Document pmjdaQ7D9gqwYpnmm8dbQkLX7

PAINT RESEARCH in WARTIME Chemists and physicists are solving many a finishing problem related to war equipment Paint ha* many special uses in wartime. An instance in point is indicated by this picture which shows a crew at work applying camouflage paint to a bomber. e a u t y may be only skin deep--literally--in speak Ca mo u f l a g e Pa in t s B ing of paint, but improved appearance is what Even the simple quality of dullness posed a prob has chiefly concerned people when thinking of lem. Although paint men could produce a non-reflective finishes. Today, with paint off to war with about everyfinish as readily as a high-gloss one, it was discovered thing else, bright, gleaming attractiveness is largely that it made a great difference what angle the light came "out," and dullness is the ideal. from! In other words, an apparently dull-as-dishwater Paint for military purposes has had to be endowed finish coat would not reflect a dangerous amount of tell with many new characteristics to meet such require tale light from the sun, or from a searchlight or a flare ments as camouflage, blackout, luminosity and a multi coming from almost directly overhead, but it might tude of highly-specialized uses. This has imposed on mirror brilliantly a beam striking at tree-top elevation. paint research chemists as severe a responsibility as that which faced manufacturers converting from peacetime production to making unfamiliar war material. But the experts responsible for our modern finishes have been equal to the demands made upon them. The contri butions of finishes research to the war effort--at least those that can be told--make an inspiring story. The maintenance needs of America's fast-grouting Navy and Merchant Marine call for the production of a great variety of paint finishes to meet exacting specifications. Patrol torpedo boats of the "mosquito fleet" are speed demons witk a powerful punch. [ 18 | LBW 0010822 DUP110137640 f, Chemists m the Du Pont laboratories were given the task of developing a method of measuring the re flectance factor of dull paints at all angles in incidence. Today, a device known as the goniophotometer is in service and it does this quickly and accurately. Long before the phrase `'lend-lease" came into the language, these finishing experts, as the result of a casual inquiry from the United States N'avy Air Corps, devel oped some experimental formulas on camouflage paints for airplanes. According to standard practice, these finishes were applied to panels, which were tested for durability by outdoor exposure in different parts of the country. The studies were made at paint farms in Florida, Texas, Delaware, New Jersey, Illinois, Michigan and California where more than 60,000 coated metal, wood and composition sheets are constantly under test. Near the completion of the test period, the British Government let it be known that it was searching for an improved paint for aircraft. The laboratory men reached A Pl u s Va l u e Sequel to this brief case history is one of those accidental discoveries that now and then softens the disappointments with which the road to research is so generously paved. An unsuspected hidden virtue of the new enamel was revealed with the discovery that it withstood the destructive action of de-icing fluids! Previously, the liquids spread on plane wings to prevent the formation of ice raised havoc with lacquer finishes. This rapid deterioration made it necessary to ground the planes frequently for laborious touch-up and repainting work to protect the metal. Ice in winter or at top altitudes no longer keeps aircraft idle for ill-apared hours of repair finishing. Imp r o v e d Me t a l Pr imer s Less spectacular, perhaps, but representing long hours of intensive study on paint problems are the numerous instances wherein Du Pont laboratory tech nicians have assisted the Army and Navy in special tasks. Tersely, among more than a score of subjects, in a recent informal summary of contributions to the war effort, the chemical director listed zinc chromate primer with this comment: "Our type of zinc yellow primer for airplanes is being used in the large dip tanks of manufacturers throughout the country. We feel we have been instru mental in maintaining the level of quality, particularly on the score of stability." Zinc yellow primer is important. It is the ideal first coat on the now much-employed aluminum alloy metals. In some respects also, zinc chromate possesses certain advantages over the old standby red lead as an under coating for steel. When production takes advantage of the time-saving obtained with quick-drying synthetic resin varnishes, the yellow rather than the red under coat is once again in order. Use of red lead is also ruled out if a welder's torch is used, for poisonous vapors are released under intense heat. The mass of problems to be solved in this industry's Checkins up at one of the Du Pont"Paint Farms" where exposure tests are conducted to determine the protective and durability characteristics of paints under varying climatic conditions. This research is carried on continuously at "farms" from Coast to Coast and from the Great Lakes to the Gulf. into the special series of formulations and brought out a finish that had already proved its durability. This synthetic finish--the first of its kind ever pro duced for airplanes--is an alkyd type not unlike the smooth coat of "Dulux" finish on your refrigerator, but it is dark and dull. Today, the United States Army and Navy Air Corps largely use this finish which was ready and tested when needed, all because a question or two had been asked by a Navy Air Corps official in 1938. [191 Measuring gloss urith the goniophotometer at the Philadelphia Laboratory. This instrument has been helpful in developing airplane finishes with fust the right degree of dullness la meet the requirements. LBW 0010823 DUP110137641 Ijborator.es in .vartime '-va3 gigantic, and the answers were needed fast: paint research has been called upon to become virtually an extension of military finishes research. Ot h e r De v e l o p me n t s Among the subjects covered by the chemical director in his memorandum report are many more items indic ative of the scope of this behind-the-scenes military paint research work. For example, we quote: "In co operation with the United States Army Quartermaster Corps and a committee of the WPB, we have carried out a lengthy program for the purpose of establishing alternate vehicle compositions to eliminate scarce raw materials from the painting of Army motorized equip ment. This program has involved the preparation and exposure of approximately one hundred and fifty dif ferent top-coat compositions." Another paragraph mentions molded plywood planes and the development of an adhesive based on a liquid form of "Butacite" polyvinyl resin, the sandwich filling in safety glass. He refers to this resin as "accomplishing results over heavily-molded sections apparently not provided by other available adhesives." Other technical advances mentioned include the development of cold-crack-resistant putties to improve aerodynamic efficiency of wings by reducing the drag caused by seams and depressions: a rust-inhibitive green primer for steel seaplane runways; pioneering work on the use of dip-tank sealers for plywood leading to the establishment of a number of these time-saving tanks in aircraft factories. Dozens of such tasks, large and small, some ap proaching the sensational in importance, others merely time-consuming routine testing programs, are being done by finish-research groups nationally in the all-out drive to attain both quality and quantity production. The industry is also engaged in working on paints to protect and camouflage stainless steel airplanes. It is making an extensive study on the water and gasoline sensitivity of various types of zinc chromate primers for the Bureau of Aeronautics; cooperating with the WPB metals conservation sub-committee in evolving organic finishing systems to replace tin and zinc; supplying the Army Engineers Board with information on paint for pontoons and testing methods for shatterproof films on glas3. In short, nine-tenths of paint research activity is now devoted to helping win the war. A Sp e c ia l De p a r t me n t As a matter of fact, the Finishes Division of the DuPont Company has formed a special War Service Department, with the personnel pledged to all-out co operation with the Government service branches as well as prime and sub-contractors engaged in war work. Its functions are: (1) To assist Government agencies in modernizing existing paint specifications and preparing new ones; (2) To recommend correct finishing systems and application methods for fast and economical paint ing; (3) To provide technical assistance in painting for protection and maintenance of war plants and arsenals; (41 To suggest proper methods for the safe storage and handling of inflammable coating materials; (5) To aid in selecting capable manufacturers who know how to finish all types of products. In addition to this personal aid, manufacturers of war materials are also provided with informative warservice literature. One booklet describes and illustrates eleven ways to speed up finishing and to conserve materials. Another series of bulletins on Government Specification Faints contains color chips, together with complete information on application, drying time and other factors that must be considered in establishing production schedules. Thus, the Du Pont organization is helping to release one brake after another in production. The activities referred to here are merely a few samples, outlining a single chapter of the remarkable story of how industrial research is meeting the challenge of war. When paint scientists and the laboratory men of all fields can return to their peacetime tasks of making better things less expensive, a lot of newly-acquired knowledge will be convertible to the better world of tomorrow. [20 1 Army tanks and motorized equipment of many different kinds need paint protection that will withstand the rigors of field ser vice. Du Pont paint research has been called upontobecome virluallyan extension of military finishes research. LBW 0010824 DUP110137642 I t WHAT'S NEW Met h o d s of fabricating "Lucite" methyl methacry late resin into airplane enclosures and other prod ucts are described in the new illustrated manual on " `Lucite' for Aircraft." It presents detailed information on the care and handling, sawing, blanking and punch ing, drilling, threading and tapping, routing and shap ing, sanding, scraping, finishing, cleaning, cementing, forming, mounting and installation, and repairing of "Lucite." Pictures and diagrams illustrate these oper ations. This manual, which also carries a complete Spec if ic al l y what military and naval units of Amer ica's armed forces are serving outside the United listing of the mechanical, thermal and other general properties of the plastic, will be sent by the Plastics States may be news, but if in private conversations or Department of the DuPont Company at Arlington, correspondence you disclose the identity of troop units New Jersey, to executives, business men and engineers or ships, you may be helping the enemy. The Nazis and who request it on their business letterheads. the Japs want to know America's fighting strength over seas on every battle front, and their agents are collecting *** every bit of news that is revealing. The Office of Censor ship in Washington is again urging all American citizens to safeguard their sons and daughters overseas by keep ing secret troop-unit identifications and ship names. Don't give the Axis any information. ead er s of this magazine will be interested in a R 32-page booklet in which is printed brief stories about chemistry, as broadcast on the "Cavalcade of America" program during the past year. "Lumped together," to quote from the Foreword, "these stories * * mirror the upsurge of American war production. These, and others like them, should be small solace to the Axis. Fiv e additional Army-Navy "E" awards have recently been presented with stirring ceremonies in recog That should make them sound all the better to us." Copies may be obtained from the Advertising Depart nition of Du Pont production for the war effort. At the ment of the DuPont Company at Wilmington, Del. five plants thus honored, the new Army-Navy "E" pennants will fly proudly beneath the Stars and Stripes * * * as do the twelve previously raised over other plants operated by DuPont and Remington. The men and women who have won the right to wear the coveted "E" pins are the workers at the Kankakee and Chickasaw Ordnance Works, the Du Pont Repauno High Explosives Plant, the Nylon Research Laboratory and Pilot Plant at the Experimental Station, and the Du Pont Ammonia Department employees at the Belle Plant. In d u s t r ial painting is of interest to paint maintenance men, but editors of Coronet Magazine believe that the public at large should know more about "Three-Di mensional Seeing'' (See Th e Du Po n t Ma g a z in e , Nov.-Dee., 1942). In Coronet's January number, "in dustrial color conditioning" is hailed as an outstanding development with a tribute to Du Pont paint engineers for their part in contributing this technique that makes . * possible greater safety and efficiency in the war effort. f f e c t iv e January 1, 1943, the Krebs Pigment & Color Corporation, a wholly-owned subsidiary of EE. I. duPont de Nemours & Company (Inc.) for the Fpast eight years, was dissolved, and its assets and busi ** r quick and reliable repair of cracked cylinder heads, engine blocks, water jackets and valve ports ness transferred to the Company's Pigments Department. in automobiles, trucks and tractors, the DuPont Com This change of name involves no change in the pany is introducing a new product, called "Motor- personnel of the sales, manufacturing or research organ Weld," in its No. 7 Line. "Cracks are sealed without ization, nor will there be any change in the management clogging or harming the cooling system of motors," says or policies. In short, the same organization will continue a laboratory report. The compound functions equally to serve consumers of white and colored pigments in the well in water and standard anti-freeze solutions."Motor- same manner as heretofore. _ Weld" is poured into a radiator in which the water has been warmed by running the motor. Contents of the one- pint bottle will seal even large leaks, and if left in the y l o n -b r is t l e d brushes are now cleaning the power motor will help prevent further leaks. N ful guns on the ships of the United States Navy. *** These brushes, somewhat resembling those used to wash milk bottles in the kitchen, vary greatly in size--small /^a v a l c a d e o f Ame r ic a," heard over the air each Mon- ones for anti-aircraft guns, large ones for the huge 16-inch VJ day evening, has been selected by radio editors of guns on battleships. Any heavy fouling in a gun is first the United States and Canada as one of the three best removed with a stiff wire brush; then the nylon brush, dramatic programs presenting different plays. Lux Radio dipped in kerosene or other light oils, is forced through Theater and the Screen Guild Players are co-sharers of the barrel. Nylon does the job better than hog bristles, this honor as determined by the latest annual poll con and the new brushes are easy to keep clean. ducted by .1/oliOB Picture Daily Jor Fame. [23 LBW 0010825 DUP110137643