SPA Modeler

Everything you need to know about Zinc Chromate:

http://www.colorserver.net/history/hist ... romate.htm

Very interesting...

When dad was in the airforce they used a zinc chromate grease to plug gaps between bulkheads etc. It was commonly referred to as BabyS**t. Mainly because it was the same colour and consistency.

Great link, thanks blacksheep.

Nice read! Also some nice female workers...
Women of the 30´s had their own beautiful style in hair and dresses. But, enough of off-topic!

scorpiomikey wrote:When dad was in the airforce they used a zinc chromate grease to plug gaps between bulkheads etc. It was commonly referred to as BabyS**t. Mainly because it was the same colour and consistency.

Great link, thanks blacksheep.

I questioned a fellow modeler in here on why he painted wheel wells rust color. Saw the article and now understood. We all learn something new everyday.

Here is a further expansion on that information with specifics of aircraft types and colors used.

http://www.ipmsstockholm.org/magazine/2 ... urs_us.htm

If you build WWII US aircraft, there are a whole lot more colors needed than interior green and zinc chromate.

I saw that link as well. It's enough to make your head spin.

Tom, it is actually pretty simple.

You used "plain" ZC on your aircraft parts. (the Yellow stuff)

Then you added a tinting medium to it, so that people knew it was a second coat. (that is the Greenish or Salmon colored stuff)

Then it was covered with paint if it was something that was going to get painted.

(The age old question about Salmon primer was always worded wrong, the answer was YES, there was Salmon colored primer on Corsairs,,,,,,the real question was "was the ZC painted over or not?",,,,,The Lake Michigan Corsair provides the answer that Light Gray was painted in the wheel wells over the Salmon, except for the tail wheel well, which was left in Salmon {I have "no dog in the hunt" for the wheel wells being left in Salmon,,,,none of my planned models "need" that detail})

Right, right... There are plenty of photos showing the wing wheel wells in the same color as the surrounding exterior wing lower surface on F4Us. It was pretty much common practice across the USN in WWII for the wheel wells to be painted in this manner on most carrier based aircraft types.

Lots of interesting info there.