Landships II

Bozothenutter · Sergeant

How were Mk. I-V tanks painted?

Pzkpfw-e · Commander in Chief

Paintbrush, Large!

Bozothenutter · Sergeant

Well, that's that sorted! 😂😂😂

Guessing I'll use a flat brush and take my time...😉

CharlieC · Legend

The instructions for painting artillery pieces at the time said nothing about primer or undercoats. I think it was expected that

the metal got a rub down, degrease then a solid coat of paint. Remember the paints of the time were white lead oxide stirred

into linseed oil with pigment added so they did a fair job at rust inhibition without the need for a primer. My impression is that leaded

paint was quite a bit thicker than the modern alkyd paints and the viscosity would have changed as the linseed oil started to polymerise in the

tin.

Also, no sprayguns, that's a later invention.

Charlie

Bozothenutter · Sergeant

Thanks for that info!

But that makes me wonder, what finish was given to the wheels, sprockets and idlers, the inner surface of the sponsons?

PFJN · Corporal

Hi,
Although its probably true that WWI era vehicles were likely painted by brush, the airbrush was actually inveted in the late 1870s and used by some US railroad equipment manufacturers.

Pat

www.airbrushmuseum.com/index.html

shalmaneser3 · Private

Hi,
There is a photo of soldiers spraying a tank and using brushes (rather small ones!) to paint on identification stripes and numbers(?).

https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205245634

BC312 · Colonel

Parkerizing would be used at this time but for smaller things like helmets gun parts etc, a whole tank, No. i think they would have used a lead based primer, red oxide or yellow cream colour cadmium lead paint, lead paint being popular during this time.