Bluish Tone Of Bianchi Celeste? Pantone #?
 

Anyone know the Pantone # for the most blue shade of Bianchi celeste? Or a photo of it?

Trying to work with a painter on the Phat Bianchi chromovelato.

This color?

http://i.imgur.com/LwJ7FEk.jpg

If you're really going chromovelato, you never get there, IMO. It's because the 'creamy' white/blue/green base of a proper celeste is necessarily opaque, and a chromovelato top coat is by definition transparent, of course. Pick one or the other?

If you want to go celeste w/chrome socks, stays, lugs, etc, then you could do worse than a RAL 6027 powdercoat.

The new Dama Bianca has a color code of 3L in their catalog but wouldnt know what color code itd translate to.

Bianchi's celeste changed so much over the years and there was no chromovelato version, so there is no definitive answer. Just eyeball it.

I was told by several Bianchi cognoscenti that the painters mixed the colors new every morning. That's why there is so much variance. I have 3 Bianchis and the Celeste is slightly different on all of them.

A local frame builder had a contract for years to do all of the warranty and repair work on upper end bikes for Bianchi USA. He tended to confirm that info.

The frame pictured by [MENTION=391445]malcala622[/MENTION] in the second message is Japanese built. I'm not sure if any of the Italian made Bianchis came with that dark aqua color,

verktyg :50:

As I understand it,"celeste' basically means "sky blue." The original celeste Bianchi was painted a light blue, the color of the sky. And it was given a clear coat, probably wax, that yellowed over time. That's where this color comes from. It refers to a greenish color only in the context of a Bianchi bicycle.

Initial hit came up with

16-4529 TPX

(Cyan blue)

Pretty close but needs to be lighter. Interesting to see over the chrome, reason I'm thinking a darker tint may be needed to achieve that traditional Bianchi color.

Here's a sampling color chart
http://partnerheadwear.com/fshow.asp...&id=14&cid=001

As for chromovelato in light blues, have seen online a pretty Pinarello and Masi. Confident celeste can be done.

Celeste literally means sky blue, though it can also mean celestial, unsurprisingly.

That's the same story I heard from various Bianchi employees about 30 years ago. I know there are competing theories now, but I'm inclined to believe the yellowing top coat thing because: a) sky blue or azure is the Italian team color, and b) I've found it easy to converted sky blue to 'celeste' accidentally if using a clear topcoat that is too amber. I think it was a lacquer topcoat though, not wax.

For example (guitar reference) spray vintage amber lacquer over 'sonic' blue and you'll get the same color. It might be fun to use this same technique for this bike. Start with light blue, and add amber tinted clear until it's just right. That will give the color greater depth than a solid opaque tint.

AFA matching Pantones or RAL colors, celeste has been all over the place over the years. It was never standardized AFAIK. Maybe it is now.

I thought my Trofeo had a pleasing shade of Celeste and found out it has a "Gold Pearl" clear coat. Painter suggested skye blue with a gold pearl topcoat "might" reproduce it. I decided to just clean & wax what was already there. Don

[MENTION=63590]jyl[/MENTION],

I think the best you can do is to pick a spot and land. Despite your desire for a chromovelato, I'm agreeing with the Caveman. Make it opaque, tell the painter to match the original color as best you can based on whatever printed photo you have that feels right.

At the end, this will be your call.

+1.

And don't sweat it. Whatever you chose, the color will surprise you. The color will not be exactly what you were expecting based on photographs. But it will look great.

^^^^^^ +1+1, esp. given the variables in photography. Different grades of film render colors differently. Digital cameras have either adjustable or automatic white-balancing. Throw in the color temperature of the ambient lighting, and.....

Another thought and where I had seen samples of metal coloring, appears anodized -(some with a depth of clear), was at the service counter of Cycles de Oro.

Here, just print this out on glossy paper, take it to the painter and say I want dat:

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...6e21a6bf6d.jpg

Is Ed still painting?

He is if you have enough juice. ;)

This is from August.https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...26113393ba.jpg

But not those ratty tires.

The formula I came up with matches my '73 Specialissima. Happy to share it with you if you're interested. Closest match to it so far is what [MENTION=381793]gugie[/MENTION] put up in his photo.

Nice!

I've got a buddy in Berkeley that gave up after several emails and phone calls, and is sending the work to someone else.

I used 4 different colors of Rustoleum to get the match on my '73. Later on I found an outfit that sells RAL colors in small volumes, so you can mix the color you want without too much distress on your wallet. Once you get the color you want, you could get it matched.

https://www.lowvolumepowder.com/RAL-Powders-and-Paints

The 3 colors I am working with now to get the color match I want are: RAL6027, RAL6021, and RAL6019.

I prefer this vintage celeste to RAL 6027 and most modern celestes. (celesti?) It is to my eye considerably paler and more yellow, possibly a bit less saturated as well. I suppose it could be a bit faded and yellowed with time.

I can recall seeing a brand new Specialissima in a bike shop in Texas, in 1972, and it was just about that same color. I also had a '72/73 Rekord purchased new, and the color again was very close. Time of course does strange things to the mind, but the '73 I picked up a couple years ago is about that same shade.