Hi I have a Willis & Bates (Bialaddin) bowl heater that was an off-whie and also a Bialaddin 315 of a similar colour and age approx 1965. Does anyone know what the colour was? It looks remarkably like BMC old english white. The heater fount has had to be stripped as it was leaking from a few cracks around the base and has now been sealed with a fuel tank repair sealer. Hopefully that will cure the problem but it would be nice to finish it in the correct colour. Had it been a lamp I would have scrapped it but the heater fount is different.
Hi Andrew tbh anything that looks close will be fine? if it’s not an automotive paint then maybe think about a fuel resistant lacquer but try on something first to see if the lacquer affects the colour? last lot I got was from halfords but that was just before the pandemic and their prices have risen since then pb
One thing to remember about those old off-white paint colours, is that they tend to become slightly darker through age and use; so that when you put a new coat on it looks “whiter” than a 70 year old tank. See discussions about “Arum” here: 1949 - 54 Tilley TL136 Bialaddin tank colour... There’s a slightly darker colour, “Bahama Beige” here: Fond childhood memories of a Tilley TL10 or TL106? Tony
Thanks Everyone. I re-asembeld it last night and the sealer seems to be fine, no dribbles under pressure in a bucket of water, and a cautiously observed run of about 30m minutes on Kero was fine. I realise now that the fount is the same as my Bi-Aladdin 315, just the later 320 had no mountings on the fount. I have t-cut the bit below the handle that was not rusty so I will try to match that colour. Halford show a series if beige colours S9-010, 020,040 etc so one of those may be good. If it is all successful i will post what was done to seal the tank later.
