I know there are a couple of former postings in this forum stating Krylon Bahama Sea as a close match to the Tektronix aqua-blue. Let's now add Valspar Tropical Oasis to that list. It's every bit the same hue as the Bahama Sea. I also found that I can get an even gloser match to the Tek aqua-blue by first applying rust-red primer, instead of using grey primer. I have tried both the Krylon and Valspar under both sunlight and flourescent color temps. and the comparative differences were minimal; if one wants to be anal retentive to getting the closest match to factory hue, the Krylon Bahama Sea over rust-red primer is the best combination. BTW, the Valspar and Krylon are priced within pennies of each other and most "big box" stores carry either or both brands.
The Valspar has one small advantage over the Krylon in that you can touch up a spot later on and the gloss finish blends better than the Krylon does without having to respray the entire panel to achieve a smooth continuous gloss.

And if you want to be REALLY anal retentive about having the correct patina, you can add a spray of Colour Lovers D4A824, "Nicotine Yellow" over the blue and the rest of the piece of equipment to get the correct 1950's-1970's electronics laboratory effect.

-Mark-

It's good to know that in today's modern world, we have numerous choices.
Also add to the list: Krylon's politically correct equavilent to Nicotine Yellow is Golden Pear. I was told if you attach a discarded cigarette filter to the can's spray nozzle, you also get the nicotine aroma blended in with the newly applied finish! Voila, now ready to proudly display at a hamfest!

Just make sure that the cigarette butt's out first.
And, unlike Bill Clinton, actually do not inhale..

with that woman.






Monica Lewinski.

Tek blue ?

ask Stan, the Tek Museum in Portland.
I have seen the cans in his little online shop

greetings
Martin

MM

I've seen a couple of websites that appear to offer actual Tek aqua-blue but at what cost, I don't know. It's likely not to be as cheap as a $4.60 can of spray enamel.

What kind of finish do you get? All of my Tek equipment has a more or less matte finish.

Both brands clearly state "gloss". You can always apply clear coat, satin finish over the gloss aqua.

Here's my solution for the paint match issue. Plenty of material, easy to use, matches everything but the nicotine hue. As an X-smoker, I prefer the no nicotine, "non-stick" finish. I fine tune the color matching by removing the nicotine from the rest of the piece with regular ole ammonia right out of the bottle.

Don't forget the counterfeit calibration stickers.