What is Fordite?

Fordite, also known as Motor Agate, is a truly unique automotive enamel material with a fascinating and rich history.

The original layered automotive paint slag “rough” was created quite incidentally, many years ago, through the now extinct practice of hand spray-painting numerous production cars in large automotive factories. During this process, excess paint—referred to as overspray—would gradually build up on the tracks and skids that supported the car frames while they were being painted. Over time, multiple colorful layers of paint accumulated in these areas, creating a vibrant and textured deposit. These layers were repeatedly hardened in the ovens where car bodies were baked to cure the paint, with some of the deeper layers enduring the baking process up to 100 times. Eventually, the thick paint buildup became obstructive and too heavy, necessitating its removal.

According to the story, some insightful and crafty workers recognized that this unique byproduct had genuine aesthetic value. The material was super-cured, exhibiting a stunning pattern reminiscent of psychedelic agate, and could be cut and polished with relative ease to create beautiful pieces. As word spread about this remarkable and colorful material, it’s said that rockhounds and collectors began showing up at auto factories, eager to help remove the problematic paint in exchange for a chance to salvage some of the extraordinary rough!

Unfortunately, the old techniques that produced this captivating material are no longer practiced today. Modern cars are painted using an electrostatic process, which essentially magnetizes the enamel to the car bodies, leaving little to no overspray. As a result, the traditional factory methods responsible for creating this incredible material have long since disappeared, making Fordite a rare and treasured collectible from a bygone era.

Did you know that Maritime Fordite was formed in naval shipyards, making it even rarer than the original Motor City material?!!