Fuel soaked!!
10-30-2015, 05:17 AM
#1
Junior Member
Thread Starter
My Feedback: (1)
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: , WI
Posts: 2
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Fuel soaked!!
Does anyone have any suggestions on how to handle fuel soaked wood? It seem an entire 11oz tank leaked out durning a 5 minute flight---twice (don't ask). The plane is a Hanger-9 P51. How can I get covering to stick?
10-30-2015, 05:51 AM
#3
My Feedback: (11)
Cat liter is a good absorbent.
One thing that I do to prevent this problem is to spray paint the interiors of my planes with clear before assembly. This seals the wood from fuel leaks and moisture that could cause the wood to warp. I drill a hole for fuel to drain from the compartment where the tank is located.
One thing that I do to prevent this problem is to spray paint the interiors of my planes with clear before assembly. This seals the wood from fuel leaks and moisture that could cause the wood to warp. I drill a hole for fuel to drain from the compartment where the tank is located.
10-30-2015, 08:03 AM
#4
Senior Member
My Feedback: (3)
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Reno, NV
Posts: 260
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
covering
I have good luck thinning white glue with water and painting the area to recover. Let dry then sand with fine sandpaper. Stick down as you normally would.
10-30-2015, 08:24 AM
#5
I use carb cleaner, brake cleaner to rinse all oil out, then use talcum powder or cat litter. After a week or so blow out with compressed air. Couple coats of balsarite and the covering will stick better than new. You can use lacquer hair spray to help the covering to stick.
Buzz.
Buzz.
10-30-2015, 08:29 AM
#6
My Feedback: (2)
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Palm Bay, FL
Posts: 1,046
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Several applications of Texize K2R may help.
But the fact is you're never going to get it all out. Sealing the wood during assembly is the best solution for future projects.
But the fact is you're never going to get it all out. Sealing the wood during assembly is the best solution for future projects.
10-30-2015, 01:15 PM
#7
All well and good for kit/scratch built , a little harder to do on a fully (pre) finished model airplane . Hangar 9's P-51 , being an ARF and coming out of the box fully assembled , makes it pretty much impossible to reach all the inside surfaces
10-30-2015, 03:37 PM
#9
Soak up as much as possible , K2R is a spot remover and will suck the oil out ,as will the litter
You need to paint the surface with Sig clear Buterate dope ,that will make the wood hard again ,and protect it for the future , fuel leak
In the future use the clear dope ,before installing the tank
A hole near the tank , on the bottom of the fuse ( in the tank compartment) ,will allow a fuel leak to escape and not damage the entire inside of the fuse ,and radio equipment
Dealing with forms of fuel soaking since i was 16 , now 71 years old ,so been a while
You need to paint the surface with Sig clear Buterate dope ,that will make the wood hard again ,and protect it for the future , fuel leak
In the future use the clear dope ,before installing the tank
A hole near the tank , on the bottom of the fuse ( in the tank compartment) ,will allow a fuel leak to escape and not damage the entire inside of the fuse ,and radio equipment
Dealing with forms of fuel soaking since i was 16 , now 71 years old ,so been a while
10-31-2015, 07:17 PM
#12
For sure ! I've seen far too many ARFs with little to no glue in critical areas , leaving not much but the covering to hold things together . And I will say I've never seen an ARF , even the "Bind and fly" types with a glow engine already installed , come out of the box with their firewall and fuel tank compartment properly fuel proofed .
Like the old adage goes ; "ya want it done right , , , ya gotta do it yourself" ........
11-01-2015, 12:25 PM
#13
If all the ARF's came with sealed up firewalls, glue in all the right places, sealed covering edges, built right for the start, they would last to long and we would not need to buy a 2nd, 3rd, 4th or 5th. 
They plan it that way, Last just long enough to make us happy.
They were not nearly as popular, but the ARC's were so much better. You could see how well they were put together and add glue where you wanted and seal it all before you covered it.
Another trick is to use denatured alcohol in a spray bottle. Soak the area and let it run out. The oil binds with the alcohol and comes out of the wood.
Buzz.
They plan it that way, Last just long enough to make us happy.They were not nearly as popular, but the ARC's were so much better. You could see how well they were put together and add glue where you wanted and seal it all before you covered it.
Another trick is to use denatured alcohol in a spray bottle. Soak the area and let it run out. The oil binds with the alcohol and comes out of the wood.
Buzz.
