or no graphics.



The Lus-Tro-Lac has pictures of a car, boat and furniture, demonstrating a multi-purpose product. Nu-Back was a St. Louis company. The Kote A Kar brand was made by Martin Senour.

Bought this porcelain flange sign earlier this year. Love the auto related stuff!

Here are a few that I have

Wow, that Egyptian flange sign is great. I wish I had one like that in my collection.

Thanks for sharing the cans, Frank. And one of your cans reminded me that related items are welcome too. The top dressing can is not technically a paint, but it was used like a paint to seal and finish those fabric roof areas on 1930s and older cars.

Jim , I have about 30 tins of cycle paint, at least 6 different types. Also some CIL paint thinner or reducer early soldered tins, and a 20s Imperial Oil furniture and Auto polish. I will try to get POGO or someone to take pics and post them on here.

Any got any JAPALAC tins???

Looking forward to your pictures, Dodo. I don't have any Japalac items only because I couldn't make their connection with automotive applications. Could be though.

Here are some cans from Effecto, a brand made by Pratt and Lambert. A red enamel, a clear topcoat, a brush on upholstery coating and a top dressing. I like the snappy name and the detailed car graphics.



[This message has been edited by Oldgas (edited 08-20-2007).]

Here are a couple of cans from Western Auto, Wizard Enamel & Primer. One with a car picture from the 1950s and one from the 40s. Western Auto also marketed auto paints under the Wescote brand with similar car graphics.

Some of my favorites are the "powder puff" paints. They were marketed to be applied using a pad similar to a woman's makeup application pad.

Here are Auto-Wipe from Australia, Wype from St. Louis and Wyro Auto-Lac from Cleveland.

Here are more powder puff auto paints.
A Sears Roebuck kit with everything you need for a wipe on paint job.



The next ones are Namel-it and Syn-Tex. The Namel-it can says on the back, "Recommended only for cheap used cars." Now that's a solid endorsement if I ever heard one!

Here is a sign for an auto paint, Plicote. Who needs a paint spray gun?



(Click on the thumbnail for a larger image)

Here is a display with the cans in it I found at a antique mall by me. The cans are Nu-Enamel & the rack still had the graphics on it.





Here is a Du-Pont sign also.

Hey Jim,
I've had this since April Dixie Gas.I thought you would be at Iowa. Vendor at Chip's let me take it with me. Email me if you are interested in it.

Pat

Shot with E775 at 2007-08-18
Not paint but keeps the paint looking good!

Thanks for the pictures, guys!
Brad, the Nu-enamel display is great. Nu-enamel made products specifically labeled as automotive as in the image below. The DuPont sign dates from 1958, the introduction of Lucite acrylic lacquer.
Pat, the DAB box is very cool. Sure, I would like to have it in my collection. Below is an image of a DAB can, another powder-puff paint.
Frank, that LacquerWax embossed sign is a nice one. I've got one like it too. Below are a couple of LacquerWax products, including the can in that sign.

My collection even includes some pre-automotive items like carriage paints.

More carriage paints.



[This message has been edited by Oldgas (edited 08-19-2007).]

Here are four more powder-puff or wipe-on auto paints. Caronize, Flo-Co, Kar-Nu and Seal Kote. The Caronize can picture shows the powder puff applicator that came with the kit. Who needs an air compressor and fancy spray gun?

Here is another Dupont sign.




Randy...Looking for Hi-Speed Gas stuff

Thanks, Randy.
Your sign is the one used directly before that DuPont sign posted earlier in this topic. So it would have been used in the 1950s up to 1957. Yours is pretty nice compared to most like that I've seen.

Those two DuPont signs were originally issued with a rectangle sign about a foot wide and as long as the DuPont sign is wide. The body shop name was lettered on the secondary sign in black with the same yellow background and bordering. The secondary sign would have been hung above the DuPont sign from the same bracket.

just this...

Thanks for that image, Chuck!
Pullman made a line of auto body products back in the day.

Here are some mainstream auto paints from the old days. Not much in graphics on these labels since they were marketed to body and fender shops, not to car owners.

From two of the bigger companies, Ditzler and DuPont.

More mainstream auto paints



[This message has been edited by Oldgas (edited 08-21-2007).]

Some lacquer thinner and enamel reducer cans from PPG Ditzler. The Bobcat can is probably the best non-car picture on any body shop vintage container.

Got this out of an old station .. Still in the box? Not sure of the age?? Ric
[img]http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b7d908b3127cceb8a266cd976900000025108AbuWTho3ZNL[/img]

Thanks for the sign picture, Ric. That "Ppg" logo is from the late 1950s to mid-1960s. After that the middle P was the largest, as in "pPg" the way it is today. They phased out the Ditzler branding in the 1980s. Before the Ppg logo, they used a "fried egg" style circle with a big D in the middle.

Even though Ditzler was a major brand, very few Ditzler signs show up for collectors. This blackboard sign is usually the only Ditzler sign seen at swap meets and auctions. Ditzler thermometers are seen more often in several styles.

Acme Motor Car Enamel, Acme Automotive mixing quart, Blaxshine Auto Paint, Boston Auto Shop Finishes

Chief Auto Enamel, Seminole Truck Enamel, Chi-Namel, Devoe Motor Car Finish



[This message has been edited by Oldgas (edited 08-31-2007).]

Double Seal Lacquer Thinner, Dupli-Color box of touch-up bottles, Sewall's Dural Auto Paint, Endurance Auto Finish, Fiebings Auto Top Dressing

Genspar Auto Top, Glacis Ripolin, Glassomax Porsche Color, Jewel Auto Paint



[This message has been edited by Oldgas (edited 08-31-2007).]

Four Glidden Auto Paint cans

Kress Auto Finish, Kyanize Motor Car Finish, Lako lacquer retarder, Larcoloid

Lawrence Auto Paint, Leath-R-Nu upholstry coating, Lincoln Auto Enamel, Mar-Ble-Co Auto Finish



[This message has been edited by Oldgas (edited 09-01-2007).]

Master Auto Finish bottle, Met-Lit solvent, Met-Lit auto body repair kit, Moramel Motor Car Paint

Murphy Motor Car Colors, Old Master Auto Enamel kit, Old Standby, Peerless Auto Top

PPG Pittsburgh Waterspar Auto Enamel, Red Devil Auto Top, Rollsamel, Sipe's Enamel

Socony Auto Enamel, Spraycote, Varsity Primer, Whiz Auto Clear, Willey Motor Car Varnish

Here are some auto body dent fillers from the transitional period after lead was used. Many plastic fillers used the term "solder" even though they contained no lead or tin. Duro early and 1970s, Glidden, Plasteel and Triple L.

Canadian CIL Chrome protector, Duro Chrome Protector, Glidden Silent Seal undercoat

Sentinel and Steelcote rubbing compounds, Triple L Automotive Spray Reducer 8 oz.

After a question and some thought and consultation, lets save the "car care" items like polish, wax, cleaners and car wash items for a new Collectible of the Month feature. Many of the gas station brands had their own line of car care products as well as other makers. That should be a good topic for a future month.