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Thread: Crud removal

  1. #1

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    Crud removal

    Does anyone know of a good water soluble chemical that will remove years of dirt and oil from the interior of wings and fuselage ?

  2. #2
    geosnooker2000's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Eric Brown View Post
    Does anyone know of a good water soluble chemical that will remove years of dirt and oil from the interior of wings and fuselage ?
    Check out Simple Green. I'm not saying that's the answer, but it's worth a look.
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simple_Green

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    Quote Originally Posted by geosnooker2000 View Post
    Check out Simple Green. I'm not saying that's the answer, but it's worth a look.
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simple_Green
    Do NOT use standard Simple Green on aluminum aircraft or aluminum aircraft parts. SG makes "Aircraft Simple Green" which IS safe for aluminum (and composites).

  4. #4

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    Quote Originally Posted by Eric Brown View Post
    Does anyone know of a good water soluble chemical that will remove years of dirt and oil from the interior of wings and fuselage ?
    It depends on what kind of structure, what kind of crud and what degree of disassembly you're willing to undertake to remove the crud.

  5. #5

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    I did try some paint stripper on few test spots. It does work. My concern is that the stripper will get into the lap seams and may not completely wash out. Whadda ya guys think ??

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    Phosphoric acid (first step in etch and alodine) will clean up oil film and corrosion and is water flushable.
    Ospho is mostly phosphoric acid. I using it for cleaning rust off the bathtub.

  7. #7
    DaleB's Avatar
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    I would second the recommendation in the other iteration of this discussion for Dawn, or some cheap shampoo - both with a soft bristle brush for washing cars. Both will cut oil, grease and grime gently. Rinse thoroughly, of course, otherwise you'll end up with a sticky film that will attract more dirt.
    Measure twice, cut once...
    scratch head, shrug, shim to fit.

    Flying an RV-12. I am building a Fisher Celebrity, slowly.

  8. #8

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    Quote Originally Posted by Eric Brown View Post
    .My concern is that the stripper will get into the lap seams and may not completely wash out.
    yes, that happens. Pressure washing helps.

  9. #9

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    OK guys, here's what I wound up doing. Mineral spirits. I know, not water soluble. The project was C150 wings that had been treated several times with a corrosion preventative over many years. A lot of caked on dirt had collected, particularly aft of the rear spar. Some places I could reach in scrape the crud off and the vacuum out the clumps. Wings were NOT on the airplane. Dish soap, engine cleaner, WD-40,ect. did not perform well enough. I sprayed in mineral spirits and let soak for 1 hr. I then used a pressure washer with a 90* nozzle to blast out the crud. Not squeaky clean, but enough to evaluate the wing internal condition. Oh ya, mineral spirits does kill your back yard grass.

  10. #10
    robert l's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Eric Brown View Post
    OK guys, here's what I wound up doing. Mineral spirits. I know, not water soluble. The project was C150 wings that had been treated several times with a corrosion preventative over many years. A lot of caked on dirt had collected, particularly aft of the rear spar. Some places I could reach in scrape the crud off and the vacuum out the clumps. Wings were NOT on the airplane. Dish soap, engine cleaner, WD-40,ect. did not perform well enough. I sprayed in mineral spirits and let soak for 1 hr. I then used a pressure washer with a 90* nozzle to blast out the crud. Not squeaky clean, but enough to evaluate the wing internal condition. Oh ya, mineral spirits does kill your back yard grass.
    Did you take pictures or video ?

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