Cleaning and Waxing Fabric

[dmccormack]

Anyone here have experience cleaning and waxing Stitts Polyfiber with Aerothane paint?

I gave the Chief a bath last year with water and a bit of Simple green for Aircraft and that seemed to get most of the dirt off.

But the paint is dull from oxidation.

Thoughts?

 

[Tom-D]

Anyone here have experience cleaning and waxing Stitts Polyfiber with Aerothane paint?

I gave the Chief a bath last year with water and a bit of Simple green for Aircraft and that seemed to get most of the dirt off.

But the paint is dull from oxidation.

Thoughts?

Remember, you are washing and waxing the paint, not the fabric. or the metal.

I'd repolish it with a very fine cleaner wax, and hand buff. just as you would any old car.

 

[dmccormack]

Remember, you are washing and waxing the paint, not the fabric. or the metal.

I'd repolish it with a very fine cleaner wax, and hand buff. just as you would any old car.

Right... old is the word.

Any good quality car cleaner/wax will do?

 

[kyleb]

Once upon a time, I discussed this with someone who does this kind of thing for a living. He said (essentially) that you can hand or mechanically polish fabric using very mild polishing compounds. Heck, you can even wet sand it. But DO NOT try and polish anything but the big wide open spaces. You're very likely to go right through the paint if you polish or sand over seams, stitches, reinforcements, or underlying structure...

 

[dmccormack]

Once upon a time, I discussed this with someone who does this kind of thing for a living. He said (essentially) that you can hand or mechanically polish fabric using very mild polishing compounds. Heck, you can even wet sand it. But DO NOT try and polish anything but the big wide open spaces. You're very likely to go right through the paint if you polish or sand over seams, stitches, reinforcements, or underlying structure...

Good advice -- I wouldn't use an orbital polisher on fabric --- hand buffing only!

 

[Tom-D]

Any good quality car cleaner/wax will do?

sure, anything that you would use on your new lexus will work.

 

[Tom-D]

Good advice -- I wouldn't use an orbital polisher on fabric --- hand buffing only!

Think of the fabric covering as a drum head. push your finger up from under the skin and run a hard block over it. the sand block will hit harder than any where else on the drum head, and sand right thru at that point.

stay off the hard spots. and never use and hard block for polishing.

find an old pair of cotton socks, roll them from top to toe and place the sock over your fingers, and use that to apply the cleaner wax, and buff with a micro fiber towel.

 

[Tom-D]

Good advice -- I wouldn't use an orbital polisher on fabric --- hand buffing only!

When I do the Airtech system I use a black and decker mouse to do the dry sanding before applying the top coat.

but never the hard spots.

 

[N1347B]

find an old pair of cotton socks, roll them from top to toe and place the sock over your fingers, and use that to apply the cleaner wax, and buff with a micro fiber towel.

This is what Henry does with this fabric wings. He uses Mequire's (ms?) Cleaner Wax.

Deb

 

[dmccormack]

Thanks for all the tips!!

Now all I need is a day over 35 F.