AFRL Aids Memphis Belle Restoration Effort Published Dec. 4, 2006 By Materials & Manufacturing Directorate AFRL/ML WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio -- Second Lieutenant Grant Parker, of AFRL's Materials and Manufacturing Directorate, recommended a variety of paint strippers to the Restoration Division of the National Museum of the United States Air Force (NMUSAF) to aid restoration of the Memphis Belle aircraft. The restoration team estimates it will take 10 years to restore the historic B-17 to museum-quality condition. Lt Parker's 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 and saving the Restoration Division significant 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.