Heathkit Paint Formulas

Many times a vintage Heathkit treasure would look so much better with a new coat of paint on the cabinet. There are several sources of paint in spray cans. Check the Resources page or even look on eBay. If you have an inclination to do it yourself (kind of what these kits are all about), you can obtain matching paints from your local paint store and spray away.

Depending on the specific kit, there are a number of different colors. Many of the Ham radio items were painted with a shade of green. The bad news: there was not a lot of consistancy in the shades of green. For example, one SB-102 cabinet might look a bit different than another one. The good news: it doesn't matter. Just pick a shade as close to what you think is right and go with it. There will be no judging. We are not entering a concurs de'elegance for Heathkits (at least I don't think anyone is). If you only have one kit that needs repainting and it doesn't have to match another one, just use the commercially available paint or have your own batch made from the following formulas. If your repaint candidate needs to match another kit that is in good condition, consider taking the good kit to a paint shop to get a custom mix. I did this for an IP-27 that looked quite shabby. As I had an IP-17 that looked almost new, I used its cabinet as the standard. I took the cabinet (actually the upper half) to my local Sherwin-Williams store (I'm sure other good stores can also do the job). They have an electronic color testing device that does a pretty good job of determining the paint formula to match. It is a non-intrusive test so don't worry about any damage to your good piece.

The following pictures show the before and after along with my IP-17 "standard".

Ugly original	Inside looks good
Ugly bottom	Ugly bottom after sanding

Bottom after application of Hammartone base to create a texture

I have identified at least two different tan color shades used on Heath test equipment. I'd describe one as a light tan and the other as a dark tan or light brown. The codes below are for quarts.

Product code: A41T00214

BAC	Blend-a-Color	0Z	32	64	128
B1	Black	-	1	1	1
W1	White	-	35	1	-
N1	Raw Umber	-	36	-	-
Y3	Deep Gold	-	6	-	1

This color was used on kits like the IP-17, IP27

Product code:

BAC	Blend-a-Color	0Z	32	64	128
B1	Black	-	-	-	-
W1	White	-	-	-	-
N1	Raw Umber	-	-	-	-
Y3	Deep Gold	-	-	-	-

My other IP-27

Product code: A41T00204

BAC	Blend-a-Color	0Z	32	64	128
W1	White	-	9	-	1
L1	Blue	-	24	1	-
R2	Maroon	-	15	-	-
Y3	Deep Gold	-	30	1	1

IT-28

Product code:

BAC	Blend-a-Color	0Z	32	64	128
B1	Black	-	46	-	1
R2	Maroon	-	3	-	-
Y3	Deep Gold	-	30	-	1

AM-1

Product code: A41W00251

BAC	Blend-a-Color	0Z	32	64	128
B1	Black	-	15	-	-
G2	New Green	-	4	-	-
Y3	Deep Gold	-	3	1	1

HM-102

Product code: A41T00204

BAC	Blend-a-Color	0Z	32	64	128
W1	White	-	5	1	-
B1	Black	-	44	-	1
N1	Raw Umber	-	30	-	-

HD-1422A

Product code: A41T00204

BAC	Blend-a-Color	0Z	32	64	128
B1	Black	-	57	1	1
R2	Maroon	-	4	1	1
Y3	Deep Gold	-	17	-	-

HD-1418

Product code: A41W00253

BAC	Blend-a-Color	0Z	32	64	128
B1	Black	-	12	1	1
N1	Raw Umber	-	14	1	-
Y3	Deep Gold	-	4	-	1

EICO 322

Last update: 27 Aug. 2008