AFRL Aids Memphis Belle Restoration Effort Published Dec. 12, 2006 By Plans and Programs Directorate AFRL/XP WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio -- In October 2005, the Memphis Belle, a Boeing B-17 that flew 25 missions during World War II and took part in the war bond tours, transferred from the Memphis Belle Memorial Association to the National Museum of the United States Air Force (NMUSAF). In 1946, the aircraft flew to Memphis, where it remained on display outside the National Guard Armory until 1987. At that time, the aircraft moved to the Mississippi River's Mud Island, where it displayed in a covered pavilion until 2003. Throughout these years, the Memphis Belle has remained susceptible both to the elements and to vandals. Upon arriving at the NMUSAF, the aircraft became one of the museum Restoration Division's highest priorities. The restoration team plans to return the Memphis Belle to its original state; however, this will prove a challenge due to the amount of corrosion and vandalism the aircraft has experienced. The team estimates it will take 10 years to restore it to museum-quality condition. One challenge in this process involved finding a paint stripper to remove the aircraft's paint buildup, which consists of a pretreatment that provides corrosion protection for the metal surface; the primer; and the outermost paint layer, or topcoat. The team sought an environmentally safe stripper, as opposed to one containing methylene chloride, a substance that provides effective removal but is a known carcinogen and therefore potentially harmful to technicians. For this challenge, the Restoration Division requested the help of AFRL. Second Lieutenant Grant Parker, of AFRL's Materials and Manufacturing Directorate, recommended a variety of paint strippers to the restoration team. His guidance resulted in the team's selection of Dekote, an environmentally safe paint stripper manufactured by AeroChem, LLC (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma). Dekote uses a benzyl alcohol and hydrogen peroxide mixture to safely remove paint in just one application. The product was able to remove all coatings from the Memphis Belle test object in 8 hours. Aiding the NMUSAF in selecting a paint stripper for the Memphis Belle restoration effort demonstrated AFRL's expertise in coating technology and provided invaluable assistance to the museum, ultimately reducing the exposure of Air Force personnel to harmful chemicals. The laboratory's involvement also saved the Restoration Division a significant amount of time in selecting a viable product. Technicians are using Dekote to begin removing the Memphis Belle's paint buildup, and they plan to use the product on other aircraft as well.