Wing cleaner

What happened to the old trick I heard of where you spray the front end of your
car with Pam (for cooking) and the bugs supposedly just wipe off without
cleaner?

Jim

Does anyone know if touluene or cleaning fluid (Trichloro Ethane?) is
harmful to the paint? Should work well on the bugs. Or how about plain old
gasoline? Not the healthiest stuff in the world, and I haven't been using it
on my wings, but I do admit to using gasoline on my underbelly (then lemon
pledge).

Protect-All ROCKS!!! It uses Carnuba Wax in the formulation rather than
silicones, but still provides good UV protection, is easy to apply, and can
be used on all plastics.

I also use it on my Jeep before off-roading, makes it easier to get the mud
off...

YMMV

Mark
Tiger N1533R


"SeeAndAvoid" wrote in message
thlink.net...
ProtectAll - sort of like ArmorAll, but, I'm told, safer and better.
Can be found at Walmart.
Chris



"Viperdoc" wrote in message
...
Any advice on the best wing leading edge cleaner /bug remover? I've
tried
Simple green, car wash detergent in a spray bottle, and PPC Wing Clean.
Any
other suggestions?

"JFLEISC" wrote in message ...
What happened to the old trick I heard of where you spray the front end of your
car with Pam (for cooking) and the bugs supposedly just wipe off without
cleaner?

Original or butter flavor?

Go to a local detail shop, especially if there is a truck stop around
with a truck wash. I get the TR-1000 for $5.00 per gallon. I use a nice
thick towel and make it a little wet, then spray the soap 50/50 with water
right on the leading edges. It is the best thing I have found so far, using
the pledge before you fly is also a good idea. I use the same towel to wash
my car, all the soap I need is already on the towel.

I tried the pam too, it's way to greasy for me but does work pretty
good. I stayed away from the butter flavor
Wayne

I'm a big fan of Tomar TR-1000. Works great and is safe for
airplanes. The big problem is you probably have to buy it from the
manufacturer, and shipping will increase the cost substantially.

I'm surprised that nobody mentioned Meguire's (sp?) detail spray. It
comes in a pump bottle, not aerosol, and works wonders. Spray it on,
wait about two minute, and wipe off all of the dead critter pieces. I
usually, but not always, follow up with a second application. I think
it applies a light wax finish that keeps the crud from sticking. I get
mine at WalMart but I'm sure it's available in lots of places.

Of course, this is for leading edges only - not the windshield. For
that I stick with Pledge or the various plastics cleaners that are
available through Sporty's and others.

Jack



"Viperdoc" wrote in message ...
OK. Today I tried lemon pledge in the spray can on one wing, and PPC wing
cleaner on the other. The PPC was definitely better for taking off the bugs.
It may not provide any long lasting protection like Pledge might. I keep the
plane waxed pretty well with Race Glaze, and I'm a little concerned that the
strong surfactant in the PPC might also be taking off the wax.

Overall, the pledge in a spray can worked pretty well, but it seemed like
it might be a bit expensive in the long run. I saw an orange citrus Pledge
in the store today which came in a pump bottle and was cheaper, but wasn't
sure if it was the same stuff. Anyone have any luck with this?

"Doug" wrote in message ...
Does anyone know if touluene or cleaning fluid (Trichloro Ethane?) is
harmful to the paint?

Toluene is most likely detrimental to paint. It's a component in many paint
removers. I don't think trichloro-ethane would hurt most.

Should work well on the bugs.

Trichloro-ethane doesn't work very well on bugs at all. Can't try toluene.
Some of the petroleum based stuff (WD-40) actually works pretty well.

Or how about plain old gasoline? Not the healthiest stuff in the world, and I haven't been using it
on my wings, but I do admit to using gasoline on my underbelly (then lemon
pledge).

AVGAS tends to leave stains on white aircraft. I avoid using gasoline as a solvent
without convincing reason. Too dangerous.

Actually, Aircraft Spruce and others sell this stuff called PPC Leading Edge cleaner.
Works pretty fabulously not only on bugs but on bird ****.

I use the blue bottle of Aerocosmetice Wash-Wax.
http://www.wash-wax.com/care.html

I heard Simple Green is a no-no for corrosion.

Viperdoc wrote:

Any advice on the best wing leading edge cleaner /bug remover? I've tried
Simple green, car wash detergent in a spray bottle, and PPC Wing Clean. Any
other suggestions?

"
Simple Green is a NO NO on aluminum planes.


I took a piece of scrap 2404 that was nice and shiny.
I immersed half of it in a simple green solution and left it for
a couple of days. The portion that was immersed exhibited
a decidedly frosty appearance.

This let me know that Simple Green does NOT belong in any faying
surface.

Cheers:

Paul
NC2273H

You don't generally leave your airplane soaking in cleaning solution
for extended periods of time. Try repeating your experiment by using
Simple Green to clean off a greasy scrap piece of bare aluminum sheet
and then rinse it well with a generous amount of clean water, dry it
off and then let it sit for a couple days. You won't find any
evidence of corrosion. Simple Green has a high pH (alkaline, around
9.5 or so), probably contains a small concentration of NaOH or KOH in
solution. Using any alkaline aqueous cleaning solution on aluminum
requires good judgement on how alkaline the solution is and how long
you let it remain in contact with the aluminum. Mildly alkaline
cleaning solutions like Simple Green or 409 are usually OK on dull
aluminum as long as you just use it to cut the grease and don't allow
prolonged contact and rinse off all residue *completely* afterwards.
However, don't use them on polished aluminum unless you're intending
to re-polish the metal afterwards :-)

"Paul" wrote in message ...
"
Simple Green is a NO NO on aluminum planes.


I took a piece of scrap 2404 that was nice and shiny.
I immersed half of it in a simple green solution and left it for
a couple of days. The portion that was immersed exhibited
a decidedly frosty appearance.

This let me know that Simple Green does NOT belong in any faying
surface.

Cheers:

Paul
NC2273H