Black Nitrocellulose automotive paint
 

Touching up an original 1941 southern California Mercury coupe and the painter would like to try Nitrocellulose to do a blend. I have heard from Jeff Hirsh today that they no longer produce the product. May I ask the members here if there is a known source?

Re: Black Nitrocellulose automotive paint
 

Try TCP Global

Re: Black Nitrocellulose automotive paint
 

I use to get mine from a piano refinisher . It was imported from Czech or Hungary istill have some . I could check tomorrow if you wish .
Gary
Ps , this was in 2006 so...

Re: Black Nitrocellulose automotive paint
 

I appreciate the replies and anything that might be done to locate the product. Bryan

Re: Black Nitrocellulose automotive paint
 

They also use it to finish guitars.

Re: Black Nitrocellulose automotive paint
 

Might be worth checking out:

https://oxfordguitarsupply.com/product/black-ebony/

Re: Black Nitrocellulose automotive paint
 

I believe nitrocellulose is another word for lacquer. If so, it is prone to checking and crazing mostly because it's brittle and will not expand and contract as much the metal does. It's no longer legal to sell in automotive paint stores in California. You might look into single stage acrylic enamel or urethane followed with a blender on the over sprayed edges.

Re: Black Nitrocellulose automotive paint
 

if that paint is factory, it would be enamel, i think.

Re: Black Nitrocellulose automotive paint
 

There are multiple types of lacquer paint - nitrocellulose being the one that DuPont invented over 100 years ago. There is also acrylic lacquer - and even some water-based stuff that Sherwin-Williams is putting out.

As another person noted, the original paint was enamel, but it is not easy to patch and feather in enamel paint and have it blend well. Today, most folks use a base + clear combination, which never quite looks like hand-rubbed enamel or lacquer.

Re: Black Nitrocellulose automotive paint
 

Trying to blend lacquer either nitro or acrylic with enamel will make instant "alligator skin" checks. Lacquer color is mostly lacquer thinner which reacts adversely with enamel.
This is not a good idea if the color being blended with is NOT lacquer.

Re: Black Nitrocellulose automotive paint
 

Yes, the original finish is enamel..

Thank you folks for the information and thoughtful advice. Bryan

Re: Black Nitrocellulose automotive paint
 

Exactly! A lesson learned (painfully) in my younger days.

Re: Black Nitrocellulose automotive paint
 

yup, lacquer thinner is like the top of the food chain for auto paint solvents.

Re: Black Nitrocellulose automotive paint
 

Haaha, yeah Mike, any of us who started painting back in the day when lacquer was still plentiful, learned that lesson the hard way! I am pretty sure I have had every type of problem associated with automotive paints there is.

Re: Black Nitrocellulose automotive paint
 

Luckily for me, I first experienced that "effect" on an $.89 model airplane, not a full-size car.:o

Re: Black Nitrocellulose automotive paint
 

Lacquer over enamel - did it all the time.

BUT - not if the enamel was in poor shape and also with a sealer underneath on the main areas. One then has to color-sand and blend. The vast majority of spot/panel repairs in the 70's was all lacquer. We never attempted to blend enamel into enamel.

Today, because of new materials (vastly superior to lacquer) everybody does base-coat, clear-coat. It is a very different world . . . and a super-expensive one!