What is normally used to clean up the fuel residue after flight? I was told to use regular glass cleaner, however, after cleaning up the fuel, there is a thin coat of residue that remains. I went over the streaks with a damp cloth and it improved things a bit, it there are a lot of streaks still visible.

Is glass cleaner the right thing?
Is there a better product that won't streak?
Besides affecting appearance, does that streaking affect the longevity of the covering?

Thanks.

i use glass cleaner and have had good success. If there is a film afterwards, I wipe again until it's gone. Usually the second time will get any leftovers. They make cleaner products specifically for our hobby, but if you ask me, it's probably just a gimmick to get your $$. I'd rather spend my money on another gallon of fuel (so we can get all dirty again) and a one dollar bottle of glass cleaner from Dollar General.

I use glass cleaner and add about 1/3 denatured alcohol. It hasn't hurt any of my finishes yet, and seems to cut the oil better. If you REALLY want it clean, use the Windex, whatever, then a soapy rag and then a dry cloth, but on a MonoCote finish, there will almost always be streaks.

The secret is VIVA paper towels. Nothing works like VIVA towels. I use windex or any window cleaner. TF make a Monokote polish. I use it once every six monthes or so.

Simplegreen

I use fantastic orange action you can get it at wal-mart, sparyit on let it about 30 seconds and wipe off all residue it will leave nothing and smells better than window cleaner to

Simple Green, Rubbing alcohol, Water equal parts.

I too use Simple Green.

I use Simple Green mixed with the orange cleaner about 50/50.
Looks brown but it works real good.

Bill

BTW - I buy the cheap versions of both.

Go buy a box of generic Baby WIpes, CVS brand will do fine. They do a great job of taking the heavy gunk offf the plane. One baby wipe will do a standard 40 size plane.

They'll leave some streaks, but a pass with some Windex will take those off.
Dennis-

lots of stuff works . personally, rubbing alcohol does a good job very cheaply. so will dish soap/water. windex will cause perfect paint to flake off if used extensively(no one knows why, it just does) simple green can be highly corrosive (one reason its banned from full size aircraft use) plastics need to retain moisture to remain flexible. water or any plastic polish will help.

You will find that there are as many cleaning formulas or products as there are different types of aircraft. Some, naturally are better than others. Personally, I use 50/50 mix of Denatured Alcohol and water, with 1 tablespoon of dishwashing liquid added. It is relatively cheap, easy to find the ingredients, and it works well.

I have had some success with "Simple Green" and a bit of alcohol. I don't like to use anything that has ammonia in it like Windex as this seems to dull or weaken the Monokote covering. At least that's what I think is doing it. I am open to other suggestions though.

I don't clean any of that stuff off. If my plane is oily it's easier to "grease" a landing......



Andy

I use 409 with a bit of alchohol in it...works great!

The main key is to use your rags/towels to wipe down the model first. Get rid of the thick accumulations of oil before you apply the cleaner. That way, the cleaner will only have a thin film of oil to remove. Any good-quality cleaner will work. It's also kind of like sanding...the more rags/towels you use, the cleaner the model.

I use 70% rubbing alcohol... no dilution (it's already 30% water)... Walmart sells large bottles of it for $0.99 .

the alcohol will soak up moisture as well form the plastic so its probably a good idea to apply some protectant afterwards occasionaly.

I use a cleaner at the feild (409--Simple Green--Fantastik, ect. plus mostly Windex. I just keep adding some kind of "stuff to the spray bottle. It gets the heavy gunk off but still leaves streaks. When I get home in the evening I sit down and use Johnson's Pledge. This leaves 'em looking brand new.

I like the fantastic orange cleaner as well.

I once bought some cheap baby wipes and did not like them for their intended purpose so i tried them for cleaning my planes, i found that they did a better job clening my plane than they did cleaning poop off a babys butt. I also use fantastic orange and have had good results

Try using 10 drops of dawn dish washing detergent in one gallon of automotive windshield washer solvent. It's about as cheap as you can get and it works great.
Jon



How bad have you got it ??????????????????????????????????