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Insignia white and regular white.


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Can someone tell/show me what is the difference between regular white, Insignia white and RLM21 white?

Does one color cover better than the others?

If possible, a few good comparison pics would be great!

Thanks.

Scott

CNJC-IPMS

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  • 4 weeks later...

"It's all in a name." As far a white MM enamels, flat white is called just that, "Flat White." The FS595B (Federal Standard) number is also listed directly below the name of the color. The FS number below "Flat White" is FS37875. (the first digit, 3, indicates the level of sheen. They are as follows: 1 - gloss, 2 - semi gloss, or 3 - flat or lusterless. The second number, 7, indicates an arbitrarily or predominate color classification grouping. Number 7 is "miscellaneous" i.e. whites, blacks, etc. Without going into a great amount of detail, the last 3 digits, 875, indicate the color itself. So, as far as Testors MM line of white enamels, the jars will show the colors as:

- Insignia White

FS17875

- Flat White

FS37875

Note: I don't think that they have a semi gloss color, since that luster can vary widely. If they did it would be:

- Semi-Gloss White OR Satin White

FS27875

In other words, white is white. It's all in a name. I hope that this gives you some kind of answer to your question rather than making it as clear as mud. Good Luck!!

Edited by balls47
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Great post and thanks for the great explanation! It clears up a lot of questions for me.

I was wondering, does the same explanation apply to all other "insignia" colors as well?

Scott

CNJC-IPMS

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Great post and thanks for the great explanation! It clears up a lot of questions for me.

I was wondering, does the same explanation apply to all other "insignia" colors as well?

Scott

CNJC-IPMS

Hey Scott, I can't answer that one. I use MM enamels most of the time, so I can't speak about other brands of paint.

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Great post and thanks for the great explanation! It clears up a lot of questions for me.

I was wondering, does the same explanation apply to all other "insignia" colors as well?

Scott

CNJC-IPMS

"Insigina" colors (Red/White/Blue) are the colors designated for the US national insignia when it's rendered high-vis. "Insignia Yellow" is the color used for rescue arrows, warning boxes, etc. There are dozens of other blues/reds/yellows within the FS595C range that are valid for use on everything from fighter jets to street signs. The insignia colors, though, are the only ones that are supposed to be used for the star and bar.

Incidentally, the colors themselves have no name within the FS595 spec. They're referred to by their numbers (e.g, 11136, 36440, etc.) in documentation used by the corrosion control shops/paint barns.

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I think the USN itself is to blame for the continued usage of names for the colors.

please note, I am not suggesting that any of the following applies to any service except the USN/USMC.

Color names were already in use in the ANA systems when the GSA started publishing the color standard for Government contracters.

They continued to be in use in while the two systems existed side by side, up to the 595A introduction in 1968, and the elimination of the ANA guides around the end of the sixties.

the INTENT was that the USN personnel would "stop using" color names at that time.

But, the USN itself didn't help any with the attempts to curtail the use of color names.

The USN continued to use color names in the painting directives, in October 1971, it used color names in "MILitary Specification For Insignia and Markings for Naval Weapons Systems" MIL-I-18464G(AS),,,,,,,in fact if you look at Table Entry C-3 on pages 26-27, you will see that the USN in 1971 still called out the "mandatory" trim colors for the squadrons in Color Name only, without the FS number listed next to the color.

Then the attemtpts continued along during the following decades,,,,,,and in May 1993 in MIL-STD-2161A(AS) Department of Defense Standard Practice--Paint Schemes and Exteriror Markings For US Navy and Marine Corps Aircraft, the USN was still using color names,,,,,in the text of the body of the document it was worded like this "shall be colored Insignia Red, FED-STD-595, color number 11136" (note the USN gave the name first, then the FS number)

in 2161A, you can see a visual clue concerning color names and numbers,,,,,Figure A-5 is a good example, it concerns the painting of helicopter blades it calls out the color in this format

"Bright Red

FED STD COLOR NO. 31136"

"Orange-Yellow

FED STD COLOR NO. 33538"

"Insignia Red

FED STD COLOR NO.11136"

2 notes about that,,,,,,,the Yellow was still being called Orange-Yellow (not Insignia Yellow) in 1993, and Insignia Red and Bright Red still kept their separate names, even though the GSA had washed the colors together in 1984.

001-4.jpg

I have always wished I could have inherited one of the CNO's office letters that got put up on file cabinet sides each time it came out,,,,,,it listed the trim colors and Insignia colors, and each new letter got the color names penned in next to the FS number, for verbal usage. But, after 1979, they didn't tell me that Glenview was going to be shut down,,,so, the final copy of those cheat sheets probably went in the trash before the file cabinets got scrapped out.

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To make things simpler, think of the FS numbers as the part number.

When you ordered a Ford Cylinder Head for your '68 Ford 428, you ordered a "C8AZ-6049-N" you didn't order a "428 Police Intercepter Cylinder Head"

but, you called them PI Cylinder Heads when you talked about them

same with FS paint numbers and the USN names,,,,you called out 31136 for paint specs or ordering purposes, but, said Insignia Red when you spoke it

remember,,,,the system was *supposed to be* that the GSA provided the color standard as supplied TO them by the various agencies, they didn't dictate what colors you had in your organization (until they decided to do just that in 1984)

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Gentlemen, Thank you very much. I like to learn something every day. I learned "a bunch" today. All of this info will be what I call my "little known fact of the day." Again, thanks.

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