Wash and Wax

[FenderManDan]

I have a C-172 so all aluminium, but don't know much about the paint and how different it is from the automotive paint finishes.

1. After washing the plane can I use a wax to shine it and protect the paint?
2. If yes what is the cost effective and easy to apply wax to use?
3. Would wax do any protection to the paint if the plane was parked outside of hangar during the winter?

Thank you

[Heliian]

Yes, by hand, and yes.

Just watch out for your static ports and drain/vent holes. Your plane will actually be faster with fresh wax too.

[CentCollStud1234]

I am a 1st year AME-M student. My AME prof told me today that we cannot use normal car wax. I am not certain, I think the car wax create static electricity. What are the special waxes approved by FAA and TC?

[Colonel Sanders]

My AME prof told me today that we cannot use normal car wax

Congratulations! You are about to learn two things, for free.

1) You can use car wax on an airplane.
2) You are going to be told a lot of nonsense about aviation

Frankly, #2 is a far more valuable lesson to learn.

[azimuthaviation]

FAA and TC approved waxes?

[Colonel Sanders]

I know. I thought it might be April 1st, but no.

Next, the poor kid is going to be told to sweep
the glide path, and get a bucket of prop pitch,
and bring the left-handed hammer and the
metric crescent wrench.

[azimuthaviation]

the
metric crescent wrench.

Thats actually a real thing.

http://www.canadiantire.ca/AST/browse/6 ... enches.jsp

at about 20 seconds

[Colonel Sanders]

Well, as Andy Tanenbaum once said, Now I've seen everything.

Another one of his best quotes:

Never underestimate the bandwidth of a station wagon full of tapes hurtling down the highway

USB sticks didn't exist all those decades ago. We could
update it thusly:

"Never underestimate the bandwidth of a minivan full
of USB sticks hurtling down the highway"

RTT sucks, but that's kind of the lesson, n'est ce pas?

https://devcentral.f5.com/articles/rtt- ... uot-matter

That's a third thing you just learned - for free!

Stick around, later I will share my favourite Tilapia receipe.

[NeverBlue]

FAA and TC approved waxes?

...c'mon guys...you know what he means. He's just started school for crying out loud...it's still September!

at least give the professor the benefit of the doubt and perhaps the kid didn't understand correctly what was said.

2) You are going to be told a lot of nonsense about aviation

Frankly, #2 is a far more valuable lesson to learn.

So true Colonel...but could you at least tell him why he could use car wax...and why what he said was not correct? Then maybe at least he might start to learn how to recognize the "nonsense".


I get a lot of good and very useful info from you on this site Colonel...and I trust your judgment cause you've proven me wrong.

But please try not to jade every newbie...

Keep asking CentCollStud1234

[Changes in Latitudes]

I used automotive waxes for years and never encountered a single issue. Apply by hand, remove by hand. I don't want to fathom what a FAA approved wax would cost.

[Colonel Sanders]

Actually, there is something quite useful to learn
about waxes, be they for your car, airplane, boat,
motorcycle, RV or ATV ...

Some (nearly all) contain silicone, and some (rare)
do not (eg carnuba-only). Painters hate silicone
because it makes the paint fish-eye. They need
to put an additive in to deal with that.

Anyone interested in some good BBQ salmon receipes?
Hint: start with aluminum foil & coconut oil: http://tinyurl.com/lnu3woj

Coconut oil is amazing stuff. You can cook with it,
rub it into your skin, or your gf can save $$$ by using
it as a pre-wash hair conditioner, esp for coloured
or flat-iron damaged hair.

[CentCollStud1234]

OH..... I see.

[boeingfixr]

Quote "I am a 1st year AME-M student. My AME prof told me today that we cannot use normal car wax. I am not certain, I think the car wax create static electricity. What are the special waxes approved by FAA and TC?"

Your Prof is right. You should not go near an aircraft with anything automotive or non-aircraft approved. The reason is that there is no real standard followed by manufacturers of detailing products. You don't know when or if they have changed the formula etc. That is why aircraft related products will have met some recognized standard. In practicality it most likely won't hurt anything. However, I would err on the side of caution if it was not my aircraft. Your mileage may vary.

[Colonel Sanders]

Wax on painted metal is pretty harmless compared
to the damage that can be caused by strong, caustic
soaps which are everyone's favorite for degreasing.
Too bad they can't afford mineral spirits.

More relevant: the horrible consequences of plugged
static ports after maintenance, or simply water in
pitot-static systems.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aeroper%C3%BA_Flight_603
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andersen_A ... 2_accident

[Shiny Side Up]

Its like people don't like to read books here. Out of the POH for any metal Cessna you'll find:

PAINTED SURFACES

Waxing is unnecessary to keep the painted surfaces bright. However, If desired, the airplane may be waxed with a good automotive wax...

[Big Pistons Forever]

The big issue with washing/waxing airplanes is not the paint it is the windows. It is very easy to damage the thin plexiglass if you do not know what you are doing. The helicopter guys all seem to be real experts on the care of plastic windows. Get one of them to show you how to clean and polish the windshield.

[boeingfixr]

From the AC43 Polishing restores the luster to painted and unpainted
surfaces of the aircraft, and is usually performed after
the surfaces have been cleaned. Polishing is also used
to remove oxidation and corrosion. Polishing materials are available in various forms and degrees of
abrasiveness. It is important that the aircraft manufacturer’s instructions be used in specific applications.

If Cessna says in its AMM to use a quality automotive wax, than its fine.

[Colonel Sanders]

Car wax products work fantastically on plexiglas!

Far better than the brown paper towels that I
see people scrubbing them with.

[dahspeers]

May I inquire as to why this is even a topic? It's a painted aluminum surface. There is no mystical aviation voodoo at play here.

And to the OP, I've always had great luck with Adam's Polishes detailing supplies, very much a quality product. One of the few things you get what you pay for.

[Taiser]

If it's standard type paint used on most aircraft (urethane) then it's pretty tough. Some custom paint jobs may not like regular wax, but you are unlikely to encounter any of those where you are, and if you do, doubtful the owner would want you waxing away with a rag!

You can hit it urethane with a hammer and not hurt it...dent the aluminum yes but you really have to crease it crack the paint. Any wax would be fine on that...

[fleet16b]

Absolutely ...auto waxes and cleaners work fine.

My aircraft is a vintage biplane has fabric, metal aluminium and plexi - pretty much all you will encounter
on an aircraft except for composites

All the cleaning products you need are available at Crappy T ( Look ina/c Spruce, most of their cleaners are automotive cleaners >you can find them at Crappy for a lwr price)

Some of the products I clean with :

Basic wash
> Turtle wax car wash detergent
or
> 2/3 Sunlight dish soap mixed with 1/3 Murphys Oil Soap

Quick detailing
> Lemon Pledge is excellent on fabric , wood prop and really good on plexiglass _ waaaaay better than Mirror Glaze
> Any auto quick detail wax spray works but I find Meguirs products has the least streaking
> Armour All on all the rubber bits and tires

[Taiser]

Agree with everything except the armor all on the tires! I was at a presentation put on by Goodyear a while back. The rep said that any kind of armor all type products on rubber tires dries out the tires and causes them to crack. I thought my tires use to crack just from age, but the armor all was aging them prematurely. Since I stopped using it, my tires don't crack... don't shine, but don't crack. It's bad stuff for rubber...

[Colonel Sanders]

my tires don't crack

You need to fly more! You should burn the
tread off your tires, many years before the
sidewalls crack!

[GyvAir]

Armour All is amazing stuff - if you're a used car dealer and don't care about what something looks like in a few months, so long as it's made shiny enough, for long enough to fool someone into taking it off your lot. I've seen all kinds of stuff ruined by faithfully applying that crap. Can't say specifically about tires, but I personally wouldn't apply any version of it to anything I own.
I would be careful with any tire cleaner product you pick up at your local auto parts store. Not just concern for the rubber, but I'm pretty sure some of them are fairly corrosive, so your wheels may not like it if you don't rinse adequately.

[SuperchargedRS]

I am a 1st year AME-M student. My AME prof told me today that we cannot use normal car wax. I am not certain, I think the car wax create static electricity. What are the special waxes approved by FAA and TC?

God forbid, should we tell him that everyone in the industry uses Lemon Pledge to clean the windshields??