Questions about paint????

[stingray62]

I recently just got a 1962 schwinn mark 4 and have questions about paint. it appears to be original paint, but under neath the paint i see like a shade of blueish grey. the bike is red, did schwinn use that blueish grey as a primer or a base coat or something? if you happen to know please tell me ive been dying to find out. thank you

 

[Jkrate1985]

Most colors by the 60s for schwinn were actually the equivalant to todays candy colors. There would be a fine silver base first then the semi opaque/transparent top coat applied over the silver. Today its a tri stage- base(silver gold etc-the metallic containing portion) then the transparent color- then clear coat.