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Collection, Preservation and Display of Old Lawn Mowers

Which paint for Webb

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Sorry to ask a dumb question.....had a look around the forum but cant actually find what primer (if any) to use, and what top coat on my Webb 18" resto job?

Clive

 

Dengiebob Sun, 31/03/2013

Hi Clive lol I cannot help with what top coat you need but I would use a red lead oxide paint as a primer. I have noticed on this site many people who post questions like yours do not get any help or answers!! Maybe a trip to your local mower shop might help you with a top coat colour??? Hope this helps let me know if you get it sorted. Bob

hillsider Sun, 31/03/2013

Hello, if you investigate the technical help section of this site there are some pages containing general advice that may be of help to you during your restoration. Re the choice of primer I have had good results using Hammerite Rust Beater primer, the top coat is very much a matter of choice. To find the colour that is needed look around the dismantled machine for an area of original paint that has been under cover since the machine was assembled such as the inside of the drive cover or under a washer for instance. If you are lucky and find an area of paint in good condition and not faded by age you can use this to get the colour scanned and matched at your local DIY store. From there you can decide whether you get some made up for brushing or try to match the cour with a ready mixed paint either in brushing or spray cans. Hope this helps your project, I delayed responding as I was hoping that you would strike lucky and find a member who new the correct answer to your question.  

Smithfire Tue, 02/04/2013

Many thanks for the answers guys,

Deffo going for a red oxide spray primer, looking on ebay at some of the top coats on there.

Clive

 

 

wristpin Tue, 02/04/2013

By all means use red oxide but no lead these days!!!

Bear in mind that the stronger the colour of the primer the more covering it will take to retain the true colour of the top coat so for the palish green of the Webb machines a grey primer or undercoat may be favorite.

As far as the top coat goes, scanning may be the only answer as most of the trade distributors of mower paint have "rationalised " their ranges and tend to only supply current popular colours. That said you may find one of the smaller independent paint manufacturers still have a record of the RAL or Leicher paint code for the Webb Green.

One other route that may be worth perusing is that Handy Distribution are marketing some of the old Atco range badged as Webbs and in the Webb Green so if you can get to talk to the right person they may  be able to point you in the right direction. These machines will be in the  green used by Webb for their last machines in the late 80s early 90s but if my memory is correct the earlier machines were in a slightly paler shade  - or it may just be that the ones I have seen were already faded!

 

http://www.handydistribution.co.uk/exclusivebrands.html

wristpin Tue, 02/04/2013

By all means use red oxide but no lead these days!!!

Bear in mind that the stronger the colour of the primer the more covering it will take to retain the true colour of the top coat so for the palish green of the Webb machines a grey primer or undercoat may be favorite.

As far as the top coat goes, scanning may be the only answer as most of the trade distributors of mower paint have "rationalised " their ranges and tend to only supply current popular colours. That said you may find one of the smaller independent paint manufacturers still have a record of the RAL or Leicher paint code for the Webb Green.

One other route that may be worth perusing is that Handy Distribution are marketing some of the old Atco range badged as Webbs and in the Webb Green so if you can get to talk to the right person they may  be able to point you in the right direction. These machines will be in the  green used by Webb for their last machines in the late 80s early 90s but if my memory is correct the earlier machines were in a slightly paler shade  - or it may just be that the ones I have seen were already faded!

http://www.handydistribution.co.uk/exclusivebrands.html

On second thoughts - have just followed the above link through to the catalogue and it looks very like the machines are in Atco green with Webb stickers on them and not the green used on the last true Webbs!

rabw Thu, 17/11/2016

Hi everyone. The question of what is the actual paint code for 1970's-80's Webbs seems to come up fairly often but ultimately goes unanswered other than a recommendation to take an unfaded bit of the mower to have it matched at a paint shop.

Well I have a 24" Webb (the often seen belt drive version) and as I couldn't find a definitive answer to what colour it's meant to be I got a BS colour swatch book and can say with certainty that it is Olive Green (BS 220-381C).

You can see a picture I took here... Webb Lawnmower Colour Code

wristpin Thu, 17/11/2016

Take your word for it but your olive green swatch is a lot darker than I remember from the belt driven 24" era but may be it's my memory that's faded!

Sorry about the orientation of the image but it was landscape when it left me!

rabw Thu, 17/11/2016

The mower in your picture is the earlier version of the belt type I think. It has a rounded cover over the engine drive shaft whereas mine (later belt drive) have straight sides and top with rounded corners. Also the earlier ones have (I assume) a metal grass box as your pictured one has, the later ones have a plastic one.

Could I be right in thinking the first belt models are lighter than the later ones (which are the same as the even later chain model)? I have a feeling I've noticed this distinction having watched what comes up on eBay.

Edit: Just wanted to note that although the green in my swatch appears dark, I think this is partly due to it being very clean and glossy. Also it most certainly is a more grassy/olive green as oppose to the more British racing green that you see on brand new mowers badged Webb or Atco (and just about everything else) today.

wristpin Thu, 17/11/2016

The publication number of the brochure is WW.616/10/75/105M. Possibly standing for

Wolseley Webb.***/October 1975/****.

Wolseley Webb was the successor to the original HC Webb company.

The engine is a 4hp Tecumseh which replaced the Villiers Lightweight (150cc?) and was then replaced by a 5hp Briggs.

The man driving the 24 was the late Percy Thrower who featured in several Webb advertisements and publications and was the original presenter of the BBC Gardener's World programme.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Percy_Thrower

The original steel grass boxes were a bit prone to splitting around the fixing brackets and, as has been pointed out, were replaced by a "plastic" box .. The first plastic boxes were themselves prone to splitting and soon received a support hoop and a steel reinforcing plate within the top edge of the opening where the hoop engaged.

The hoop and the plastic box were directly retrofittable to the early machines - at a price!

TurboAndy Sat, 08/06/2019

I also have a very early Webb24 with the rounded drive cover. 

Did you find the correct or near as colour for yours? 

 

Andy.