The De Haviland Museum Trust have generously loaned an auxiliary aviation ‘drop tank’ – a supplementary fuel tank carried by aircraft. This object will feature in our forthcoming exhibition Plywood: Material of the Modern World, 15 July – 12 November 2017.
Drop tanks were developed to extend the operational capacity of fighter aircraft and bombers. These were extensively employed by the RAF, the German Luftwaffe, the US and the Imperial Japanese Air Force.
The de Haviland Mosquito drop tank is constructed of diagonal moulded plywood, although many thousands were also produced in papier mache – a glue-impregnated craft paper.
The De Haviland drop tank was in poor condition when it arrived in the museum and in need of major restoration. The whole object was warped, and two parts had suffered areas of timber loss and fractures. The plywood surface was also discoloured with general staining and surface dirt.
The broken and fractured sections were photographed and placed back in their correct positions. To support and hold the broken pieces, a material was chosen that would be strong enough to hold the various sections and could withstand any movement in the wood caused by any environmental changes.
The non-woven fabric Remay®, was used as a backing and supporting material to join the broken sections back together again. Remay® is made of 100% polyester fibres and its strength and stability helps to prevent stretching.
The detached sections were carefully joined and backed with the fabric.
The tail-end was missing so a reconstruction was made by building layers of timber with veneers to match the original structure.
This section was then attached to the original carcase, lined with Remay®, and stained to blend in with the original material.
The object is now complete and ready for display in the exhibition.
First of all, I just learned what a drop tank is then I got to know it’s history in the war. The article is quite informative. Good work on making this.
Excellent job of repairing what was a rather battered piece. For information, the tank is not complete as conserved, as it represents a sub assembly of the whole. Perfect for the exhibition however!