Celeste Paint
 

Newbie to this forum. Bringing an 82 Bianchi back to life. Does anyone know where I can get celeste paint?

For touch up, or to repaint?

Problem is that "Celeste" was a moving target: the Celeste color on your Bianchi may be quite different from that on another Bianchi from another year. If you really want a match, take your frame to an Auto painter with a spectometer (or whatever that device is called) that they use to scan paint and devise a mix-to-match formula. Then you can buy the paint (usually whatever brand/type they spray, maybe a synthetic lacquer or alkyd enamel) and some places can even make you up rattlecans of it, for an extra fee, if you don't have a compressor and spraygun.

If just doing touch up, go to a bike shop that sells Bianchi. My LBS is a dealer & they sell small bottles of Celeste touch up paint. It is true that "Celeste" has varied over the years, My Bianchi Trofeo has a Pearl Gold clear coat applied over the Celeste. Despite this, the Celeste touch up paint works pretty well & looks better than leaving a chip or scratch to mar the paint.

You can also buy it online at Bianchi USA. Ollo Ollo and Unworthy1 are right, celeste is a moving target. I bought a bottle of the celeste touch up paint, and it is not a perfect match, but you have to look closely to notice it.

A body supply place (like the one I work at) can't use the reader on any falt surface smaller than a credit card, so a bike frame (with round tubes) wouldn't work. The device needs a flat surface in order to get a reading. And honestly, they aren't all that accurate.
And don't bother with lacquer. It's about as durable as newspaper, and most body supply places can't mix it anymore (EPA rules).

I have an '82 Bianchi that needed a touch up here and there. I went to a model store (cars, ships, planes, etc) and purchased 3 small bottles of enamel model paint. I got a mid blue, mid green and white colours. I tipped a quantity of blue into another small jar and an equal amount of green in with the blue and blended them together. I got a colour that was very similar to celeste although much deeper. I added a little more green and I had a pretty good base for Bianchi celeste (although it was too deep). I then added white and constantly stirred the white in. I kept adding white until I was happy with the result.

I was very happy with the result, it is as close to a perfect match as I think possible considering the age of the frame.

I sprayed the areas needing touching up with an airbrush and thinning the paint with turps. I also touched up some areas with a small brush before airbrushing.

The bike looks great now and it is very difficult to see the areas that were touched up.

I found it most important to give the paint a couple of weeks to cure properly.

Celeste
 

It is for a full re-paint. Not my intention to perfectly match stock 1982 color, just trying to get close.

Many Thanks,

Enzo

Celeste
 

Not my intention to perfectly match stock 1982 color, just trying to get close. I guess I will head over to the auto body shop.

Many Thanks,

Enzo

Celeste Paint
 

Not my intention to perfectly match stock 1982 color, just trying to get close. I guess I will head over to the auto body shop.

Many Thanks,

Enzo

Celeste Paint
 

That sounds like a winner Gary. Since it's a full re-paint, thats what I will do.

Many Thanks,

Enzo