Color

We've been painting all manner of cases for electronic assemblies, and usually I have the paint professionally matched to an original color. The paint company uses an electronic probe to "read" the color and it gives them a recipe to mix an identical replacement color.

Today we had to paint one single unit, and that doesn't justify the time and expense of professional color matching. So I did it myself, by eye, adding a little of this and that, and some solvent, and painting tiny test strips to see how the color changes as the paint dries.

I've finished now, and the painted case matches the original pretty well. I got the "hue" right (sort of the blend of light and dark) but in the final analysis, the original has a touch of some brown characteristic, and I don't have any color to add for that. I wonder if the brown element is brought on by yellowing of the original paint as it ages?

My final result is perfectly fine, and close enough for government work, but looking carefully at color is kind of interesting. I don't scrutinize color very often, but there are umpteen subtle shades of every color, plus matte and gloss characteristics.

53 degrees at 10:17 PM

It's November 9th and I've not turned the heater on at home or at work yet. The cat gets mad if I don't turn on the computer, because she likes sitting on the monitor as warm air emanates from of the holes on top of it. I have a comforter and wool blanket on the bed, and at night, the cat crawls under the covers to keeps me warm. She's all about togetherness.

Editors note: It's 50 degrees now at 10:35 and our hero has gone to bed.