|
Post by Wayne on Mar 24, 2021 12:26:44 GMT -5
I'm re-reading Waller's book and I am constantly amazed at Waller's in-depth knowledge of the case (circa 1961) without access to the massive amount of statements and records we now have, thanks mainly to the NJ State Police Museum.
On pages 217-218, this jumped out:
"They (Finn, Sisk, and Keaton) had learned from the New York State Motor Vehicle Bureau that Richard Hauptmann had been born in Germany not quite thirty-five years before, that he was a carpenter and that he had registered the same 1930 Dodge sedan each year back to 1931, when its original color had been dark green; it had been painted its present dark blue after the year of the kidnaping, 1932. "
Is this true?
Was Hauptmann's Dodge green when he bought it and then he had it painted blue after the kidnapping?
|
|
|
Post by Michael on Mar 24, 2021 13:50:48 GMT -5
Was Hauptmann's Dodge green when he bought it and then he had it painted blue after the kidnapping? That's bogus. It was always dark blue.
|
|
|
Post by Wayne on Mar 24, 2021 19:07:03 GMT -5
Was Hauptmann's Dodge green when he bought it and then he had it painted blue after the kidnapping? That's bogus. It was always dark blue. Thanks Michael, I thought he was wrong too. I have a feeling this was somehow brought to Waller's attention to justify Hochmuth's trial testimony when he repeatedly (6 times) identified the car he saw as "dirty green." I have no idea why Reilly or Fisher did not jump all over that.
|
|
|
Post by Michael on Mar 25, 2021 10:02:49 GMT -5
I have a feeling this was somehow brought to Waller's attention to justify Hochmuth's trial testimony when he repeatedly (6 times) identified the car he saw as "dirty green." I have no idea why Reilly or Fisher did not jump all over that. There was a source for this, but the police investigation disproved it. When I get a chance I'll look for the report.
|
|
Joe
Lt. Colonel
Posts: 2,640
|
Post by Joe on Mar 25, 2021 10:16:19 GMT -5
Was Hauptmann's Dodge green when he bought it and then he had it painted blue after the kidnapping? That's bogus. It was always dark blue. Doesn't the Williamsbridge Motors bill of sale also state "Dark Blue"?
|
|
|
Post by Michael on Mar 27, 2021 8:51:10 GMT -5
That's bogus. It was always dark blue. Doesn't the Williamsbridge Motors bill of sale also state "Dark Blue"? The bill of sale says: " Dark blue car with light blue striping." Here is a copy of a report which might explain "where" Waller was getting his information about this. It's not the one I had in mind but it should do. imgur.com/1es5qBD
|
|
|
Post by Wayne on Mar 27, 2021 12:40:06 GMT -5
|
|
Joe
Lt. Colonel
Posts: 2,640
|
Post by Joe on Mar 28, 2021 8:42:57 GMT -5
Thanks Wayne, that is the most detailed description of the paint finish on Hauptmann's car I've seen. I had no idea it included the light blue striping with white hairline accent, but not surprised. I was with Dupont automotive coatings for many years and used to know the actual industry blue colour number equivalent for Hauptmann's car in the DUCO nitrocellulose paint line. During this time, automotive manufacturers had switched from brush-applied natural oil-based varnishes to spray-applied nitrocellulose based finishes. Because of their low volume solids content, they could only achieve thin wet films with each application and the dry film had to be hand rubbed, which made for a slow process. The introduction of the first polymeric automotive coating, the alkyd, by the mid-1930's, led to major production increases. In the attached link, about halfway down, is a French Duco automotive palette from the mid-1920's which shows how bright and vivid most of the colours and two-tone/striping combinations were during that time! www.consumerreports.org/consumerist/a-brief-history-of-car-colors-and-why-are-we-so-boring-now/
|
|
|
Post by Wayne on Mar 28, 2021 19:49:52 GMT -5
Thanks Wayne, that is the most detailed description of the paint finish on Hauptmann's car I've seen. I had no idea it included the light blue striping with white hairline accent, but not surprised. I was with Dupont automotive coatings for many years and used to know the actual industry blue colour number equivalent for Hauptmann's car in the DUCO nitrocellulose paint line. During this time, automotive manufacturers had switched from brush-applied natural oil-based varnishes to spray-applied nitrocellulose based finishes. Because of their low volume solids content, they could only achieve thin wet films with each application and the dry film had to be hand rubbed, which made for a slow process. The introduction of the first polymeric automotive coating, the alkyd, by the mid-1930's, led to major production increases. In the attached link, about halfway down, is a French Duco automotive palette from the mid-1920's which shows how bright and vivid most of the colours and two-tone/striping combinations were during that time! www.consumerreports.org/consumerist/a-brief-history-of-car-colors-and-why-are-we-so-boring-now/Hey Joe, Thanks for the paint info! And the chart. You know, I have never in my life even considered that cars, at some point in time, were hand painted. That amazes me. Do you know how that worked? How do you paint a car with a brush or roller and not get streaks or hairs or some sort of pattern on the car?
|
|
Joe
Lt. Colonel
Posts: 2,640
|
Post by Joe on Mar 31, 2021 10:58:08 GMT -5
Thanks Wayne, that is the most detailed description of the paint finish on Hauptmann's car I've seen. I had no idea it included the light blue striping with white hairline accent, but not surprised. I was with Dupont automotive coatings for many years and used to know the actual industry blue colour number equivalent for Hauptmann's car in the DUCO nitrocellulose paint line. During this time, automotive manufacturers had switched from brush-applied natural oil-based varnishes to spray-applied nitrocellulose based finishes. Because of their low volume solids content, they could only achieve thin wet films with each application and the dry film had to be hand rubbed, which made for a slow process. The introduction of the first polymeric automotive coating, the alkyd, by the mid-1930's, led to major production increases. In the attached link, about halfway down, is a French Duco automotive palette from the mid-1920's which shows how bright and vivid most of the colours and two-tone/striping combinations were during that time! www.consumerreports.org/consumerist/a-brief-history-of-car-colors-and-why-are-we-so-boring-now/Hey Joe, Thanks for the paint info! And the chart. You know, I have never in my life even considered that cars, at some point in time, were hand painted. That amazes me. Do you know how that worked? How do you paint a car with a brush or roller and not get streaks or hairs or some sort of pattern on the car? Wayne, believe it or not, some of the early brush-applied finishes by experienced applicators were done so well, you'd hardly know they were not spray-applied. These finishes were also often hand rubbed between each dried coat with gasoline or other solvents which were designed to provide a bit of reflow and eliminate any streaking, without totally re-solubilizing the coating film. Interestingly, there is a line of bus and coach finishes in the UK which are designed for brush and roller application and they are still used today in some parts of the world. With spray application equipment appearing in automotive plants in the 1920's, paint cycle times dropped from months to weeks, and the introduction of nitrocellulose finishes was a total game-changer, bringing this time down to hours. Incidentally those old turn-of-the-century Model T's that came only in black, did so for a very good reason. Their coating was asphalt-based, and so there was good reason for Henry Ford to state that the customer could have one in any colour, as long as it was black!
|
|