Black Nitrocellulose automotive paint

[Bryan Markell]

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?

[slug]

Try TCP Global

[Ggmac]

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...

[Bryan Markell]

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

[Bob C]

They also use it to finish guitars.

[Bored&Stroked]

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Might be worth checking out:

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

[Willit Stop]

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.

[rustythumb]

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

[Bored&Stroked]

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.

[deuce_roadster]

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.

[Bryan Markell]

Yes, the original finish is enamel..

Thank you folks for the information and thoughtful advice. Bryan

[Kube]

Originally Posted by deuce_roadster

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.

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

[cas3]

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

[deuce_roadster]

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.

[tubman]

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

[Bored&Stroked]

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!