Sheldon lathe bed interior color

[wayback machine]

I'm in the middle of resurrecting a 1940's Sheldon 10" lathe - The interior of the bed (the webs between the ways) is originally painted an off white color.
I believe I've read that other makers (South Bend?) did this also - The question is why would they pick a color like this?
If any part of a lathe gets grungy quick, the inside of the bed has got to be it.

 

[pontiac428]

Contrast is the only reason to consider machine colors. Black is classic and grey is nice, but greens and blues help with visual acuity. Especially green, like the celluloid visors the old weirdos wear in the cash counting cages, like the color of a pool table, like the underside of a "real" pro ball cap, like springtime on the plains. There's something to it.

 

[matthewsx]

For racecars, white or some other bright color is preferred because it makes it easier to spot cracks. That said, paint it any color you like. I suspect the boss might have liked it because he could which workers were cleaning their machines every day.

\John

 

[projectnut]

My Sheldon MW 56P was built in 1960. It has the same off white/ cream inside the bed I suspect as mentioned earlier it’s easier to spot and remove the swarf and dirt due to the contrast in colors.

 

[aliva]

I'd paint it the color of swarf, won't have clean as often