General purpose cleaner/degreaser?

[Jim Burns]

What do you use on your plane's exterior as a general purpose spray
cleaner/degreaser for quick and easy cleaning of greasy finger prints and
oil drips, drops, and spots? I don't want to use anything that will hurt
the paint, aluminum, or rubber.

Thanks again,
Jim


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[Aaron Coolidge]

Jim Burns > wrote:
: What do you use on your plane's exterior as a general purpose spray
: cleaner/degreaser for quick and easy cleaning of greasy finger prints and
: oil drips, drops, and spots? I don't want to use anything that will hurt
: the paint, aluminum, or rubber.

I have been using "wash all wax all" to clean fingerprints, black acid
rain stains, exhaust stains, etc. for a long time. It seems to work well.
I just got a bottle of the "flight jacket" cleaner but I haven't tried it
out; it is supposed to work very well.
On tough stains I use 100LL.
--
Aaron Coolidge

[zatatime]

On Mon, 11 Oct 2004 08:34:30 -0500, "Jim Burns"
> wrote:

>What do you use on your plane's exterior as a general purpose spray
>cleaner/degreaser for quick and easy cleaning of greasy finger prints and
>oil drips, drops, and spots? I don't want to use anything that will hurt
>the paint, aluminum, or rubber.
>
>Thanks again,
>Jim
>
Mineral spirits.

z

[Orval Fairbairn]

In article >,
Aaron Coolidge > wrote:

> Jim Burns > wrote:
> : What do you use on your plane's exterior as a general purpose spray
> : cleaner/degreaser for quick and easy cleaning of greasy finger prints and
> : oil drips, drops, and spots? I don't want to use anything that will hurt
> : the paint, aluminum, or rubber.
>
> I have been using "wash all wax all" to clean fingerprints, black acid
> rain stains, exhaust stains, etc. for a long time. It seems to work well.
> I just got a bottle of the "flight jacket" cleaner but I haven't tried it
> out; it is supposed to work very well.
> On tough stains I use 100LL.


For degreasing, I use a solution of CarbonX and water, in a spray
bottle. Unlike Simple Green or 409. it is Ph neutral and will not attack
aluminum. My AI put me onto this stuff.

I also sometimes use a little bit of mineral spirits on a paper towel to
wipe away ioly spots.

[Roy Page]

I searched around and found TR1000 produced by Tomar Industries.
Specifically developed, according to Tomar, for cleaning aircraft engines
and greasy bellies.
I bought 2 gallons and price was real low, which they shipped ground.
They recommend dilution with water at 1:1.
Spray it on and leave no more that 3 or 4 minutes and wash all the grease
away.
Works really well but follow makers dilution and soak time.

Roy Page
Beloit OH 44609

"Orval Fairbairn" > wrote in message
...
> In article >,
> Aaron Coolidge > wrote:
>
>> Jim Burns > wrote:
>> : What do you use on your plane's exterior as a general purpose spray
>> : cleaner/degreaser for quick and easy cleaning of greasy finger prints
>> and
>> : oil drips, drops, and spots? I don't want to use anything that will
>> hurt
>> : the paint, aluminum, or rubber.
>>
>> I have been using "wash all wax all" to clean fingerprints, black acid
>> rain stains, exhaust stains, etc. for a long time. It seems to work well.
>> I just got a bottle of the "flight jacket" cleaner but I haven't tried it
>> out; it is supposed to work very well.
>> On tough stains I use 100LL.
>
>
> For degreasing, I use a solution of CarbonX and water, in a spray
> bottle. Unlike Simple Green or 409. it is Ph neutral and will not attack
> aluminum. My AI put me onto this stuff.
>
> I also sometimes use a little bit of mineral spirits on a paper towel to
> wipe away ioly spots.

[Michelle P]

Jim,
De-Natured Alcohol or Naphtha. Naphtha will discolor the paint over time.
Michelle

Jim Burns wrote:

>What do you use on your plane's exterior as a general purpose spray
>cleaner/degreaser for quick and easy cleaning of greasy finger prints and
>oil drips, drops, and spots? I don't want to use anything that will hurt
>the paint, aluminum, or rubber.
>
>Thanks again,
>Jim
>
>
>---
>Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
>Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
>Version: 6.0.775 / Virus Database: 522 - Release Date: 10/8/2004
>
>
>
>

--

Michelle P ATP-ASEL, CP-AMEL, and AMT-A&P

"Elisabeth" a Maule M-7-235B (no two are alike)

Volunteer Pilot, Angel Flight Mid-Atlantic

Volunteer Builder, Habitat for Humanity

[Gerald Sylvester]

>> I don't want to use anything that will hurt
>>the paint, aluminum, or rubber.
>
> Mineral spirits.

mineral spirits will eat away at plastics and rubber. I can't
say it works but isopropyl alcohol works well at work where
materials and residue are quite sensitive (linear accelerators
with exotic materials and lots of radiation). If you don't
want a residue get high grade (90% plus) but you might
have to get that at a special store as it is considered
a HazMat.

Gerald

[G.R. Patterson III]

Gerald Sylvester wrote:
>
> If you don't
> want a residue get high grade (90% plus) but you might
> have to get that at a special store as it is considered
> a HazMat.

http://www.medichest.com/isopropylalcohol.html

George Patterson
If a man gets into a fight 3,000 miles away from home, he *had* to have
been looking for it.

[Gerald Sylvester]

> http://www.medichest.com/isopropylalcohol.html

I didn't say it was expensive just considered a haz mat and technically
shouldn't be just dumped down the sewer. Just add lots of water to
dilute it or dispose of a rag properly as it is flamable.

Gerald

[Gerald Sylvester]

> I didn't say it was expensive just considered a haz mat and technically
> shouldn't be just dumped down the sewer. Just add lots of water to
> dilute it or dispose of a rag properly as it is flamable.


not sure if I answered myself but I've heard Fry's Electronics has it
too. For general aviation cleaning, the non-pure stuff is probably
fine. the non-ultra pure (90% or higher) leaves a fine residue.
In some cases, this residue can turn to glue.....note, these cases
are like with the equipment I work with that has tons of photon
and electron radiation that tends to cross-link most everything.
I'm not sure if that would affect aviation related parts (I'm thinking
pistons here but I can't confirm as I've never gotten that deep into an
aviation engine) but just want to cover my own hide.

Gerald

[dave]

Gerald Sylvester > wrote in message >...
> >> I don't want to use anything that will hurt
> >>the paint, aluminum, or rubber.
> >
> > Mineral spirits.
>
> mineral spirits will eat away at plastics and rubber. I can't
> say it works but isopropyl alcohol works well at work where
> materials and residue are quite sensitive (linear accelerators
> with exotic materials and lots of radiation). If you don't
> want a residue get high grade (90% plus) but you might
> have to get that at a special store as it is considered
> a HazMat.
>
> Gerald

Gerald,
I've been using mineral spirits for many years and haven't seen any
problems with plastics or rubber.
Can you post a spec or document which states this?
If i'm causing a potential problem, I'd like to know about it.

Thanks

Dave

[Dave Stadt]

"dave" > wrote in message
om...
> Gerald Sylvester > wrote in message
>...
> > >> I don't want to use anything that will hurt
> > >>the paint, aluminum, or rubber.
> > >
> > > Mineral spirits.
> >
> > mineral spirits will eat away at plastics and rubber. I can't
> > say it works but isopropyl alcohol works well at work where
> > materials and residue are quite sensitive (linear accelerators
> > with exotic materials and lots of radiation). If you don't
> > want a residue get high grade (90% plus) but you might
> > have to get that at a special store as it is considered
> > a HazMat.
> >
> > Gerald
>
> Gerald,
> I've been using mineral spirits for many years and haven't seen any
> problems with plastics or rubber.
> Can you post a spec or document which states this?
> If i'm causing a potential problem, I'd like to know about it.
>
> Thanks
>
> Dave

I use it also and have never had a problem. It's great stuff on grease and
oil and dirt cheap. It is the same as Stoddard solvent which has been used
on aircraft since the Wright brothers.

[Gerald Sylvester]

Dave,

> I've been using mineral spirits for many years and haven't seen any
> problems with plastics or rubber.
> Can you post a spec or document which states this?
> If i'm causing a potential problem, I'd like to know about it.

well i did a very quick search using yahoo for "mineral spirts plastic
damage." I came up with some non-definitive stuff including:


http://www.logwell.com/tech/servtips/cleaning.html
Our work bench is supplied with a MENDA dispenser full of garden variety
mineral spirits. Buy the low odor or deodorized kind; the really cheap
stuff does smell stronger. Mineral spirits is useful for degreasing and
is generally safe for short term use on most plastics. Real Turpentine
is more aggressive than mineral spirits, smells stronger, and is more
expensive.


http://www.automotiveforums.com/t44343.html
I tried it on my tails and it had no effect on anything. But my friend
tried it on his interior plastic pieces and it melted and warped the
hell out of them. I guess it all depends on the type of plastic you're
using it on.


http://www.speedballart.com/faq.asp
How do I clean my brayer after using oil based block printing ink?
You can use mineral spirits to clean the brayer by wiping the brayer
roller off with a cloth dampened with mineral spirits. DO NOT IMMERSE
THE BRAYER-this will damage the plastic core and ruin the brayer.


admittedly, that is not rock solid evidence but it does appear mineral
spirits damages some plastics. It also sounds like it is also a
function of how it is applied.

I'll ask my coworkers who did this research a while ago and maybe
it is related to aviation, maybe not. I do know that the ultra pure
methanol (90% or higher) is very clear, not-insanely agressive cleaner.
It also does not leave any residue (lower grades will leave a residue
though). I'm not sure if mineral spirits will leave a residue. Granted
the residue might or might not be a factor. With the applications
at work where our equipment can put out upwards of 20000 monitor units
(MU, amount of emitted photon/electron radiation) per day, pretty much
any contaminant gets cross-linked, turns gummy or turns brittle and can
make a mess out of moving parts.

BTW, I'm definitely not claiming to be an expert in this. Just from
the little info I know, it *could* be damaging. Granted, a little
knowledge is a lot more dangerous than knowing nothing or knowing a lot.

gerald sylvester