Topic: Paint Color Blues

[Popwood]

I was about to post a rant about how hard it is to find representative samples of standard Honda colors. It is impossible, anywhere on the web as best I can tell.

But let me just say I'm looking for good examples of Candy Sword Blue, Candy Sapphire Blue, Polynesian Blue, Candy Blue Green; and so on in this color range. Can anyone suggest where to see good examples and where to find the paint? I've been in touch with dondirtbiker but that has been only moderately helpful, i.e. "want to see sample colors, search the web." Spookytoms is OK but I'm not sure it's totally trustworthy.

I mean choosing a color is a big decision and I'd like to get it right. How do you all go about it? I know I'm up to doing the paint work since I've finished high end furniture for years. But getting good examples and finding the colors is really frustrating.

Any suggestions very much appreciated.

[C.Doyle]

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.spookytoms.com/1971CB750-Im-2.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.spookytoms.com/CB750-PaintColors.html&usg=__aYMdzAHj1uwSuIkYlop6pYStSdM=&h=270&w=360&sz=48&hl=en&start=6&um=1&tbnid=OJXCJDhoUEKTmM:&tbnh=91&tbnw=121&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dcb750%2Bgreen%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dsafari%26rls%3Den-us%26sa%3DN%26um%3D1

http://www.vintagehondapaint.com/Site/vintagehondapaint.com.html

I've never used them but seem to have a good setup going on

[Popwood]

Thanks, C.Doyle. I've been in touch with Don at Vintage Honda Paint and they offer four variations of blue. The closest one to what I'm looking for is Candy Blue Green. Wish they had Candy Polynesian Blue or Sword Blue.

I may contact a custom painter here in town who does pretty amazing work on cars. I'm sure he could mix and do anything. Hell, maybe I should talk to him about coming up with a broader palette of original Honda color kits. He's an older guy who is really good at the candies and metal flakes and can paint pinstripes like no one.

But if anyone else has paint sources, bring 'em on, please!

[Johnie]

I have a partial list of Honda paint codes and I am not sure if the "HC" stands for House of Color or what. I got it on line, but I do list the candy blue green as numbers HC-16-501 top coat and UC-16-100 basecoat. There are so other codes that start with "HM" which might stand for Honda Motors codes? If I can locate it again on line I will list the site. I only printed off the codes for 1969-1975. The only other blue it lists on my 1 page copy is the planet.

[Fritz]

Hello Popwood,

Wish they had Candy Polynesian Blue or Sword Blue.

I'm also looking for my bike's blue (http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=63061.msg686857). I think it's Sword Blue and the only source, that I've found so far is a dutch shop:

http://www.japartsweb.nl/product_info.php?cPath=22_28&products_id=482382&language=en

The paint comes from a German manufacturer which offers a wide range of motorcycle colors:

http://www.motorradlack.de/

Cheers
Carsten

[mystic_1]

This should help:

http://waynes-cycles.com/MANUALS/misc/paint%20colors.pdf


here's some good pics:

http://www.spookytoms.com/CB750-PaintColors.html

mystic_1

[mick750F]

I have a partial list of Honda paint codes and I am not sure if the "HC" stands for House of Color or what. I got it on line, but I do list the candy blue green as numbers HC-16-501 top coat and UC-16-100 basecoat. There are so other codes that start with "HM" which might stand for Honda Motors codes? If I can locate it again on line I will list the site. I only printed off the codes for 1969-1975. The only other blue it lists on my 1 page copy is the planet.

   I believe that those are Honda code numbers which don't have any relevance to anything, meaning that they are numbers Honda used in house that don't relate to any code system used by current paint manufacturers. Honda can't/won't tell you what those numbers mean.

Mike

[Johnie]

Yes, what mystic provided is the same as what I have in hard copy. My painter is going to do some checking of the HC numbers to see if he can cross reference it to anything.

[mystic_1]

Good reading here:

http://www.motorcycleproject.com/motorcycle/text/notes1.html

mystic_1

[Popwood]

Thanks all. Perhaps part of the mystery that may be solved, if I can contribute anything based on my furniture finishing experience, is the UC designation. Only a guess, of course, but in the furniture finishing trade we reference UTC, or universal tinting colors. These reference basic colors off a standard chart. My further guesses are that, as others have surmised, HC stands for something particular to House of Color paint manufacturer, and HM to Honda Motors paint color. Until House of Color or Honda Motors wants to give up their recipes, we'll all be shooting in the dark.

I know there are finishers out there who can duplicate these colors without much effort. Maybe we should engage one to decipher the code!

[Hinomaru]

I was about to post a rant about how hard it is to find representative samples of standard Honda colors. It is impossible, anywhere on the web as best I can tell.

But let me just say I'm looking for good examples of Candy Sword Blue, Candy Sapphire Blue, Polynesian Blue, Candy Blue Green; and so on in this color range. Can anyone suggest where to see good examples and where to find the paint? I've been in touch with dondirtbiker but that has been only moderately helpful, i.e. "want to see sample colors, search the web." Spookytoms is OK but I'm not sure it's totally trustworthy.

I mean choosing a color is a big decision and I'd like to get it right. How do you all go about it? I know I'm up to doing the paint work since I've finished high end furniture for years. But getting good examples and finding the colors is really frustrating.

Any suggestions very much appreciated.

What I've done in the past was to find a genuine Honda part that had the color I wanted and give it to the painter to match. Usually this sample part retained excellent color, but was physically damaged in some way and could be had cheap at a bone yard. Sometimes the sample part was a gas tank, side cover, fork ear or a headlight shell. Honda often used the same color on different models and years. This method results in a time consuming and additional cost "treasure hunt"  but you will end up with the right color that you wanted all along. The only internet color samples I see are from Spooky Tom's and I think that's a great help until more information becomes available.

Since it's the color blue you're looking for, try clicking on all the different Honda models listed in his link: http://www.spookytoms.com/Honda-PaintColors.html  These days you can go 'treasure hunting" online (ebay) and look for a color sample to match. Perhaps in the future Don Dirtbiker will be able to offer more color choices and I hope he does.     

[blackhog02]

Not sure how close these colors are to Honda colors but this guy has the factory colors for schwinn stingrays and they are the classic 70s colors.  I have a 74 Honda CT-70 and a 68 schwinn stingray and the coppertone on the two look very similar.  Hard to tell exactly after 35 + years of sun fading.

http://www.hyper-formance.com/paints.htm

[Jerry Rxman Griffin aka MuthaF'er]

From my Honda Parts Catalogue, all parts are assigned a HC. I would assume this is a Honda Code. The "H/C" Honda Code for a Candy Sapphire Blue TANK is 41460 and the Part Number is 17500-392-000ZB. Please keep in mind these numbers only refer to the blue tank and not the paint.

Also keep in mind that Candy Sapphire Blue is comprised of a silver base coat, the blue tint coats, and a clear coat. Now, from my cans of Honda brand paint, Candy Sapphire Blue uses Candytone-Blue tint coat. Part number 08701-99906. The paint code is PB-3C. This is maybe a 3 or 4 ounce can. To further confuse/complicate this blue issue, there are other shades of Candytone-Blue that have a different paint code but are labeled as Candytone-Blue also and have paint codes such as PB-1C.

There are a couple auto manufacturers doing a similar blue to Candy Sapphire Blue but you know they are not doing a 3 step paint process. You might use these as a close comparison. Toyota and Dodge.

This probably won't get you what exactly you're asking but it can help educate some on the paint issue itself. Too bad you're not close. I have a NOS Candy Sapphire Blue tank in my basement.  

[Popwood]

Thanks, Jerry, that helps me understand more of this mystery. But it is odd indeed that there could be more than one Candytone Blue using the same name but different part numbers, but I have a guess. Could it be that the paint code PB-3C vs PB-1C could be the amount of blue in the mix? Given that candy means the color is transparent or translucent, the more coats you spray, or how heavy a coat you spray, will actually yield a different color -- lighter blue or darker blue. So, perhaps 3C vs. 1C has to do with the degree of color saturation in the mix?

To stretch this subject a bit, I wondering how many forum members have applied a candy paint job and how successful were they. I've done my share of spraying furniture finishes and know that laying down tint and tone color requires very good technique to produce an even color without areas that are darker and lighter. This is even more difficult on curved surfaces because the amount of material hitting the surface from the spay gun is not equal. Applying opaque paint color doesn't have these concerns.

[Popwood]

I just stumbled on this paint supplier-- anybody of them, used their products? Called Kustom Rides. They sell a candy paint kit to do a bike for $155.

http://www.kustomrides.com/home.php