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The "skin"
of the Nieuport 28 is constructed the same way it was by the
French during WWI. Much of the process is illustrated in the
photos below. The
surfaces are constructed of strips of poplar about 25 mm wide
and 0.8 mm thick which are laid over a mold. Another layer
of strips is glued on the bias. When dry, a layer of fabric
is doped on the outer surface. The skins are then glued over
a typical wooden spar and rib structure. This technique made
for a light but strong structural covering.
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117K JPEG
©1998 Smithsonian Institution
#W1998CM00014
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Jan,
1998
Volunteer Max Gainer with a piece of the fuselage top decking.
The base layer of poplar strips can be seen cleary. These were
overlayed on the bias over a mold and then covered with linen
and doped. |
82K JPEG
©1998 Smithsonian Institution
#W1998CM0051 |
Dec,
1998
Volunteer Peter Johnson builds up one of the elevator skins
on a mold. These consist of the 25mm-wide, 0.8mm thick poplar
strips laid on the mold with another layer of strips glued across
the top. When dry, the wood was covered with a layer of fabric
which was doped on. The skins were then glued to the wood structure
seen behind him in the enlarged photo. |
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92 k JPEG
©1998
Smithsonian Institution
#W1998CM0052
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December,
1998
The nearly complete vertical stabilizer and rudder. The
skins were glued over the wooden spar and rib structure and
all that remains is to dope on the fabric. As with the rest
of the empennage and the skins on the forward fuselage, the
surfaces were constructed using the French poplar-strip technique
described above. |
108K JPEG
©1999 Smithsonian Institution
#W1999CM0001
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March,
1999
This photo shows the completed vertical stabilizer and rudder
on the Nieuport 28, before painting. Here, the fabric layer
has been doped onto the outer surface of the skins. These
are now ready for final color application.
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