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Show fft TO THE RIGHT . w many shoes do yon see? One there wJ g m in the paint and dope unit who V, shoes to many flying pray he didn't know what to do ao he took them nd sprayed them and set them on the floor, and then called over the Hillflelder photographer and there you are. Flying- shoes and coats are sprayed for waterproofing. P r Li-'fua- ' - U Z QUIPSTERS working in the maintenance hangars at Hill Field often refer to employes of the paint and dope unit of the paint, dope and fabric branch as "dopes." But, if they're really dopes, then this, installation could, do with a lot more of them. ' A year ago, working with three shifts totalling 112 people, production was slightly above 20,000 .items. Last month, with 32 workers . on only one shift, output nearly reached 42,000 items. That's producing ! -Foreman in the department is quiet, mous-tachJohn C. Whetman, former Salt Lake City cabinet and fixture company employe. Assistant foreman is Nolan F. Hebel, former contract painter with 12 years of experience. Something that immediately strikes the eye of a newcomer to the department is the apparent orderliness of work flow, and the industry of its employes. Each one seems to be preoccupied with a specif ic task. Glancing around, one sees all types of airplane accessories and miscellaneous equipment. In one are part of the large area housing the unit several rows of oars, freshly painted in light also waterblue, used with pilots' workers. these proofed by odor The air is heavy with an ether-lik- e occasioned by the constant use of paints and lacquers over forty different types. Recently one of the employes, a painter, entered the hospital for a minor operation. He had previously, become so conditioned to the fumes permeating he spray booth that the ether, given as an anaesthetic, failed to affect him. He had to be given a "local." vuiiDiuci wuinuig uuiiuiuuuB, iauui turnover is lug astonishingly low. "We haven't lost a worker for I don't know how long," Foreman Whetman said. He modestly attributes it to everything but good supervision, because if it is good supervision he would be largely responsible. Actually, workers have an average of around a year and a half of service each. HEAPED WITH PRAISE ' Recently, praise was received from the maintenance general superintendent for a wall chart showing work flow and the location of work stations in the department. Because of it, the task of giving each worker a job was markedy lesssingle, ened. Its effectiveness was reflected in March's production an increase of 30 pen cent over the previous month when the two-shi- ft system was running. Most of the men have had over 10 years experience in fields allied their present jobs. Speaking of turnover Whetman said "I x II ed . life-raft- well-defin- i? - 6J A Good houskeeping cannot be stressed too much in a department handling material as explosive as dynamite, which is true of many of the paints and lacquers. Daily inspections are the rule. People are cautioned against having nails in their shoes. A small spark could play hell with things. To guard against this, an expensive, modern sprinkler system, unique at Hill Field, has been installed. When the temperature reaches a certain point a lever flips over and in one minute the floor will be covered with two inches of water. Whetman knows how well it works because he was once caught in the downpour by error It came down in a solid sheet, he recalls, as in what he imagines would be a tropical monsoon. "When I finally got out of the door, I was drenched and I mean soaked!" he declared. One of the most important jobs in the department is the doping and stripping of wing and aileron fabric surfaces. Even on a 4 heavy bomber, ailerons are covered with fabric. Originally it is mercerized cotton but when dopers spread several coats of what is technically referred to as a nitrocellulose substance on it, the surface is transformed into a tough, leathery, resilient stuff that will withstand surprising pressure. Strippers reinforce the fabric cover with a pinked tape. It it finally leaves the department it will be ready for the pounding to come.. After a year or so, the dope tends to be- - " " r : i ' . , v . y t, 0 - U . rudders in that condition. Rather than t the job all over again, they rejuvenate tli dope through the use of a special solution One of the most important duties of th spray painters is to tip propeller blades wit! yellow paint. It seems that a whirling pra is almost invisible and there have been when, rushine about amidst a formation planes warming up for the take?6ff, have been decapitated. The only color remains visible on a flying prop is yelli Hence the color of the tips. About eight people at a time serve table workers cleaning , fabrics,-ap- pl; masking tape preparatory to sprayinr spraying minor articles. They clean Mine, flying curtains, cushions," and safety belt used by pilots. As many as 1000 items ma. cross one table in a day, such as starters heaters, generators, bomb hoists, pump sembhes, and many others. Table workers, most of whom are woi atrolv stencil instructions on Diane asseml thet Practically half a ship comes across iobs requW narts. benches These - if r. . : . . . in various skUI and a knowledge of their importance h the airplane. If , paint is placed in wron. places fire can result during flight. ForeiwkJ Pilots are really fussy, says Whetman. esneeiallv about their nicel? Be: pressed and cleaned flying uniforms. smeai belt ierlreri ohm it inaMn a safetv wntVi ovaaaa and arima ia HistrPSsinff. HclM the workers here clean them up for grai pilots. work Four employes serve as floor Chief duty is to alternate wnu ;;'f nnAM4-nmntiv rtf HfVinm Cannot JS3 work amid the fumes more than adiversm Floor workers have possibly as ... too as anv on the xieia. on tne aU aircraft painting Nearly on u. is done by them. When the insignia fighting airplanes were changed others from within the department mat cnange. jia.oauicauu are"jdone v,the oy changes involving painting , wooers. waterproofo - - wo0iiiDe( Among ower eqiupv and shoes are hundreds of flying coats. Two large boxes filled with JJJ hundreds of shoes can be sprayedl by the experts in about an hour. s would appear to be one or two toy J" aJi i I 'S 's'Z w PINKINO SEAMS AND MASKING STARTERS AT shown In tfl ahnvj. nlMnM. T Ultj m m doper and stripper, and Alto Ravsten, doper and stripper, apply h tape. This job demands much skill. The Um reinforce the fabric coverinf. At " Margaret Ilart, process worker, pauses a moment at her f masking starters preparatory U spraying right, with protectiro coating. About 40 sUrters a da are masked lob Im mm department. J : ft - . ' - -- B-2- LW k r come brittle and will crack under slight sure. The paint and dope unit gets mat wings, ailerons, trim tabs, elevatorsTac partment. ( - . $ bound for Guadalcanal. The deadline was that evening. It required the assistance of just about everyone there and tents were ready by deadline. The meticulous job of spraying ailerons, wings and other parts is a demanding one. There are 11 women in the unit. Most are excellent sprayers, and for this Foreman Whetman feels the post schools should receive considerable credit. By parts, practically the entire plane is painted in this de- hundred small tents came in for waterproofing. Rumor had it, at the time, they were i Am U By Larry Evans : can truthfully say that a foreman's best and most valuable asset is to gain and hold the loyalty of his workers." Any credit for an excellent department he passes on unreservedly, to his employes. Because of the heterogeneous nature of the work activities are unusually multifar- ious each person knows practically. every job. It has to be that way, though some might say that such a situation demands the assembly-lin-e technique. But there are some jobs which may only occur once in a year. Sometimes such an assignment requires the efforts of nearly all the employes if it is to be completed in a given time. For example, a few months ago several . Paint and Dope Unit Employes Handli H u nd reds of Differen t Items Weekly s, ed , When the shoes are completed ar lined up on the floor and cover an . about 25 square yards. he joe( wow the records Each employe in a large book kept in the department, i daily progress sheet that Foreman wy-prepares each day from the Vvl - :teni( work ia filled with scores oi auw raot week J repaired and processed. One day the sheet containei work accomplished. aanVt daV. j . 1' unpleasant, paint and dope mPijoK deserving of a lot of creditThey're that are extremely important to victory! |