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I need to have a Mills QT Chevron front casting repainted and have some questions I am sure you experts can answer.

Were these originally painted with enamel?

From researching original colors it is clear to me that they produced one model with a green paint (Green Front) and one model with a blue paint (Blue Front). According to Bueschel there was a third model whose official name was Combination QT but I can't determine the original factory color for this one. I commonly see QT Chevrons that are painted orange. Is this the factory color for the Combination or just a popular color people like to repaint them?

Does anybody have Pantone codes for any or all of the original factory colors?

Thanks for your help!

Mills had three standard colors for the Chevron---orange, green, and blue. There could be a special order and color variations appeared as they were "updated" by various revampers. I have a 10-cent Chevron that looks like it has original red paint and a 1-cent with an odd color as well. My restoration technique, if needed, is to strip and polish the casting, mask, and use appropriate spray enamel. I do not like glossy paint on a QT so I use a clear satin coat as well. Perhaps someone has the paint codes you need. For the orange paint I use Rust-oleum American Accents 2X Ultra Cover in satin rustic orange and it is very close to the QT orange as well as the Mills Futurity color. The green paint is a bit more difficult to match as the spray colors tend to be a tad darker than the medium green used by Mills. Of course even original colors could change subtly as the aluminum castings oxidize. The QTs I restore usually have some remnant of original paint (look under the award card or denomination button) so there would be a way to match that. A cursory google search of Chevron QTs will give you plenty of great photos to help as well.

Thanks so much for the prompt and great reply. That is just what I needed to know.

Yes, I have already went out and looked for photos and have stored away many examples. And I saw enough of the orange to assume it was an original color but I wanted to be sure.

Very much appreciate your help.