Pup Flyer

Hi;
does anyone know how to clean oil from oil soaked balsa. A friend asked me, and I couldn't remember what it was that I used. It's been so long ago and age catches up. I got the stuff at the hardware store and it was in a spray can. It may not even be available anymore. My friend and I would appreciate any information.
Tom J.

N1EDM

My Feedback: (2)

Could you be thinking about K2R? I found mine at an Ace Hardware Store. I've also heard of guys sticking their balsa into fresh kitty litter for several days/weeks but don't know how well that works.

Is the K2R what you are thinking about?

Bob

Pup Flyer

Thank you, Bob. That's the stuff!
Tom J.

N1EDM

My Feedback: (2)

Glad that I could help.

I hope that you can still find some.... Also, my dad was an upholsterer. When someone would call them about getting a stain out of their furniture, he would tell them to make a paste up with corn starch and water, then let it dry and vacuum up most of the stain.

If you can't find K2R, try putting dry corn starch on the wood and see if it helps.

I also remember stripping off some old monokote once from the nose of a plane. Then I put a heat gun to the affected area and could see oil rise to the surface. I'd sop it up with a paper towel and then do that over and over again. I don't know if I got it all out, but I got a bunch of it that way, at least.

Bob

tmaucher

I like to heat the bare wood with a heat gun on the high setting and the wood will pool the oil up, then wipe with a paper towl and repeat. A word of caution is be careful that you are not melting the gllue that is holding the wood together. Then a couple layers of Balsa rite. good luck

Pup Flyer

My friend crashed his 1/4 scale Gypsy Moth and had some fuel spill into his fuselage (not a pretty picture). He's gotten over his funk and is ready to do extensive repairs. I've been trying to help him get a line on K2R. It may be hard to find in California. I found it at Amazon.com (of all places). He's going to try there. I knew I could find help @ RC Universe.

Tom J.

LTJeeper

K2R really works. Spray it on and watch the oil foam out. The wood always seems brittle right after so be careful. I think it pulls out all of the moisture too. If you let it sit for a few hours, it goes back to normal.

I've seen it recently in auto parts stores and in old style hardware stores (ACE, TrueValue, etc)

aussiesteve

Is this the k2r you refer to?

[link]http://www.k2r.com.au/[/link]
If so - it states here that it is available through soem vacuum cleaner stores here in Aus. Might be useful info for you to track it there in the US also.

I have always used Methylated Spirits or IPA (alcohol). If this K2R is the same one, I will try it next time.

Pup Flyer

It looks like the same stuff. It's made by "American Home Products". I haven't used it for a long time. It's always a good idea to fuel proof inside your airplane. Good insurance. My friend bought his plane from the man who designed it and built it. It was about 20 years old when he bought it on EBay. He did a lot of work on it to put it in flying condition and then to have it crash........WELL!

Tom J.

LTJeeper

The one I use is listed as a de-greaser and stain remover. Probably the top one in the picture. The can is different though. Here it is.

kenh3497

I've used the kitty litter/oil dry berfore. If you "grind" it up a bit to make it finer it works better. Spread it out on your garage floor and grind it with your shoe. Finer seems better than courser altough the fine stuff can be a bit more of a chore to clean up after the fact.

N1EDM

My Feedback: (2)

Kenh3497, thank for that tip about grinding it up... That'll be good one to keep in mind...

Bob

bigtim

My Feedback: (13)

you can find K2R at home depot but not the spray type only the liquid in a qt size container, just pour some in a spray bottle

after going through my Hangar-9 P-40 I found a leak in my tank, not a big one but a little fuel got on the wood,after wiping off the oily residue I thinned some epoxy with denatured alcohol and coated the entire tank area with the mix it also helps to strengthen the H-9 fire wall area as well,it was one of the few planes that I had not done that to the epoxy penetrated the wood well and was plenty hard when dry

Oberst

Oily balsa is quite a pain to get rid of. What I do is I first use kitty litter on it and let it sit on it for a few nights. Then I use corn starsh and let that sit on it for a few days. It's messy, but it works. Once I've done that I rub acetone on a white rag and rub it on the oil soaked wood until I can't see the oil on the rag anymore.

Once the acetone dries on the wood, go over it with 91% alcohol and another white rag. If you see no residue, let it dry then lightly sand it with around 250-500 grit sandpaper. Once you've done that I would seal it with Hobbico Balsa-rite Conditioner. I'd put 3 coats on it. You have to figure over time glow fuel will only work its way through again, and the conditioner will prevent the wood from soaking it up again.

I just did my 10 year old seaplane and the whole fuse was oil soaked because of that China-kote not staying on the frame tight and the exhaust made a mess of things. Plus the original owner did keep his planes clean.

If you were to look and feel the fuse now, you would have not ever known I had the same problem you had. You really don't need to buy any fancy products to remove it if you don't want to.


Pete

MrPheer

My Feedback: (5)

I've used brake cleaner in a spray can with pretty decent results.

loadthis

My Feedback: (3)

I've used denatured alcohol with great success. It's available at your local home store. Apply, absorb, apply, absorb...YMMV