World War II Aircraft Case Study: DuPont Industrial Coatings PeARL HARBOR MUSEUM Honolulu, HI
DuPont Imron Flies High for Aviation Museum ™
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DuPont Industrial Coatings (DIC) has long been recognized as the industry leader by providing Coating Solutions That Work for a wide array of industrial, commercial and institutional applications. More recently, however, DIC has been making news for its ability to preserve history. Case in point: The Pacific Aviation Museum – Pearl Harbor. Opened in December of 2006, the museum consists of three phases that, when completed, will cover everything from the tragic events at Pearl Harbor to the technological advances in aviation through the Cold War and Vietnam. The initial challenge for Restoration Director, Syd Jones, was restoring the six aircraft on display in Phase I, which is housed in one of the actual hangers under attack on December 7, 1941. To help return the planes to their vintage state, Jones called on a trusted resource: DuPont Imron . He explained, “I’ve spent a lot of time behind a ™
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spray gun. I’m familiar with a variety of aircraft paint types and primers, and I’ve had very good luck with DuPont. Even though the planes are displayed within an air conditioned hanger, we’re still in a high-corrosive environment. We’re only a few hundred yards from salt water and with the heat and humidity, we needed a system that was good for stabilizing metals. I was very comfortable in choosing Imron .” ®
The planes, which include a Japanese A6M2 Zero, a Curtiss P-40 fighter, and a Douglas Dauntless SBD dive bomber, presented a number of difficulties during restoration—the greatest being color matching. “We didn’t have a standard number or code for matching,” said Jones. “Plus, we had to deal with chalking and fading issues caused by decades of sunlight. So it took a lot of research, hard work and patience.” Fortunately, Jones had the invaluable support of Hi-Line Distributors, a DuPont distributor based in Honolulu. Brian Umamoto, Hi-Line Account Manager,
Facilities
explained, “Syd expected nothing less than perfection—especially in regard to colors. We shared his passion, and worked closely with him to get it right.”
Coating Solutions That Work!
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This mutual passion really paid off when it came to matching the unique tint of the Japanese plane. The Japanese used a lacquer-type primer and Jones needed to replicate this in DuPont Imron because he required the durability ™
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of modern urethane paint. It required a bit of effort, but with help from Hi-Line, Jones achieved a “great end result.” The same can be said for each aircraft featured in the museum. While hard work and determination played a major role, Jones gives plenty of credit to the products themselves, which include DuPont Imron 3.5 HG, SG, ST, ™
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and FT, as well as DuPont Tufcote 3.3PR. Jones commented, “The color ®
matches are fantastic. Plus, the paints are durable, economical and they go on extremely well.” Standing behind these products is Rod Maffett, DuPont Western Region Industrial Manager. “We’re honored to help preserve a big part of American history,” said Maffett. “The commitment by Syd Jones and the people at Hi-Line is an inspiration. Their drive to restore these planes to their absolute original state is something special. And it shows in each aircraft.” With Phase I complete, the work on Phase II & III continues. But for Syd Jones, it’s less about work and more about an opportunity. “We feel privileged to represent America’s history and we hope the aircraft and the stories that surround them offer some perspective into the sacrifices made during World War II. With products from DuPont and support from Hi-Line, we’re able to better preserve this history, and allow people to turn back the clock and see for themselves.”
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