Limitations of Lemon Pledge

In article , Jay Masino wrote:
Jay Honeck wrote:
The main reason is that Spam Cans aren't very waterproof.

All you have to do is whip it around the pattern a couple of times after
you wash it. It'll be fine. My plane sat outside for years before I
finally got my hangar. It was no big deal. You're being overly
obsessive.

I'd agree with that. Immediately after washing a plane, I'll fly it.
You've just done the most thorough preflight you'll probably do in a
while (it's amazing what you can find when carefully cleaning an
aircraft) so I might as well go and fly. We also put corrosion inhibitor
inside the wings as soon as we got the plane.

The best thing I found for getting rid of the grime was soap/water, then
a rinse, then wiping dry with one of those synthetic chamois things that
feel like chicken skin. Then a bit of car polish.

I'd bet the old Bonanza that had the corrosion problem didn't fly
enough.

--
Dylan Smith, Castletown, Isle of Man
Flying: http://www.dylansmith.net
Frontier Elite Universe: http://www.alioth.net
"Maintain thine airspeed, lest the ground come up and smite thee"

I'd bet the old Bonanza that had the corrosion problem didn't fly
enough.

Maybe early in its life -- but not now. The current owner is the only guy
on the field that flies more than we do.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

I use about 1/2 cap of Woolite in 3 gallons of H20 and get wonderful
results. Even though the water in Tucson is quite 'hard', I get a spot free
plane after moderate rinsing and towel drying. Since I don't have access to
a hose at my shadeport, the Woolite solution is sprayed on with a pump up
sprayer, the dirt is knocked loose with a soft nylon brush sitting in a
bucket of water, then the plane is rinsed with another sprayer full of plane
water (no pun intended.)

--
Regards,
Mike

http://mywebpage.netscape.com/amountainaero/fspic1.html
"Jay Honeck" wrote in message
news:29xkc.4235$Ik.349647@attbi_s53...
As many of you know, I am a big proponent of using Lemon Pledge to clean
an
airplane. It can be used on the Plexiglas safely, and if you spray the
leading edges of the wings with it after each flight, the bugs just swish
right off with little effort.

In fact, that's ALL we have ever washed the plane with -- Lemon Pledge.
No
soap and water has ever touched our plane.

When we were at Sun N Fun a couple of weeks ago, however, I saw a most
peculiar speckle and stripe pattern on our wings and fuselage that was
only
visible in the direct sunlight. There were obviously cleaner spots and
stripes, and Pledge would not touch them. You could spray, wipe and buff
till your heart's content, but all you were doing was buffing the
surface --
this dirt was much deeper than that.

When we got home I hit a spot with some Castrol Super Clean, and
*voila!* --
the whole spot became a much whiter, gleaming white. Apparently two years
of Lemon Pledging has actually sealed some dirt in, under a layer of
Pledge
wax that the Pledge itself couldn't dissolve.

So, last night my son and I started the arduous task of washing every
square
inch with Super Clean and diapers, followed immediately by a coat of
spray-on Turtle wax (to neutralize the caustic Super Clean).

He finished the under-side, while I did the top of both wings -- wow, what
a
difference! What looked "clean and white" before is now almost blindingly
white. The dullness had crept up so slowly that we simply did not notice.

So, while we'll still hit the windshield, leading edges, and nose with
Pledge after each flight, our days of using it as an "overall" cleaner are
over -- although I'd like to find something less harsh than Super Clean.
Any suggestions?
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

Okay, so you've admitted that you were wrong about the Pledge, now why
should be believe that Castrol Super Clean would not be as harmful as
Simple Green.

Sorry, all you Jay fans!

On Fri, 30 Apr 2004 18:45:18 GMT, "Jay Honeck"
wrote:

As many of you know, I am a big proponent of using Lemon Pledge to clean an
airplane. It can be used on the Plexiglas safely, and if you spray the
leading edges of the wings with it after each flight, the bugs just swish
right off with little effort.

In fact, that's ALL we have ever washed the plane with -- Lemon Pledge. No
soap and water has ever touched our plane.

When we were at Sun N Fun a couple of weeks ago, however, I saw a most
peculiar speckle and stripe pattern on our wings and fuselage that was only
visible in the direct sunlight. There were obviously cleaner spots and
stripes, and Pledge would not touch them. You could spray, wipe and buff
till your heart's content, but all you were doing was buffing the surface --
this dirt was much deeper than that.

When we got home I hit a spot with some Castrol Super Clean, and *voila!* --
the whole spot became a much whiter, gleaming white. Apparently two years
of Lemon Pledging has actually sealed some dirt in, under a layer of Pledge
wax that the Pledge itself couldn't dissolve.

So, last night my son and I started the arduous task of washing every square
inch with Super Clean and diapers, followed immediately by a coat of
spray-on Turtle wax (to neutralize the caustic Super Clean).

He finished the under-side, while I did the top of both wings -- wow, what a
difference! What looked "clean and white" before is now almost blindingly
white. The dullness had crept up so slowly that we simply did not notice.

So, while we'll still hit the windshield, leading edges, and nose with
Pledge after each flight, our days of using it as an "overall" cleaner are
over -- although I'd like to find something less harsh than Super Clean.
Any suggestions?

"Stu Gotts" wrote in message
...
Okay, so you've admitted that you were wrong about the Pledge, now why
should be believe that Castrol Super Clean would not be as harmful as
Simple Green.

Sorry, all you Jay fans!

Heck, I do all three at the same time.....down wind slipping turns with full
flaps while spraying Simple Green all over the plane.

Okay, so you've admitted that you were wrong about the Pledge, now why
should be believe that Castrol Super Clean would not be as harmful as
Simple Green.

Sorry, all you Jay fans!

Actually, that's the point of my post.

Does any cleaner work as well, without harming aluminum?
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

On Sat, 01 May 2004 11:51:16 GMT, "Jay Honeck"
wrote:

Okay, so you've admitted that you were wrong about the Pledge, now why
should be believe that Castrol Super Clean would not be as harmful as
Simple Green.

Sorry, all you Jay fans!

Actually, that's the point of my post.

Does any cleaner work as well, without harming aluminum?

I guess all the highest priced "airplane" stuff, but I sure would like
to find the real deal. I'm trying that Castol stuff today!!!

I guess all the highest priced "airplane" stuff, but I sure would like
to find the real deal. I'm trying that Castol stuff today!!!

Wear rubber gloves. That stuff will suck all the oil out of your hands...
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

Jay and all,

Without question the best stuff I've found for cleaning airplanes is
Tomar TR-1000. It is designed to be safe for aluminum airplanes,
unlike the cleaning products you'll find in your local discount store.
It is extremely effective when diluted and used as directed.

Unfortunately it is expensive and not easy to find. I ordered a 5
gallon drum of it directly from the supplier, which added on shipping
costs. But it lasts a long time.

I wash my plane 2 or 3 times a year. I'm in a generally warm and dry
climate from April through October so I'm not worried about corrosion
that much. The wash rack at my airport has very hard water, so my
trick is to take a high-quality silicone rubber squeege, 1 to 2
gallons of distilled water, and a garden sprayer. After washing with
the TR-1000 (diluting as directed) and rinsing with the hose at the
wash rack, I squeege off the hard rinse water wherever possible. Then
I spray important areas like the plexiglass, or curved shapes I
couldn't squeege too well, with the distilled water--enough to make it
run off, displacing the hard water with distilled water. I towel dry
the other areas that I squeeged but didn't spray. Finally I'll fly it
around the pattern to air dry the crevices.

Without question the best stuff I've found for cleaning airplanes is
Tomar TR-1000. It is designed to be safe for aluminum airplanes,
unlike the cleaning products you'll find in your local discount store.
It is extremely effective when diluted and used as directed.

Got an URL for these folks?

All I find in a search are dead and foreign language links.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"