Wildberry wrote:simer4001 wrote:I think this is a good example of the black not being completely removed after sanding
As you said this one wasn't a JG to begin with... who knows how Lennon painted it black! I think having a factory JG as base for a MG is different...
It was painted with coach enamel. The usual way of applying this on coaches (buses) in the day was to open the tin, pour off the oil and vehicles floating on the surface, and then heat the tin in a double boiler to bring the viscosity down, and apply with a very soft flat bristle brush to the surface or item in question. The result looked sprayed--absolutely no brush marks, and because of the high pigment concentration, the finish was much more durable than if the oils and solvents were stirred into the mix instead of being poured off.
An old Cockney painter showed me this trick in the mid-'70s when I worked alongside him in a paint shop. He told me that it was standard procedure in the UK back in the day. He made me promise not to share it, but he's passed on long ago, so I think he wouldn't mind...
If Lennon's Rick was painted by an old pro, there's a good chance it was done with this method.
I wrote a brief critique of the "restoration" of JL's 325, in my "Reflections" section--it was one of the first topics covered back in '06.
You can see the black in the grain of the alder (undoubtedly the black coach paint was applied over a scuffed surface of clear nitro).
You can also see that the alder has been stained a honey color--somewhat unevenly--in the '70s "restoration".
A similar result--black paint in the pores of the wood--can be expected today, when attempting to strip a factory JG finish.