Degreaser for bottom of airplane?

I am immensely fortunate to have HOT WATER available. That and some soap does a world of good on grease. Anything tougher I dab some mineral spirits on a microfiber rag.
 
Glenn D said:
I use the leather cleaner in my truck, and my wife said it should not be used as it is for airplanes, not trucks... opps... still the best for keeping the inside of the truck clean and well preserved.
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I guess the cow doesn't know what kind of vehicle it occupies after all!
 
Goo Gone, or automotive decal adhesive remover. Both cheap, and work very well.
 
CC268 said:
If Buddha Belly is really that good and is just a spray on, sit, rinse off product then I might consider ordering it
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I used it when I worked at the FBO here. It works pretty well. I'd put a sealant on the belly
 
weirdjim said:
That and a match should do the job quite nicely.

Jim
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I like to smoke a few cigarettes while I'm applying the 100LL to the bottom of the plane. Is this safe?
 
ktup-flyer said:
Thats a wax. A sealant like C Quartz will last much much longer
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Yup I'm well aware. I have some McKee's Paint Coating (AutoGeeks house brand ceramic paint coating). Much easier to apply than C Quartz, but not sure it is worth using on the bottom of the plane. I may or may not decide to use it. It should be much easier to clean now that I did a deep clean of it. Maybe Buddha Belly would make it easy to keep it clean from now on.

You would be surprised how well Collinite 845 holds up especially since the plane is hangared. Definitely not the longevity of the ceramic coatings though.
 
CC268 said:
I like to smoke a few cigarettes while I'm applying the 100LL to the bottom of the plane. Is this safe?
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No problem. It'll remove nicotine stains just as well as it takes off exhaust gas streaks.
 
CC268 said:
I like to smoke a few cigarettes while I'm applying the 100LL to the bottom of the plane. Is this safe?
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yup....ya just gotta be good vs. lucky. :D

....and I'm good cause it works great for me each time....and I have no burns to prove it. ;)

btw....my plane has built in dispensers at each wing root.
 
Checkout_my_Six said:
yup....ya just gotta be good vs. lucky. :D

....and I'm good cause it works great for me each time....and I have no burns to prove it. ;)

btw....my plane has built in dispensers at each wing root.
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Nice I drilled a couple of those dispensers myself a few years back...I typically wet the cigarette with some 100ll and then use one of the spark plugs to light it
 
GRG55 said:
No problem. It'll remove nicotine stains just as well as it takes off exhaust gas streaks.
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Nothing better than throwing a big lip in and smoking a lucky strike at 10,000 feet eh?
 
Checkout_my_Six said:
btw....my plane has built in dispensers at each wing root.
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Now THAT is a nice convenience feature. I'll bet Cirrus is going to do the same on Gen 7. But it will dispense a special proprietary ($$$) Cirrus formula through an automated scrubber controlled by the keyfob.
 
Our long time local aircraft detailer pointed me to Totally Awesome cleaner at the dollar store, it has a mix ratio for aviation applications on the label.
 
CC268 said:
Well I tried out GOJO today - worked very well. Messy job though and kind of PITA to apply, but it worked great. I did a test spot with Mineral Spirits as well - it worked really good too, but I didn't want to use it unless I knew it was completely safe. Mineral Spirits is definitely the easier method as I can apply it with a weed sprayer.

Waxed the entire plane including the underside. Should be easier to clean up now! Hard day of work today lol

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Looks very good. If you do that every few months, it's gets easier to wipe on the gojo. I've improved my technique to where I put a lot less in my glove to get a thinner coat on. Makes wiping a lot easier and you waste less blue paper towels!
 
Mineral spirits on a rag. Wipe it on and wipe it dry with a dry rag. I use this on my metal and fabric planes. You will not find anything that works better.
 
pigpenracing said:
Mineral spirits on a rag. Wipe it on and wipe it dry with a dry rag. I use this on my metal and fabric planes. You will not find anything that works better.
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Yea I stated in my post I tried mineral spirits (test spot) and it worked very very good.
 
Gmonnig said:
Looks very good. If you do that every few months, it's gets easier to wipe on the gojo. I've improved my technique to where I put a lot less in my glove to get a thinner coat on. Makes wiping a lot easier and you waste less blue paper towels!
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Yea I just wiped it on and "drove" the plane over to the wash bay and did my normal wash. Made it fairly easy.
 
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Note that even with Simple Green Extreme (the aircraft one), you need to dilute it according to them to be safe. You also need to rinse it off well.
 
Goop hand cleaner. Home depot sells it now in the automotive section. Cheap and you don't end up smelling like mineral spirits
 
CC268, your Cherokee is a good lookin' aircraft!
 
Varsol and paper towels while moving along on a creeper works the best for me. I can do the bottom of my 177RG in 15 to 20 minutes

Gary
 
catmandu said:
Our long time local aircraft detailer pointed me to Totally Awesome cleaner at the dollar store, it has a mix ratio for aviation applications on the label.
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Tried it and found rather quickly that you NEED to dilute it as it will go above and beyond the grease and grime. But it works VERY well and you can't beat the price. I'm going to do the engine next but I'll wait until the cowling is off for the annual. The annual is in a few days. BOHICA.
 
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As a reward for me not creating a new thread, could you all please get together and narrow this down to the two best products for really bad oil gunk?

And FYI, I used mineral spirits and purple power side-by-side and thought purple power was best but would still like something better
 
flyingron said:
Note that even with Simple Green Extreme (the aircraft one), you need to dilute it according to them to be safe. You also need to rinse it off well.
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Agree re rinsing. This was the best I found, though, between 100LL, Dawn, and even Oil Eater for getting both the oil and the lead off. Spray/wipe it on (I use 1:1 dilution for the heavy stuff), keep it wet for a few minutes, then wipe it off with an old towel. Then I rinse by using another towel and water.

FWIW I asked Spruce about using Oil Eater to do this and they pointed me to the Simple Green Extreme. And from other reviews on Amazon, etc, people use the Simple Green in ultrasonic cleaners for carbs and even gun parts. NOT the regular Simple Green: the Extreme Aviation stuff. Big difference.
 
I have to ask my wife what she uses. She does the bottom and leading edges after every flight.....NOT!!! lol
Just kidding, inside joke my buddy and I have going. lol

Add me to the mineral spirits suggestions. Cheap, very effective, very safe, definitely won't cause your plane to corrode and does not need to be rinsed off if you miss some. Like said a pump sprayer is the hot tip.
I have a custom tank for spraying stuff. I have used it for years with gasoline in it to clean race car parts outside at the races. Inside I use mineral spirits. Aluminium tank last longer than a plastic pump up sprayer although they are fine to use. Might not last forever?

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WD-40. Spray on, wipe off. Cheap, portable, find anywhere, and works.
 
Fearless Tower said:
I use the degreaser version of Wash Wax All - works very well on the belly of the Beech 18 and the Waco. I occasionally use Tuff Stuff for exhaust stains.
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Local teenager who really wants to fly, a creeper and Wash Wax All degreaser.
 
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