Has anyone ever found a safe-ish method of removing old dried on diesel gunk from fabric covered models?

I have tried gasoline, acetone, windex, cillit-bang, flash and a whole host of cleaners, nothing seems to remove the brown sticky residue.

Iso Propyl Alcohol, petrol and raw Nitro Methane seem to work best but can damage the paint.

However the most effective method I've found is to cut the paint back to raw solid balsa again with wet and dry, redo the fabric, undercoat and repaint.

Often it's just easier to build a new model.

Amen to that Ray,

I recently recovered a 48" stunter that had a lot of castor oil ingress.

It needed plenty of applications of Corn Flour & metho to begin to remover the oil from the balsa.

I once re-built an old Flitestreak for the second time that had had a new nose once before.<div>Fuel had eaten through the entire paint job on the nose and had become totally fuel soaked.</div><div>Ray is right, the normal this for a bloke to do is build a new model specially since this Flitestreak  was 19 years old.</div><div>Old model to me are like vintage cars,  re-building them is well worth it.</div><div>I ended up burying the nose into a 2 litre bucket of BiCarb Soda for 6 weeks. That did the job.</div><div>I finished re-building the model and flew it for another 2 years and stored it in my roof for 6 months.</div><div>This model in now back in Sydney with Colin Willoughby being flown at KMFC on occasions still going strong.</div><div>So, Don't throw your old gunked up fuel soaked models out .Have the satisfaction of re-building them.</div><div>Lots of fun. and time and effort and blood sweat and tears.......lol</div><div>
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Greg, that's interesting. How much of the Castor can you actually recover?

I guess you just mix it with fresh stuff?

Ray

Mate,

I've missed that "acerbic wit".

Well I though that it was banned while I was on the witness protection program.

I think you could make a reentry mate - it certainly lacks entertainment value at present.

BTW Geoff Potter said g'day.

G

I try to remove as much castor oil as possible via an infra lamp (closely monitored to prevent fire) and paper towels. The towels are used to blot the oil that will come to the surface of the balsa.

After the blotting ceases to yield much oil, I then spray on a medium coat of C2R cleaning compound, meant for upholstery and winter jacket cleaning. This stuff will dry to a white powder. Carefully clean away the powder, then reapply another coat of C2R. Do this until you can make no further discernible progress. After this treatment, a light coating of Balsarite is justified. Then recover with fabric or plastic covering. I know this technique works for a fact because I have used it on several of my planes with excellent results.


Ed Cregger

So, perhaps a heat gun has more than one use for diesels aye Greggles?

I reckon we could have a vigorous discussion here about whether a IR lamp is a "heat gun" or not compared to a hot air "paint stripper" device.

Ooo, so its down to heat guns at 10 paces at dawn then!

But seriously they are called IR paint strippers, some are called 'Speedheaters.' And a lot more common than you think.

What ...... was the debate again?

Nothing removes oil & gunk quicker than a sharp blade and new balsa.

Greg

Chris,

Didn't I tell you the place for the heat gun? I mainly use mine when the balsa curls and needs a touch of heat and pressure to get it on the straight & narrow.

G

Weapons drawn at 20 paces Gents?

Nah, Ray has the old age and treachery covered and Greg has the youth and skill so what chance do I have?

Gonna holster my heat gun and walk away - slowly like.

Thanks!