" DOPING TECHNIQUES " WWII ERA TRAINING FILM APPLICATION OF DOPE TO FABRIC AIRPLANE WING 85784

Made by the famed Jam Handy Organization, a leading educational and training film company, this black & white training film "Doping Techniques" explains the process of doping fabric for airplanes. It likely dates to the WWII era. Aircraft dope is a plasticized lacquer that is applied to fabric-covered aircraft. It tightens and stiffens fabric stretched over airframes, which renders them airtight and weatherproof, increasing their durability and lifespan. Without the application of dope, fabric coverings lacked durability while being highly flammable, both factors rendering them far less viable.
Opening: Doping Techniques (:06-:35). A U.S. Navy Stearman type biplane lands. The plane on the tarmac. Two are shown handling fabric. A man blows smoke through fabric, water is poured into fabric and it leaks through. A man in Navy dress applies a coat of dope and sands it as well on pieces of the plane as its being built. The first coat of dope is being brushed onto the metal (:36-2:13). Tape is used after to ensure no air bubbles. Dope is brushed over the tape. Celluloid grommets are doped to the wings the same as tape. Patches, lacing tapes and fasteners are added as well. The brush is dipped to about one half of it's length and then the dope is applied. Any dope that drips onto any part should be taken by a dried brush (2:14-4:04). A worker applies the dope to the wings. A man sprays any dust off the surface with a dust gun, the placement and proximity is explained (4:05-5:09). Cross spraying. Dope is sprayed. How to spray and the way to spray is explained (5:10-6:14). If dope runs, how to fix this is shown and explained. The man holds the spray gun up high. A hand sands down the dope and the fabric. A wetter sandpaper is used to avoid scratches. The bi-plane on the tarmac, propeller is on. The spray gun is used by the man working on the wing. The bi-plane takes off into the sky (6:15-8:28). End credits (8:29-8:36).
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[@scotthaskin1509]

I went to tech school in 1985 to get my license, we still had to learn rib stitching and doping!

[@davidgold5961]

In my FAA Airframe & Powerplant Mechanics school, East Coast Aero Tech, in 1978 (18 months straight through), we had to learn “Dope and Fabric” - how to recover a fabric aircraft.

[@wtxrailfan]

At 6:49 even the film projector starts getting high from the fumes. 🤣🤣🤣

[@complexblackness]

Lol

[@PilotSpOB]

RIP to Seaman Sprayguns’ lungs

[@AstroGremlinAmerican]

Actually, a thick layer of dope protects the lungs from cigarette smoke. Not really.

[@Reubenhubert]

It's cigarettes that protected lungs from dope.

[@tomcline5631]

I was just gonna say BOTH of these comments! A coat of dope stops the bad elements of cigarette smoke,or cigarette smoke protects you from dangerous fumes!!!! I was a firefighter in the late 90s and we used these lines constantly!

[@tertommy]

There is a No Smoking sign on the wall

[@lcfflc3887]

Yess I Just pointed that out as well, RIP dude's lungs.

[@welshpete12]

I remember going opening the hanger doors first thing in the morning . The smell was like nail varnish remover .

[@jagboy69]

I bet that guy went home with a headache that night..🥺

[@K-Effect]

But he was high as a kite first

[@MikeF1189]

Dope Kills

[@jagboy69]

@@MikeF1189 lol.. This stuff did. Today's airplane fabric is Dacron.😉

[@BetterAircraftFabric]

@@jagboy69 The modern spray-painted products are eve more deadly than the old stuff...

[@jagboy69]

@@BetterAircraftFabric Buddy of mine just bought some experimental, I think it's a buccaneer. And of course it needs new fabric.😳👎

[@-oiiio-3993]

Norma Jean Dougherty was a doper at actor Reginald Denny's _Radioplane,_ a small factory in a hangar at Los Angeles Metropolitan (now Van Nuys) Airport where remote controlled target drone aircraft were made. Captain Ronald Reagan of the USAAC Motion Picture Unit sent a photographer to Radioplane for a photo shoot where he 'discovered' young Miss Dougherty who later took to modeling as a career, eventually changing her name to Marilyn Monroe.

[@JamLeGull]

Would be interesting to find out what the health impacts of this kind of work were. By interesting I mean horrifying.

[@pak3ton]

there was no HSEQ in ww2 fabrics :v

[@rockets4kids]

What Seaman Spraygun saw at the end of every work day: 6:50

[@rockets4kids]

@@TierNone_LarperatoR Oil and solvent based paints are being legislated out of existence. The vast majority of paints used these days are not nearly as toxic as the ones our grandfathers used. That said, my grandfather was a commercial painter (and a smoker) and he lived into his 80s. The only cancer he ever got was skin cancer from working outside in the sun.

[@JamLeGull]

@@TierNone_LarperatoR usually they wear respiratory ppe though

[@AllenFreemanMediaGuru]

Notice how the brush is held close to the surface and how the worker has no filtered mask, thus also doping his lungs.

[@mikeburch2998]

I'm relieved to see that there was no PPE used in the making of this video.:-)

[@waiting4aliens]

the term all doped up was used to describe the fume effects on the finisher.

[@kingfish4575]

I can only imagine the fumes and health hazards.

[@oeepromotion]

Was thinking the same thing 😵

[@TheLalopomona1]

I don't mine the risk if I know that I'm building it for my own use.. :)

[@charlesfriend9557]

@@oeepromotion I beilive that could be why they called druggis using inhalants,from glue to sniffing gasoline dope fiends?

[@TheLalopomona1]

@Ban this youtube same set up as painting a car .. .. not big deal .. some blowers blowing up like chiming.

[@TheLalopomona1]

@Ban this youtube just couple good vent

[@whiteknightcat]

Mmmmm, that heady aroma of petroleum solvents! Opens those sinuses right up!

[@tomcline5631]

I laughed my ass off at the first sentence of the film!!! "Great strength must be built into modern aircraft!!" Then that motorized box kite came flying in!!!!!

[@brianmccarthy5557]

When I was a young materials engineer at the North American Aircraft Operations Division of Rockwell International, working in the labs in El Segundo in the mid 1980's, I was assigned to clean out some storage areas. I found an odd looking experimental or testing device that I was not only unfamiliar with, but couldn't identify its purpose. My boss couldn't figure it out either. I went to one of the oldest engineers in the department for the answer. It turned out to be a device for determining the tensile strength of the fabric on the P-41 Mustang after it had been doped. Up till that point I thought that monoplanes at that point had metal wing skins but I was corrected. Turned up some other odd testing equipment from the WWII era in addition. I petitioned upper management to donate the National Air and Space Museum. I don't know if they ever did. One thing I'm sure of is that the specifications for all the materials and processes shown here still exist in some dusty files somewhere, perhaps in some Indiana Jones type government warehouse buried in a deep abandoned salt mine.

[@deborahchesser7375]

Damn! That finish is dope !

[@dukecraig2402]

"The right technique of applying dope"🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 OMG I almost pissed myself when he said that.

[@datasecure5790]

Ahhh I see what you did there...... Hahaha funny

[@donaldparlettjr3295]

Those old dopes were a nitrate based and highly flammable. Today's dopes are butyrate based. I want to guess how many young people jumped on this channel at the title🤣🤣🤣?

[@russellzauner]

I was actually looking for ancient manufacturing techniques, coatings in particular. Looks like I found ancient people too.

[@timothystone3360]

What is dope? genuinely curious.

[@PDZ1122]

Nitrate dope is still used for the first few coats as it adheres better to polyester fabric. The rest is butyrate.

[@PDZ1122]

@@timothystone3360 a type of paint used on aircraft fabric to seal and tighten it.

[@lwilton]

@@dave23024 Think of it as a kind of varnish. It wets the fabric and causes it to shrink, tightening it up on the frame it is attached to. Then it seals the pores in the fabric, making it waterproof.

[@fredflintstone3714]

Anyone who’s built a flying model plane knows what doping wings means

[@dumbbo1]

😅

[@kwgm8578]

Many here sound like they missed out on model building. In my pre-teen years I learned to build and fly biplanes made from balsa and canvas in Scouts. Doping and sanding was an important process in getting the wings to fly properly. I wish I had a video like this back then! By the way, no radio remote control in those days, just a handle and two strings that controlled lift. You spun around with the plane flying in circles.

[@stickytourbus]

Yes! I built one myself when I was a kid! Then, one day my brother decided to cut off the control lines. And set it free! It sailed off into the horizon, never to be seen again!

[@kwgm8578]

@@stickytourbus Sorry, but left you with a funny story. The first time I flew my friends triwing Red Barron, I fly it right into the ground, and broke it into a hundred pieces!😀

[@stickytourbus]

@@kwgm8578 Oh man! That is not good! 😂

[@wpapaw1]

You got that right! It was very educational when I was a kid to build and silk the plane. Still love doing it today and at 67 hasn't bothered me yet only true enjoyment doing it the old school way. wish I had the funds and the plans I would attempt to build one full scale even if the FAA wouldn't let it fly!

[@kwgm8578]

@@stickytourbus My friend was not my friend for many weeks. It felt like longer at age 11, but everything seemed to go slowly then. I let him fly my first plane, a Stearman byplane and told him to crash it if he wanted to! Then we were friends again. I haven't given him a thought in 60 years. Those were the days, my friend.

[@captainjohnh9405]

Grew up with model airplanes and doped dozens. The smell of acetone reminds me of summer vacations.

[@Wildstar40]

Here's a Doping Challenge: Take a double shot of whiskey every time the narrator says dope and/or doping.

[@carlospulpo4205]

Every time he says "dope" , take a hit from the bong.

[@garyandrews3925]

No ventilation. Why do you think they call it dope?

[@albear972]

I thought this was going to be about what the Soviets/Russians did in the Olympics.

[@kneel1]

damn they were spraying that shit with no mask or respirator and it looked like an enclosed area no visible ventilation

[@88mike42]

Those guys were toughest ones in the cemetery.

[@JG-mp5nb]

One spark…

[@lenscap8925]

Then they would go outside and light up a Camel...

[@JG-mp5nb]

@@lenscap8925 Or a Pall Mall Red.

[@jammininthepast]

We became experts at doping in college. I can confidently say that we had vast amounts of practical experience.

[@JediVibePilot]

Wow I’ve been using the wrong technique for years now!

[@asd36f]

Pre-WW2 because of the US rounded with the red meatball in the centre.

[@ryobiman]

Before plastic film, we used paper and clear dope lacquer to cover u- control and RC airplane wings. It worked well and you could easily repair holes.

[@JMorris216]

damn planes were high on that dope again.

[@DrGreerIsRight]

They're alwayss high

[@facubeitches1144]

Uncool, bro! That title is very misleading! - Zombie Kurt Cobain

[@parttime9070]

Finally an old film I can get behind.. and promote..

[@larrytornetta9764]

My dad learned to fly in those biwing trainers.

[@alicebonnet4607]

I learned how to apply dope.

[@Kyus2001]

Dude, that was Dope!

[@jimfrodsham7938]

I find these clips fascinating

[@AstroGremlinAmerican]

At 8:00 Shouldn't the lighter colored star be masked? Looks as though instructions were ignored.

[@duncanstone8758]

And afterwards, the seaman probably stepped outside for an unfiltered cigarette.

[@martinsaunders7925]

No,he used a filtered cigarette. The filter was made with asbestos so it didn't burn!!!

[@johnhill4717]

Time frame for this film is pre-1942. Notice the roundel, i.e. red-white-blue star on the wing of the aircraft. After Pearl Harbor the solid red circle inside teh white star was removed. Red was not returned to the roundel till after late 1940's early 50's with the red being a solid stripe in the roundel.

[@joekurtz8303]

Sgt Stedanko: remember kids, Only Dopes use Dope!!

[@bradweir6993]

Hey man ..? Who cut your hair . ?

[@thomasgilson6206]

Darn. I thought this video was going to "boost" my cycling career.

[@chauvinemmons]

Amazing how far we have come in such a short time the days of dope Another a&p here still flying planes with doped silk I used to make a lot of parts out of titanium for new aircraft. Even got to cut some level that was made on Skylab kind of think it was a reverse engineering but it's actually a common alloy now had one of the first desktop computers if you would. A Z80 machine ran UCSD Pascal from Two open 5 1/4 floppies no hard drive not much of a processor just barely a step up from the commodore 64's of the day. We're cutting the plugs off our remex readers for 8-bit punch tape and attaching them to the Commodores to make kind of a editable file that we could run our NC machines from.

[@shanescatsandcannabisfarm2965]

There is still dope in airplanes today 😂😆

[@John-Pardoel]

That was a dope movie.

[@littleshopofelectrons4014]

Based on the title I was expecting something different.

[@titaniumman_22]

That is ‘dope’, yo!

[@roscoep.coltraine6344]

Werd

[@yanikkunitsin1466]

That's dope

[@lantrick]

That finish is pretty dope.

[@larrysune2659]

I actually thought it would be about bennies and pilots. My bad

[@feathermerchant]

What, no silver (aluminum) base coat to provide UV protection?

[@dalescroggins3844]

First couple of coats go on clear. Then silver. The clear coats let you know when you sanded through the silver, before you damaged the fabric or stitching.

[@zalibecquerel3463]

"Flood the cowling - Plenty of it"

[@christobalcolon6601]

Lance Armstrong participated in WWII?

[@chollister08]

That shit is dope AF !

[@K-Effect]

Where's the dope man?

[@Ponk_80]

Yes it’s pretty stupid not using a mask.

[@SodiumGreen]

What year was this created? I'm guessing 1940 ?

[@captainjohnh9405]

For those who worry about Seaman Spraygun's lungs, those old dopes attacked the liver....which is no worse than what many a sailor did while on liberty.

[@Tommy_Mac]

I built model planes as a kid. I only had an old library book to go by. Those instructions covered using silk on the wings and fuselage, shrinking it with water, and coating the surface with dope. I had to purchase the dope from a hobby shop. My Mom didn't beleive the "dope" was a type of paint, until I showed her that book. Then she drove me to the store and talked to the guy inside about it. "Perfectly safe" he told her. I didn't know what a 'buzz' was until much later, but I definitely had a few after painting with that stuff. Man did that stuff stink! Still don't know why they called it that. Is the 'dope' name, a drug reference for the paint, or a paint reference for illicit drugs?

[@Wildstar40]

5:46 Notice the No Smoking words on the wall, but doping your lungs is A Okay !

[@NikovK]

A lot of jokes about doping, but do you guys realize how great it would be if you can just give Airman 2nd Class a paintbrush and have him repair an F-35's radar coating with a little can from Dow Chemical?

[@brianjacobsen5762]

Don't be a dope. When applying dope for Uncle Slam. Breath deep when spraying don't forget your 15 min lucky strike break.

[@stevenroney705]

That man is so “high” his feet aren’t touching the floor.

[@greglivo]

Such a very manual operation that is fraught with opportunities for deviation. This has got to be a quality control person's worst nightmare.

[@Hopeless_and_Forlorn]

On the contrary, these operations were fraught with opportunities to develop what used to be known as SKILLS. When I went to a civilian school in 1964 and 65 to earn my aircraft mechanics license, I learned how to balance propeller blades, find cracks in crankshafts, build wing ribs from spruce and fuselage frames from steel tubing, time magnetos internally and externally, adjust pressure carburetors, operate all kinds of piston and jet engines, compensate and calibrate magnetic compasses, along with all sorts of other skills. Once on the job, the quality control people were our partners and mentors, not our overseers.

[@kaptainkaos1202]

@@Hopeless_and_Forlorn I’ve worked QA in all levels of aviation. They groups I’ve worked with have run the gamut from QA being close with the technicians to antagonistic relations. I worked my way thru the aviation field so whatever I worked QA on I had done the job and always tried to mentor the younger techs. I’m now the EWIS (Electrical Wiring Interface Systems) engineer for MQ-4C Triton. A huge part of my job is mentoring and providing training for those specialties that aren’t covered in fundamental training. These technicians are real professionals and always jump at the chance for my training seminars. I’m at the end of my career and it’s imperative that I pass on my knowledge to the new generation.

[@Hopeless_and_Forlorn]

@@kaptainkaos1202 Are any of your seminars on line?

[@kaptainkaos1202]

@@Hopeless_and_Forlorn I know that none of mine are but I think some of my colleagues do in conjunction with ASE. Google EWIS and a few pop up.

[@K-Effect]

Did anyone else have a hard time breathing while watching this?

[@charleshetrick3152]

I used to work in a cabinet shop and we had a proper spray barn and fan and filters. My head finisher thought this was sufficient to warrant no respirator mask and was constantly annoyed I insisted on wearing one. It prevented easy conversations as my voice was of course muffled. It was no great surprise when I found out he was an alcoholic, older generation finishers often medicate their headaches with alcohol.

[@shanescatsandcannabisfarm2965]

I was thinking the subject matter was a bit different 😂

[@Sidetrackification]

Excellent!

[@jkcarroll]

So, where is dope (fabric finisher) used today?

[@MikeF1189]

Don't do Dope kids. Stay in School.

[@joeadams1225]

Wow ........!

[@darrellparkhill]

99.9999999999999999999% of the people clicking on this vid had a much different definition of doping in mind.

[@ypaulbrown]

great stuff.....

[@roscoep.coltraine6344]

Damned that was DOPE playa!

[@claytonatkinson865]

I was expecting long range rifle info. I still watched it though🤷🏻‍♂️

[@viennapalace]

Another lost art documented by the wonderful (but inexplicably named) Jam Handy Organization. Industries must have saved so much money in those days not having to follow all those silly occupational health & safety laws. If you have ever wondered about the decline of western manufacturing, there's your reason. Probably has something to do with the increased life expectancy we enjoy nowadays too...

[@AirplaneDoctor_]

It’s not even a remotely lost art, we still use it, just modern materials....

[@lwilton]

> (but inexplicably named) Jam Handy Organization. Jamason "Jam" Handy was the founder. It was a Chicago-based media company that made training and publicity films. Somewhere on the Internet (at least at archive.org) you can find about a 1 hour interview with Jam Handy filmed sometime around the 1950s, where he talks about the history of the organization and some of the stuff they did. Most people seem to think he worked for Chevy because those are most of the works that you will see on KZbin. He actually worked for many companies, and for various government organizations during both WW I and WW II making training films like this.

[@Torrestorres2624]

Gloves and respirator are optional.

[@InviniteStudios]

I thought this was gonna be about super soldiers lol

[@8platypus]

You can't get high without dope,... in planes that is.

[@ethbri49781]

Surprised he wasn't smoking a cigarette while working the spray-gun. At least the filter might have helped a bit.

[@richardmcginnis5344]

holidays. when i started painting i heard that a lot but as i got better they disapeared

[@lcfflc3887]

Unbelievable how the workers didn't used masks or a body suit while using the spray gun, it was crazy back then, guy probably developed serious health problems later in life.

[@lynnadams9478]

Aviation Carpenter's Mate, LOL 🤪🤭😁😂 !!!!

[@sirclarkmarz]

I used to use rolling papers or a bong but now my technique is mostly edibles

[@r2dxhate]

Am I in the right place? I came here to party.

[@Raceb8420]

Coroner: His lungs were full of dope

[@walterkersting6238]

Like... wuuuuut, man?

[@joshuagibson2520]

When used and not abused, drugs are a good things that are very useful.

[@EK14MeV]

No respirator for the spray gun?🤦🏻‍♂️ The good ole days.

[@sandozdelysid]

And now you where that word got its start. You dope addict. Switch to aluminum and you'll see! Dope is an art unto itself. Happy flying!

[@paddlefaster]

I could be an expert Doper? Alrighty then.

[@markhenri1131]

That dude is high as a kite about now.

[@alexandriaoccasional-corte1346]

This shit is dope.

[@doomedtolinger2213]

Anyone who has worked with airplane dope knows those guys must've 'flying' -- no mask or ventilation; I get double dizzy just thinking about spraying all that dope around --Sheesh...

[@martinsaunders7925]

That's why it transcribed to the effects that some drugs had and became a slang term. Also people who didn't know what was going on around them were called "dopey"

[@marshfield01]

When I told my A&P instructor I wanted to specialize in dope and dope accessories, he sent me to the deans office. I told the dean that although dope was going out of style, there were still plenty of people that needed a good dope man. I spent the rest of the year on probation. After all that, I dropped out and started selling used david clark headsets on craigslist to new students at embry. Every once in a while, I still wonder what my life would have been like if I had stuck it out. Biggie wasn't lying when he said the dope game was hard....

[@ricktherrien8235]

Not gonna lie I thought this was a video informing army personnel how to administer drugs in required situations lol

[@fuffoon]

I thought that this was about cycling and baseball. Actually, I'm doping Japanese tissue on a Guillows BF-109. I have not used paper for 40 years and it is going nicely.

[@makeracistsafraidagain]

Everyone noticed the same thing; Lung Damage.

[@dkoz8321]

Not my first thought as to the meaning.

[@drpoundsign]

Biplanes in WW2. Talk about fighting the last War.

[@lenyfreeman3807]

No rubber gloves, no breathing filters. Not OSHA approved.

[@tomcline5631]

The dope wasn't flammable enough,let's add little celluloid grommets!!!! That way,if the fire is starting to slow down,it damn explodes back into flame when it hits the highly flammable,almost explosive, celluloid pieces!!!!!

[@justinbustin677]

Drywalling techniques your wings

[@davew3130]

I got high just watching this guy

[@stanburdick9708]

Love that smell😎

[@burntorangeak]

I've put in some effort to become an expert doper...