L87 pearl white: search after the right formula. Solved?

[pastellgreen]

For those interested

L87 pearl white is a colour that was originally introduced as "perlonweiß", at least since august 1955. There, it was used only as a second colour for the two tone rims on some de luxe beetles. In 8/1960 it turned to a body colour, was a very popular colour and stayed until july of 1966. Alltogether, with more than ten years it was one of the colours that was in use for the longest period. This colour became famous with "Herbie" The Love Bug.

Personally I love this colour very much as body colour. One problem we have here in Germany, is a restriction for the use of single stage resin enamel paint. That causes a stop of production of this paint. So for a long time I was on the search for a supplier of single stage resin enemal paint, and also for the right mixture of that colour. It seems that it is especially hard to meet a white colour given. Here are the results:

1) The first thing was a sample of Glasurit. Glasurit does not provide single stage resin enamel paint any longer, but was one of most important paint supplier in Germany and had a large effort in the translation from old paint codes into the modern paint systems available. You get 2 compound acrylic resin paint as well as water based system that requires a clear coat. Of course, that is not my interest, but I made very good experiences with their L11 pastelgreen that was dead on the original paint. But here is the example for L87 pearl white, 2 comp. acrylic:

The colour is light but too much yellow in it. It is not grey enough. Here is another picture under natural light in the car (though the camera used is not the best):

It's not worse, but it could get better.


2) The next thing was to send the glovebox door to a German paint supplier for single stage resin enamel paint. Unfortnately, it seems they create a formula but don't prove it by mixing up the paint and spray a sample for comparing it in their lab:

It is obviously too dark


3) No picture: I got a sample of Standox (2 comp acrylic), also an important supplier for paint, who had L87 in its portfolio. But the result was the same, much too dark.


4) I tried a french company, sprido-peinture.com. They deliver single stage resin enamel and have L87 in their portfolio. I ordered a spray can:

It is better than all three before, but still too dark.


5) Last thing was ordering a colour sample from paintman.co.uk. They also traditionally provide resin enamel paint and have L87 in their portfolio. They sent me a very little sample of their "Traditional Synthetic Coach Enamel" line:

In the pictures it is still a little bit darker than the original paint, but I should mention, that the sample is more glossy than the og paint in the pictures. When the og paint is polished, it also will get a little bit darker, so I assume this formula to be dead on!
I already compared the glovebox door in original paint to the small sample under following condition:
- electrical ligth as seen here: LED, Halogen
- sunlight in the morning and at lunchtime
- daylight without sun
- in the shadow of daylight
- gaslight (on our street) what is known for a natural colour reproduction
Always looked at it from different angles.

Tomorrow, I will try it in daylight in the car and will let you know.

One last word for it today:
During the last 20 years I made the experience, that whenever I had a dashboard part in og pearl white, taken from someone's shelve, so from another car, stored under different condititons, the shade was always exactly the same and matched my original paint on the dash. No problem. In this thread, I compared 5 different samples from todays paints and companys with a 60 year old original paint. As there was one sample matching the paint it seems that pearl white has not the risk of beeing affected by the environmental influences that much, at least inside the car.

[viiking]

I used to work in cosmetic/lipstick manufacturing where there were hundreds and hundreds of different shades which had strict colour specifications. Our colour matchers had to colour match with “south” facing sunlight or a special “light box”. Being in the southern hemisphere it had to be matched away from the direct influence of the sun.

So for northern hemisphere it needs to be “north facing”.

It’ll be the same for paint unless you have those standard light spectrum “guns”.

In addition colour swatches (colour cards” slowly deteriorated over time due to the influence of UV.

I’d be surprised that any external or internal paint coating has not changed over 60 years.
_________________
1968 1500 RHD Lotus White Beetle since birth. In the hospital for major surgery
1966 Lancia Flavia Pininfarina Coupe - in the waiting room
Discharged: 1983 Vanagon, 1974 1800 Microbus,1968 Low Light,1968 Type 3

[Käfer2]

[pastellgreen]

Soon, maybe weekend.
This matter became more complex and deeper... to reach the last 5% for optimum you take along way. Just waiting on further original paint samples I ordered.
I have to revise my "last word" from above. More later, thank you.