Original C&P colors

I came across this article today: http://www.preservation.gc.ca/gallery-galerie/press-eng.asp

In the article, a 12x18 C&P is being restored. The press looked black after years of grime and rust, but analysis (I’m not sure what methods were used) showed that the original paint color was a deep blue. From the article: “Analysis by CCI’s Analytical Research Services Division (ARS) revealed that the original pigment was artificial ultra-marine blue.”

When new, did C&P sell presses in different colors? I’m asking out of curiosity because I’ve always assumed that all of the larger C&P platen presses were originally painted black (some with gold accents) or gray.

Log in to reply   3 replies so far

I seem to recall from previous discussions that the blue was an undercoat, and not the final color as shipped.

John Henry

A non expert contribution based upon a thinly stretched memory from 1947-49.
Two C & Ps in the junior high school were painted slightly off black. The color was a dark blue gray. One did not really see blue. It could very well have been black with a little blue in it.
My guess is that they were the original color.

Ssmith. As the article says, early C&Ps had an ultramarine undercoat followed by black. Some later presses, and I don’t know the exact date, were grey. I think in the 30s or later. I corresponded with the man who wrote that article while I refurbished my 1901 C&P 8”x12”. You can see it at http://www.flickr.com/photos/82041636@N00/sets/72157594406287811/

I did not redo all the striping because I could not wait any longer to start printing and I wanted all of it to match. As you can see, it has some special original gold striping that I wanted to preserve. On parts I repainted, I mixed some ultramarine with the black. I did not paint over all of the original paint, only the parts I stripped down to metal.

To answer your question, C&Ps only came in black and later battleship grey.
-Mike