The colour of threshing machines.

Over the years I have seen many fine models of threshing machines, both "in the flesh" and in magazines. They are almost invariably painted pink, with the frames picked out in red. Now when I was a boy there were two such machines near me, full size, one of wooden construction and the other steel; and they were both painted red but the paint had turned pink due the the action of the sun. The original colour could be found on parts that were permanently shaded. My question is, do the modellers paint them to represent the faded colour, or did some makers of the full size machines paint them pink from the start?

That sounds like an "emperor's new clothes" question

Looking on google it seems that 'restored' machines are often red and pink, but preserved, unrestored, ones are either pink (with red bits underneath).

The one at Pitstone does look redder on the framing, but I suspect it's because the paint has weathered differently on the different timbers.

I also found a few examples of an American machine where the paint has flaked off the metal (galvanised) panels and an old coloured engraving where the frame is red but the panelling is natural 'wood'.

I did a google image search of the engraving and google suggested:

"Best guess for this image: herd of sheep under trees"

Neil

Edited By Neil Wyatt on 04/08/2018 18:13:11

This model in a museum is stated to have been made by somebody who remembers the machines in service, and is darker than most models. I assume using red lead paint and then leaving it out for 20 years to weather would produce the most realistic finish.

**LINK**

Brian

I used to work on a site with an adjacent Farm there was some very old machinery tucked away in a barn, the colour was predominantly wood.

There is also this which I saw at Newbury Show in 2015, a little bit of red is evident.

I guess the choice could be whether you want a realistic “as found” Model or one looking as though it has just left the factory (or anything between).

I have no idea what any of the machines were called!

Edited By V8Eng on 04/08/2018 18:48:50

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Looking back at the 3" Ransomes that was featured in ME it says they painted them with red framework and salmon pink boarding which agrees with Bill's post above.

The old adverts are the same

Edited By JasonB on 04/08/2018 19:12:08

All the combines around my way are painted yellow,never seen a red one yet.

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Red Frame Pink panels I remember them working in earnest powered by a Marshall tractor - all flat belts with serious metal joiners. significant hair parting equipment prior to HSE. Case, International Harvester and Massey Ferguson combines all red. Robert Butler

Edited By Robert Butler on 04/08/2018 19:57:32

Known as Crocodile clips (not to be confused with the feeble things used to join electrickery circuits!)

New Holland = yellow, but MF, Intl Harvester, Laverda = all red; Fiat = red or orange; Claas = green & white, some John Deere = green.

My memory tells me pink was the favoured colour for thrashing machines in Norfolk, same colour used on 2 and 4 wheel carts.

Emgee

Red seems to be one of the least stable colours, even modern cars fade badly.

Mike

Better paint back then, plenty of lead. The paint on our old farm house lasted for years.Robert Butler

Thanks for all the replies. Most interesting. I don't know the makes of the two that I knew.It's nice to know that the red frames and pink panels is correct, as it really does look good.

Maurice

Fosters of Lincoln were one of the leading maker of threshing machines. The army requisitioned our house in 1940, and we lived in a farm cottage near Grantham. I can still see my dad helping out with the threshing in 1944, just after he returned from 3 years in Egypt!

Re. The flat belt joining clips.

They were called Alligator Clips. About 15 years ago I was helping to clear out an old engineering store when I found an unopened cardboard box of these clips. I laid it aside to save it as almost everything was going in the skip. (I was almost crying!)

When it was time to go home I went to pick up my prized connectors. They were gone and I was told someone had picked them up, looked at them, said "these are no use now" and had thrown them in the bottom of the skip!!

Oh well, I probably wouldn't have used them anyway.

Spent 12 years banging on Alligator clips,still widely used in Industry.