The SteelNavy.Com Message Board: Re: if "buff" is not real then how did the saying come about? nt

Several reasons. It starts with "The Nelson Chequer." I will let Wikipedia explain it; it does a good enough job:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nelson_Chequer

Nelson wanted uniformity, and some basic info on ship condition through the smoke of battle.

When we hit the age of steel, it becomes more of a matter of "livery." All these "newfangled steam ships" have a certain sameness to them, as well as just plain being new. Old sea dogs who could distinguish the lines of a French ship of the line "in their sleep" were suddenly looking at the latest smoke-belching metal contraption, and straining to see what ensign she was flying from five miles away. In peacetime (that is emphasized in sources) each nation adopted a livery for their warships. The Royal Navy kept the yellow and black colors of the Nelson Chequer, and added red-lead, and white. The US Navy took on white with spar. And so on. In the event of a war in this age of steel, ships were hastily painted into some shade of gray. Even on land at this time, armies were starting to drop their colorful uniforms from the days of line formations in black-powder smoke, and go to "earth tones" of brown, gray, or drab. So, too with warships. Gray it became.

Pictures of US ships with spar exist in this thread already. Here then are a couple images of the Royal Navy:

This does not discuss color, but the image bears out the next link (which is colorized) :

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pre-dreadnought_battleship

This link, while showing some color also gives a discussion of additional reasons for the colors:

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=814746857119574&set=a.269115125016086&locale=es_LA

HTH

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Thanks to you and Ralph for the info on the correct term for the color 'Buff' which is noted and any further reference to it by me, particularly on this board, 'Spar', will be used. If I were to look to buy Spar from any paint manufacturers though, would I would be rebuffed? i.e., Humbrol, Colourcoats and Modelcolor only sell 'Buff' (from the evidence I have at hand) and they don't seem to be aware of the correct term, or maybe they do and they just don't care.

I raise that at as obvious point only though and it doesn't really matter because in the end 'Spar' seems to be a compound and not an element so it can be mixed or tinted to the beholder's suit and there's quite a bit of leeway.

What I am curious about though is why this particular color was used to paint ships at the turn of the twentieth century, anyway? I've had a look but I can't see that there was an exact reason, so I assume it was simply a fashion or trend that came with the time, you know, like wearing an onion on your belt. If it was considered an effective camouflage, why was it discontinued? If anyone knows of the actual reason or where to find it, please point it out, thank you.

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As Ralph said I am talking about the correct name for the USN and USCG color. Buff is another color name and IIRC was used by the Brits for their color similar to USN spar.

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.......First off the name is Spar not Buff, never was Buff.

There is no perfect match possible as period pieces at the Navy Museum at the Washington Navy Yard did not match each other and different layers exposed by chips and scratches showed differences between layers. Some pinker, some yellower, some browner.

That said matched to a mix per Painting and Cementing out of the bottle Vallejo Model Color Goldbrown 70.877.

Within the variation of period pieces-
Vallejo Model Air Yellow Ochre 71.033 or US Interior Yellow 71.107
Tamiya XF-3 Flat Yellow and XF-15 Flat Flesh 1:1

To the yellow end AK11117 Golden Brown. To the tan end AK 11116 Tan Yellow. They are within the extremes I observed at the Navy Museum.

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Talking about the superstructure color.

Rob