Sherwin-Williams Color Meter Manual.
SHERWIN-WILLIAMS. Sherwin-Williams Color Meter Manual. Sherwin-Williams Opex Kem automotive finishes. 1935-1947. 1941-1953. 2 volumes. [900] pp. and [1006] pp., illustrated with colour charts with over 2000 tipped-in colour chips. 4to, 278 x 217 mm., bound in original green leatherette loose-leaf binder. Cleveland: Sherwin-Williams Co., 1935-1953.
Extremely rare colour-match guides to automotive paint finishes produced by Sherwin-Williams for eighteen American car manufacturers between 1935 and 1953 (there are no guides for the years 1943-45, during which time American automobile factories were converted by the U. S. government to the manufacture of war material). The manufacturers include Buick, Cadillac-LaSalle, Chevrolet, Chrysler, DeSoto, Dodge, Ford-Mercury, Graham, Hudson, Hupmobile, Lincoln-Zephyr, Nash-LaFayette, Oldsmobile, Packard, Plymouth, Pontiac, Studebaker, and Willys; for each of these, there is a separate section containing colour chip sheets and formulas for mixing the colours.
These colour palates were often incorporated int house paint colours, colour schemes for furnishing, and even coordinated with fashion accessories, or textile lines. In addition, they remained the property of Sherwin-Williams and because of their heavy use, frequent revisions, and makes and models of cars the body shops, or dealerships sold and repaired, they had varying numbers of installments, and the paint manufacturer would often require certain colours, models, or model years to be removed. These counter display sample paint reference catalogues are the most complete reference to automobile paint colours before, through, and post-World War II we have seen.
In February, 1942 all domestic auto makers ceased production of passenger automobiles, and did not resume until after 1946, when these same colour samples were re-used, and remained the standard reference for many years. Of additional interest are the sections in each with exceptional and striking colour samples for Commercial Cars, including such paints as Boatswain Blue, Bordeau Maroon, Diamond-T's Red & Triton Green; Dodge's Sioux Yellow and Ashington Blue; GMC's Nassau Orange, Mallard Blue & Canary Yellow; or Mack Truck's Streamline Yellow and Brewster Green.
Also included is a section on custom colours and a section on commercial vehicles, containing proprietary colours used by such companies as Allied Van Lines, Bell Telephone Co., Coca-Cola, Rainier Brewing, etc., as well those used for military and government vehicles. Of the special features of these catalogues are the 24 sheets where the colour samples are depicted in the shape of cars. These include Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Lincoln-Zephyr, Chrysler, Ford Mercury, Studebaker, Hudson, Nash, Oldsmobile and Plymouth.
A 40-page "Laboratory Controlled Weathering Chart" gives instructions on how to blend touch-up colours to match weathered paint. Commercial ephemera such as this, especially so extensive and in such fine condition, is extraordinarily rare. Neither OCLC nor NUC cited this manual when we checked; the two or three Sherwin-Williams automobile colour manuals that these sources do list are all under 50 pages long and represented by only a handful of copies. Our manual is of obvious interest to anyone interested in collecting and restoring classic cars.
An unusually fine copy of these monumental catalogues.
Item nr. 172599
Price:
$7,500.00