In 1942 the Navy prescribed the use of zinc chromate on operational to
inhibit corrosion on the interior surfaces, such as wheel wells and
the inside of landing gear doors, of operational aircraft. Was zinc
chromate applied to these surfaces on prototypes like the XF6F-1, -2,
-3 and -4. I have seen B&W photos and appears that the surfaces in
question may have been left in natural metal, when these aircraft were
built in 1942. I have seen B&W photos of other aircraft in which zinc
chromate surfaces do not look any different than natural metal.

Mike wrote:
In 1942 the Navy prescribed the use of zinc chromate on operational to
inhibit corrosion on the interior surfaces, such as wheel wells and
the inside of landing gear doors, of operational aircraft.  Was zinc
chromate applied to these surfaces on prototypes like the XF6F-1, -2,
-3 and -4.  I have seen B&W photos and appears that the surfaces in
question may have been left in natural metal, when these aircraft were
built in 1942.  I have seen B&W photos of other aircraft in which zinc
chromate surfaces do not look any different than natural metal.

In msny cases the metals were primed with zinc chromate but then painted
over, to provide even better protection.  What got confusing was when
that paint was aluminum paint.  The use of aluminum paint was popular
with the Navy in the thirties, but I think had disappeared by the time
of the Hellcat.  I have seen landing gears painted aluminum color.
Don't remember what aircraft they were from.  Starting about the WW2 era
white paint became popular for landing gear parts and this continued
into present day.

Digressing a tad, did postwar sea blue gloss aircraft use green primers
inside wheel wells or switch to white or blue?

Digressing a tad, did postwar sea blue gloss aircraft use green primers
inside wheel wells or switch to white or blue?


If you walked around the Grumman shop areas in the late 60s everything in
assembly was one of two shades of chromate green primer. The assembly stands
had small hand paint pots to manually touch up where the paint was scratched
during assembly. The initial coat was usually sprayed. Initial flight test
of aircraft usually started before the final paint job was applied - so you
had aircraft flying in the primer or partial primer/final paint scheme. We
referred to them as greenies. Make an interesting model -something like an
E-2A in partial chromate, some bare metal on the nacelles, some Grey and
Stars and Bars on the fuselage sides. Conclusion is in general at least at
Grumman still green primer.

Val
Kraut

on 10/27/2009 6:39 AM (ET) Val Kraut wrote the following:
Digressing a tad, did postwar sea blue gloss aircraft use green primers
inside wheel wells or switch to white or blue?


If you walked around the Grumman shop areas in the late 60s
everything in assembly was one of two shades of chromate green
primer. The assembly stands had small hand paint pots to manually
touch up where the paint was scratched during assembly. The initial
coat was usually sprayed. Initial flight test of aircraft usually
started before the final paint job was applied - so you had aircraft
flying in the primer or partial primer/final paint scheme. We
referred to them as greenies. Make an interesting model -something
like an E-2A in partial chromate, some bare metal on the nacelles,
some Grey and Stars and Bars on the fuselage sides. Conclusion is in
general at least at Grumman still green primer.


Val Kraut

Wasn't the zinc chromate paint applied to the aluminum sheets before
it left the aluminum plant and before it got to the plane manufacturer?
I meant the plane's panel fabricators, not the final manufacturer.

Wasn't the zinc chromate paint applied to the aluminum sheets before it
left the aluminum plant and before it got to the plane manufacturer?