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Blue Fuel Stain on my Wing..Any secrets to removining it?

taverroi

taverroi

Well Known Member
Guys,

My buddy just purchased and RV10, and had the tanks filled last night. When he came in this morning fuel had leaked out of the cap on one wing and had been streaming slowly down the WHITE painted wing all night. When he went to clean it off it had left a blue stain in or on the painted surface that isnt coming off. Do any of you have a secret as to how to remove the stain. It isnt coming off with anything he has tried. Has this happend to any of you and what did you do, if anything to clean up the stain??? Any help would be appriciated.

Tango
 
My neighbor had good success with a product called "Goof Off", available at most hardware stores.

Mitch
N2ET now flying
 
A basic solvent like Stoddard properly diluted will work. Always test on a small discrete area to insure it will not attack the paint.
If you don't have anything on hand, although counter intuitive, a small amount of Avgas on a rag will usually take it off.
It the stain will not budge, you have a paint issue.
 
I have had blue fuel stains before that wouldn't wipe off but eventually went away. I believe the dye will break down pretty quick. Auto gas stains are harder to get rid of.
 
MikeyDale said:
I have had blue fuel stains before that wouldn't wipe off but eventually went away. I believe the dye will break down pretty quick. Auto gas stains are harder to get rid of.
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I've had the same experience - odd that a little time and sun makes the blue disappear when I thought it might "set" the stain.
 
blue stain

Rest of the message got lost on the first post.

Anyway, I've had excellent results getting stains off paint by using fresh fuel from the sump and rubbing the stain with a rag wet with the fresh fuel. Do it over and over a few times and it will gradually remove the stain.

Steve
 
sibriggs said:
Rest of the message got lost on the first post.

Anyway, I've had excellent results getting stains off paint by using fresh fuel from the sump and rubbing the stain with a rag wet with the fresh fuel. Do it over and over a few times and it will gradually remove the stain.

Steve
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I am in the same situation and none of the suggestions have worked including fuel after attacking the week old stain. I am about to try a light rubbing compound next.
 
stain

Must have something to do with what kind of surface the stain is on as to whether is it can be easily removed or not.
 
I had a blue fuel streak on the bottom of my wing. The only thing I found that would remove it was Lacquer Thinner. Didn't harm the paint at all (test first)
 
If you have clearcoat paint over the color coat, the only thing that'll work is time and exposure to sunlight... the UV breaks down the blue dye molecules.

If your white paint is single color (e.g. polyurethane paint like AcryGlo), then a mild rubbing compound will remove the stain, then you can polish the spot back to a mirror shine with buffing.
 
No one mentioned it, but the OP says 'the fuel cap leaked'. The caps should not leak, and the fuel vent should take care of any expansion. These items may need looking at, and IMHO, are more important than any stain.
 
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