How do the good people of this forum paint tow cables?


I initially painted mine flat black with a steel dry brush, but it looked too shiny.

I just repainted them dark grey and used a pencil to give some metallic sheen. But I'm wondering about rust. Do they often get rusty?

I'm pretty sure they likely got a coat of protective lacquer like many German tools, but areas would definitely quickly wear and chip after a few uses. You could do a dark rust wash followed by a few brighter, 'new' rust spots especially on the towing eyes where they rub on pins and hooks.

Personally I would avoid rust on wire tow ropes, although some wear on the eyes is reasonable. Rusty wire ropes are dangerous and would be replaced. To prevent rusting, they would typically be oiled although they don’t shine like a planar surface.

As per what Robert said. Fair wear and tear on the eyelets is ok as they get a fair hammering, however the actual cables are a different thing. We would have ours checked monthly and any sign of damage would be cause for a new one being demanded. One single strand in the cable being snapped/ broken would mean the whole thing written off. If we found any light rust through wear, it was immediately cleaned and that area oiled.
Things might of been different day in WW2 in constant combat and difficulty with the supply chain etc, but I would say the recovery cables would still be an item that was looked after.

Like other members said no rust on a tow cable. We used to give them a coat of grease as a protection. One consequence was dust tended to stick when driving in a dusty environment.

I usually paint the cables XF-84 dark iron which already has a metal shine in it. Then I use some pencil powder to enhance the "shiny" look when needed.

Olivier

From my Paladin walkaround:



Or a lighter shade of brown if you prefer:

Thanks for the helpful replies.

The second photo with the lighter shade of brown looks a lot like the tracks in the same shot and certainly looks like rust. Was this a static display vehicle or still in service?

It was in service right along with the rest of them.

I really appreciate the help.

Pretty sure that's just the bright surface rust that forms on exposed metal whenever there is some humidity. Once they crank that vehicle up and take it for a spin the mere act of driving around a few minutes will polish all that off until it has a chance to sit again for several hours.

Unfortunately not a lot of humdidity in Utah. Not there anyway - relative humidity there is 15% as I type this. They are as they appear. Had just finished at the range the day before. I might know - I chiefed one of them.