How do I clean this - 100LL staining

k9medic

k9medic

Cleared for Takeoff
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ATP-H, CMEL, CSEL, CFI/CFII Airplanes and Helicopters
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Had an o ring decide to drop fuel onto my wheel pant.

Wiped it up and now I have this stain.

Already tried a polisher and compound.

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The Archer will drip a little bit of fuel onto the wheel pant sometimes. I’ve had good luck with just plain ol’ glass cleaner - seems to come off easily.
 
A little carb cleaner on a rag works for my paint (Imron).
 
My mechanic taught me to use lacquer thinner to remove Mogas stains, I figure it would worn with 100LL, but I only burn mogas.
 
As pointed out in the other thread, those dyes will break down in a few months. You can clean the area in the meantime to reduce the severity of the staining until it fades away. I wouldn't use anything stronger than avgas or mineral spirits on paint. Bad things can happen with stronger solvents.
 
asicer said:
So let it leak, it stains. Let it leak some more and it un-stains?
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Right. Just like Audrey in the Vacation movies. "She falls down a well, her eyes go cross. She gets kicked by a mule, they go back."
 
nice try ... i aint getting banned for just taking her pants off ...:D
 
100 ll on a rag with some elbow grease . Keep the rag wet.
 
asicer said:
So let it leak, it stains. Let it leak some more and it un-stains?
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Usually the top of the pants stain has a round blue stain with an un-stained white center. So, actually yes it does kinda work that way!
 
I would try ethanol, the wonder solvent. I'll bet the dye is alcohol soluble, and ethanol will not hurt the paint. Isopropyl alcohol would be my second choice. Nothing stronger than that.
 
IIRC Awesome works awesomely on 100LL stains. $1.00 at Dollar General and FAR safer than using 100LL.

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smv said:
At $1/qt it is more expensive than AVGAS right now...

o_O
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Yeah but it won't lead poison you or blow your head off either. No effin' way I'd ever use gas, leaded or not, to clean.
 
timwinters said:
Yeah but it won't lead poison you or blow your head off either. No effin' way I'd ever use gas, leaded or not, to clean.
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In the good old days, we [mechanics] typically washed very dirty parts and occasionally our hands with leaded gasoline. I wonder if my hands look ten years older than my face because of that.
 
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