paint matching for restoration

[lowscore]

I am looking to touch up the paint on some of my better joysticks and consoles. I know that there are several shades of orange used on VCS's and their components but I am wondering if anyone has found any successful matches and commercially available sources for the colors?

[jferio]

My recommendation would be to pack up the console you want to restore, and take it to your local hobby shop. I'm not talking a big box like Hobby Lobby, but a little place that deals specifically in the hobby of scale models. The best ones will have someone who can take one look at what you're trying to match, and be able to name either a brand and color of paint, or a combination of two or three paints, that will enable you to make that exact match.

[A.J. Franzman]

I use a DecoColor paint marker by Marvy Uchida, that I got at Michael's. They have two sizes; I got the larger "Broad Line" style, model 300-S Orange. This is a very close match to the original color (maybe a shade brighter) and IMO easier to apply than using a paintbrush. Unfortunately it does have its flaws: It takes two coats to get good coverage. Although it dries to the touch fairly quickly, it takes a week or more until it's hard enough not to put fingerprints in it by casual handling. And it chips off easily if the surface is not sanded first. Maybe a light application of a strong solvent like acetone would work as well as sanding; I haven't tried that yet.