P47 Seat Shoulder harness

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swampfox16

Airman
22
1
Dec 30, 2018
Louisville, Kentucky USA
What would be the color of the pilot's shoulder harness? Also, what paint manufacturer produces a color to match?
I understand that with use, the original color would get dirty.
 
Should be a B-11 style lap belt, which came in two different shades of OD, so the shoulder harness should also be OD. Lap belt spec is 34G1646 and the shoulder harness is 41G8725. I don't have a catalog that shows them, so can only go on the online photos that I found.
 
Here is a thread with a P-47 seat with of the lap belts seen.

P47 Thunderbolt Seat.

The shoulder harness seem to be quite light comparing to the lap belts seen in the thread with the chair. But it might be caused by the time. IMHO these were of the pale sandy or the slightly greenish colour depending of the kind of threads used for them. In time these were getting tones either going toward the light caffee-milk tone or pale green getting darker like these lap ones in the thread linked. I would say these weren't dyed rather judging by the number of all aircraft assembled during the war.

pasy4.jpg

pasy3.jpg

pasy5.jpg
 
Thanks to all! It gives me an idea of what I need to do to achieve the proper shade!
Cheers!

Don't be too hasty. Take a very close look at the photos posted by Werger above. Do you notice the little "tic" marks running down the middle of the shoulder harness (draped outside the cockpit) and the parachute harness strap (to the left of the photo, inside the cockpit)? That's because the shoulder harnesses were made from the same cotton webbing as the parachute harnesses. The material, from the factory, is white and the "tic" marks are black. Once in a cockpit and seeing use, they quickly became dirty, so rarely appear a bright white in vintage photos, but they started life a bright white. As for the lap belt, which is wider and a different material, it was usually khaki, or a light shade of green. The darker green shade belts are typically found post-WW2. There is also a rectangular pad of thick brown leather that is found underneath the lap belt buckles.
 
Don't be too hasty. Take a very close look at the photos posted by Werger above. Do you notice the little "tic" marks running down the middle of the shoulder harness (draped outside the cockpit) and the parachute harness strap (to the left of the photo, inside the cockpit)? That's because the shoulder harnesses were made from the same cotton webbing as the parachute harnesses. The material from the factory, is white and the "tic" marks are black. Once in a cockpit and seeing use, they quickly became dirty, so rarely appear a bright white in vintage photos, but they started life a bright white. As for the lap belt, which is a wider and different material, it was usually khaki or a light shade of green. The darker green shade belts are typically found post-WW2. There is also a rectangular pad of thick brown leather that is found underneath the lap belt buckles.
I am aware of the basic color (white) with the black centerline stitching. This is what I will "weather" the shoulder harness. The lap belts will be a "weathered khaki" and a leather-colored patch at the connection point. I am using the FINE MOLDS seat belt set, and they are quite detailed in their presentation.
Again, Thanks!
 

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