Question about Seafire finishes

[Seawinder]

From what I can find, FAA camouflage paints were matte or smooth during WW2, but by some point in the 1950s they were gloss. I'm trying to figure out the proper surface finish for a Seafire late in the 1940s. I'm not considering the effects of weathering, just the surface of the paints (in this case EDSG and Sky) when they were applied. I've read a blog from the person who oversaw the restoration of the No. 105 Seafire XVII in which he stated that while gloss paints would have offered more durability, he went with semi-gloss as a "compromise." This leads me to believe that the actual surface should have been matte or smooth, which begs the question, when (or with which aircraft types) was the change-over to gloss for such planes as the Sea Vixen?

 

Thanks,

Pip

[Ex-FAAWAFU]

I have been looking into similar questions for my Seafire 46 build.  Many FR46s & 47s seem to be gloss in photos, but I suspect that’s because (Triumph & Korea aside, and that was actually only a few weeks) a high proportion of 46/47 shots seem to be of RNVR squadrons - which matters because the aircraft were very well looked-after; 1832 & 1833 had some permanent RN maintainers, as well as reservists, and the aircraft didn’t spend extended periods at sea.

 

I have come to the conclusion that out of the factory they were pretty gloss, and the paint then weathered to a loghter and more matte finish - the same is true later with Scimitars / Vixens / Tooms.  Personally I think out-and-out gloss looks too much in scale, but a satin / semi-gloss finish is fine.

 

I have done less work on XVs and XVIIs, but don’t see why they’d be wildly different (though a higher proportion front line & at sea, of course)

[71chally]

Absolutely agree with Crisp.

 

I don't know when gloss was first applied to FAA types, but going from photographic sources I suspect 1946-'47.

As an example, there's a lovely colour shot of an FR.46 freshly delivered in 1947 and it looks very shiny.

 

I guess it depends on taste and materials used, but for me 2/3 coats of Kleer gives a good representation of the finish.

[Seawinder]

Thanks for the responses. I went with a satin finish for the Seafire XVII project, which is nearing completion. I mixed acrylic gloss and flat 1-to-4, which yielded a smooth surface with a sheen. Based on what you both say, however, I may rethink that and apply a real semigloss over everything. I'm doing the 1832 Sqn. kit option, which was land-based in 1950 and so, as Ex-FAAWAFU says, probably pretty well maintained.

[Giorgio N]

Not FAA, so may not be fully relevant, but the RAF started using gloss paints in 1949-50 as it was found that earlier paints had problems of adhesion at the higher speeds achieved by jets. The specifications for these colours were included in the relavant DTD, IIRC it was 772. Not sure if the FAA followed in the same way, but I suspect that immediate post-war aircrafts retained the same finishes of wartime ones.

[71chally]

There's plenty of photographic evidence about that shows a shiny finish on newly delivered Seafires before then Giorgio. 

It seems that just post-war that there was a large intake of new production Seafires (the XV & XVII had just come along) so maybe that has something to do with it.

I would also guess that the gloss finish was linked more to corrosion control in a salt environment, than the high speed requirement of the RAF.

 

Not long ago I posted footage on the forum of Seafires operating from a carrier in c'47 and the gloss finish was very noticeable.

 

 

@Seawinder, going from your description, I wouldn't be too hasty about changing the finish on yours, sounds feasible for a used Seafire.

[Seawinder]

Thanks, 71chally. The only thing is I didn't do any weathering on this one besides accenting panel lines (which hardly counts) because I thought the paint scheme looked sharp and I didn't want to dirty it up much. I'm also figuring that the high-demarcation EDSG over Sky would suggest at least one repaint since delivery? I think if I do anything, it'll be to add a bit more gloss to the mix to bring up the sheen a bit.