Thedrew

I know that fuel residue can be tough to get off. Wht does everyone use after a day of flying?

Sourkraut

I have gotten into the habit of doing a quick wipe to remove the residue after each flight. Then at the end of the flying session, I wipe the model down with a combo of windshield washer fluid and rubbing alchohol. You can use Windex also. Some people even use Rain X as they say it helps the oil bead and slide off. I used to use paper towels but I find that a nice soft rag does a better job and the rags can just be washed at home and recycled.

Thedrew

Cool thanks. Rain x sounds like it might be a good idea. I did a search AFTER I Poasted this and found numours threads on the subject already. Then felt will for asking again!

mike109

G'day

I use Windex or similar and if things are really oily, I use metholated spirits (denatured alcohol) or as we call it, Metho.

As a previous poster said, a wipe down after each flight makes the cleanup at the end of the day easier.

Cheers

Mike in Oz

goirish

I use a product made my Johnson &  Johnson window cleaner.  Works great and is concentrated, so a little goes a long way.  Mike in Oz.  I sure have been looking hard at some cruises to your great country.  Maybe!!

jester_s1

If you'll go to the auto parts store and buy a microfiber rag made for drying your car it makes the cleanup 10x easier. I can use it on my planes with no spray at all and get them clean enough that you can't see any oil left, but there's enough to make streaks if you run your finger across. That's good enough for me so I only use a spray cleaner when they've gotten all dusty in the seams and need something to flush it out. I wash the rag after every 10 flying sessions or so in dish detergent and rinse it thoroughly.

Gray Beard

My Feedback: (-1)

Any cheap window cleaner I find at the dollar store then I just jack it up with more ammonia and alcohol. It will cut the engine snot very easily.
Years ago I discovered window cleaner with ammonia in it tended to lift the Mono trim over time. These were the days when Mono was still great and I was still using it. Even before I discovered how to use Windex to lay down my trim. We were all swearing about our mono trim starting to lift over time? Once we discovered that ammonia activates the glue on mono the light went on over our heads! Just an FYI, if the trim is put down well and the edges had a trim iron around them there is no problem.

ratshooter

I have been using Fantastik for 30 years. It seems to cut the oil pretty well. It does contain ammonia but since I iron down all my monokote its never been a problem. Plus as soon as I spray it I am wiping it off. I no longer use paper towels. They scratch the plastic covering. I have found that my old Tee shirts work very well. You almost don't even need a cleaner. The hard part is convincing myself that I can stop wearing them. I am not one to give up on a garment just because it has a few holes and stains.

kiwibob72

Window cleaner and a good old (washed) cloth nappy (diaper) does a great job of getting rid of nitro goo on my planes and heli.

lopflyers

My Feedback: (12)

Tower hobby sells an airplane cleaner . I usually mix windex w alcohol and dishwashing detergent.[:'(]

goirish

When I use the windex method for trim, after it dries, I then go over the edges with acetone on a Q-tip. Seal the edges.

Charlie P.

A former club had a mix we call "Jim Quinn's Cleaner" that has proven itself for years and years.

Water 5 cups
Household Ammonia ½ cup
Isopropyl Alcohol 91% 1 cup
Laundry detergent 2 tbsp.

Also works for applying decals. I keep a little recycled CA Accelerator atomizer full of it in my flight box.

dbacque

My Feedback: (3)

Personally I see no need. For years I used various glass or kitchen cleaner sprays. These days I just wipe them down with a paper towel and that's good enough for me. The important thing is that they don't get my hands slimy when I pick them up or that they don't drip in my car or on my carpet. I find that a simple wipe down is enough to fulfill these requirements.

Now, if I want to do some MonoKote work or such, then I'll use a cleaner.

Dave

Gray Beard

My Feedback: (-1)

Never heard of using acetone on it?

rgburrill

Orange cleaner! Cuts the oil quicker than anything. Then Meguiar's Cleaner Wax. Use that after you do a real thorough cleaning and it makes your field cliean up a snap.

But now I will just use a wet rag since I went electric

goirish

That was an old trick from Minnflyer. I did an experiment by putting a piece of monokote on without the windex and just sealed the edges with the acetone. Played heck getting the piece off.

Twin_Flyer

My Feedback: (4)

For almost twenty years ai have used 50/50 Simple Green and water. For the hell of it I am now using Krud Kutter, also 50/50 with water. (was in Lowes and read an online review of it)

Krud Kutter seems to work a bit better then big Green.

Simple and cheap.

Bill S.

AllTheGoodNamesAreTaken

My Feedback: (180)

Lemon scented furniture polish from the dollar store. Try it, and you'll be hooked.

Red Raider

My Feedback: (86)

I use a snake oil mixture that I learned about a couple of years ago. Use a gallon of the winter mix windshield washer. Pour a pint out and add a pint of 91% rubbing alcohol and a hefty squirt of Dawn dish washing liquid. Gently stir, not shaken. Just the opposite of Bond's famous martini. This will last a long time. Put it in a spray bottle and use the micro fiber rags the guys have mentioned above. Monocote will oxidize (rust). I'm not sure if it's the nitro, the oil or a chemical combination but it forms a rough scale on the finish that's really hard to get off. For this you can use Goof-Off or Goo-Gone. After that a good wax will it make it look like new.

jester_s1

I'm not super fastidious about my planes, but a lot of that is that I've never actually owned a factory new plane before either. I don't mind my fingerprints staying on the covering after I handle the plane as long as there isn't residue and dirt actually showing and as long as the seams aren't saturated with it. That's the biggest part of cleaning, IMO, is making sure the seams are clear so that oil doesn't have time to start penetrating the edge.

Jetdktr

My Feedback: (21)

I use contact cleaner. It gets electrons and electrical residue off with no problem.

GerKonig

I used Windex at the field, and then once in a while (at home) I diluted 50% Top Job in water (warm water) and that left them shiny like new.

These days I just shake the used Watts off my models, and my gas models do not require cleaning at the field... I abandoned slime power like 7 or 8 years ago.

Gerry

mike31

My Feedback: (67)

Dawn dish washing liquid, water and some windshield cleaner mixed.

ddewey

Small package of baby wipes for the quick on the field wipe up in combination with the previously mentioned microfiber clothes.

retransit

My Feedback: (18)

After you get it reasonably clean, try Meguiar's Plastic Detailer #18 to bring out the lustre. Of course you can use their other plastic polish (#10) and cleaner (#17) as well.

Here is a source:
http://www.detailing.com/store/meguiars.html?p=5

Bob