Wash-Wax-All "Scrubby"

Ever since I had the Valkyrie painted, I have taken care of the finish using the Wash-Wax-All products (blue and red). I have found them to be a pretty good way to clean the plane, and (as Louise will probably attest) I try hard to keep the airplane looking good, and the bugs to a minimum. Our local Aviator?s Shop carries the product in gallon refills for about $26, and I have been surprised to find out just how far a gallon goes ? I have used less than a gallon per year ? and (again, as Louise will attest), I am pretty fanatical about not letting bugs spend the night on the airframe?

I have always used the product with a soft rag (old T-shirts, generally) and good old ?elbow grease" to get rid of the 200 knot bugs. Takes a bit of scrubbing. When I went to the Aviator shop to buy my annual gallon of ?blue?, I asked if there wasn?t a good ?bug dissolver? I might try. Tony?s response was ?are you using the Wash-Wax-All scrubber?? Well?no, I just use rags ? why spend $4.50 for a scrub pad? Well?.because it?s part of the cleaning SYSTEM! OK, so he shamed me into buying the pad, which is sort of a flesh-colored Scotchbrite ? and I am glad he did!

New system ? spray the leading edge with W-W-A, scrub quickly with the pad (it does NOT scratch the paint), wipe dry with the cloth ? done! Faster than what I have been doing for four years (old habits, old dog ? you know the story?), and a nice finish. I haven?t tried the pad on Plexi yet ? sort of afraid to. But yup ? it?s worth the $4.50 for the pad, even for a frugal guy like me?..I was only using half the W-W-A system ? ?bug season? will be much easier now!

Paul

good to know.

what paint do you have?

Wax Quick Detail Spray

Gee Paul, Based on a slight spike in the number of interesting posts by you, I'd say you're going through a little mental recess on the -3...

I'm with you on getting those bugs off before they're crusty. After each flight, I clean the leading edges and cowl with quick detail spray. I like Lucas Quick Detail (from Advance Auto), and Maguire's Quick Detail is good too. I use a microfiber cloth, and it requires very little elbow grease.

I also clean my precious plexi with Plexus and microfiber. Gotta protect that glorious high-def, big screen window to the world. I was delighted to find a local motorcycle shop that carries the stuff, so no more ordering from online.

hydroguy2 said:

good to know.

what paint do you have?

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Jet Glo

dhall_polo said:

Gee Paul, Based on a slight spike in the number of interesting posts by you, I'd say you're going through a little mental recess on the -3...

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Nah - just got back from a trip, and all these things composed themsleves in my head while cruising along on autopilot.... Took the day off to dump the brain and work on the -3....

Paul

Great stuff ...

Paul,

Have you tried Rejex? ...made by the same folks who make Corrosion-X. It's an easy-to-use polymer that goes on all the leading edges. Applies a lot like Dupont #7 or any gentle cleaner/polish/liquid wax. It makes painted surfaces shed stuff much like Rain-X makes water bead on your windshield. It lets you literally hose off 90% the bugs; the few that remain you just wipe off. Rejex is so good, I now use it on all my cars. On my cars it lasts almost 6 months before I have to reapply. I now have two of my buddies hooked on the stuff.

I might have to give that Rejex a try....auto parts stores?

But... can it be used...

Ironflight said:

I might have to give that Rejex a try....auto parts stores?

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...dry like the Wash-Wax-All?

I find it easier to quickly get the plane in the hangar out of the sun and don't like hosing stuff down inside the hangar...

An old towel?

Have you tried an old towel and water? A little more "anti-bug" action than an old tee shirt but doesn't harm the paint. Especially good on the back side of the prop.

Pete

I just use an old wash and wax all bottle with water in it and spritz the bugs after each flight. Re-hydrates them and then are easy to wipe off with a soft towel. Noth'n fancy

Dri Wash n Guard

I've been having good luck with this:

http://www.waterlesscarwashproducts.com/store.php?crn=205&rn=402&action=show_detail

Like it says, it's agressive at "emulsifying bugs". Cleans well and buffs to a good shine. We're using this over Dupont Chroma One acrylic urethane single-stage paint on our RV-6.

--Paul

Garage Guy said:

I've been having good luck with this:

http://www.waterlesscarwashproducts.com/store.php?crn=205&rn=402&action=show_detail

Like it says, it's agressive at "emulsifying bugs". Cleans well and buffs to a good shine. We're using this over Dupont Chroma One acrylic urethane single-stage paint on our RV-6.

--Paul

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Looks good....but! ON SALE FOR $32.00 A CAN?! I also found a bug remover at Autozone for $10 a can, and rejected that. The two things I like about Wash-Wax-All are that it can be used with no water and a gallon lasts a year - and that's a big deal when you fly almost every day. The bugs here on the Gulf Coast are thick as smoke sometimes - it can be quite a task keepign things cleaned up.

Paul

I'm with Paul

Wash-Wax All, for me, is the best. I apply to the cloth (diaper) and off come the bugs. Spraying directly on the planes uses too much and takes longer to wipe all the liquid off. Leaves a little wax on the plane too which cna't hurt.

Mark

Flying off of a grass strip in Georgia in the summertime usually requires a new weight and balance calculation for the subsequent take-offs due to the bug accumulation. I use Rejex and then they seem to come off quite easily with a wet terry cloth bath towel.

Vic

Paul,

I"ve used that dri wash product for about 15 years on cars and planes, even on plexiglass. I"ve seen it demonstrated on cars that I would only consider washing as they were so dirty - there were no scratches. When I lived in Anchorage I used it on my C-206 plexiglass. It was an outside plane as are most in Alaska and Anchorage can get very dirty. No scratches. It took me awhile to trust it since old habits die hard but I became a believer. I still use it all the time.

Marketing

Ironflight said:

Looks good....but! ON SALE FOR $32.00 A CAN?! I also found a bug remover at Autozone for $10 a can, and rejected that. The two things I like about Wash-Wax-All are that it can be used with no water and a gallon lasts a year - and that's a big deal when you fly almost every day. The bugs here on the Gulf Coast are thick as smoke sometimes - it can be quite a task keepign things cleaned up.

Paul

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Mother's wax has a equal product, FX Spray Wax, for one quarter the price, that is available at most chain auto parts stores. The Dri Wash product is effective, but the price reflects it's connection to a pyramid marketing scheme.

John Clark
RV8 N18U "Sunshine"
KSBA

Another good product is called "The Solution" available at Camping World, Wal-Mart, etc but it is also expensive. I don't know if it is safe on plexiglass.

Does anyone know how FX Spray Wax or WWA works on plexiglass?

The thing I like about the dri-wash is it won't scratch plexiglass no matter how dirty it is - within reason, anyway.

sandpiper said:

Does anyone know how FX Spray Wax or WWA works on plexiglass?
.

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I cautiously tested WWA on plexi, and had no adverse effects - I have been using it on the windshields of my planes now for years without trouble. I am very careful about the rags I use however - nothing dirty (that might have grit) allowed!

Paul

And that's not all!!

vic syracuse said:

Flying off of a grass strip in Georgia in the summertime usually requires a new weight and balance calculation for the subsequent take-offs due to the bug accumulation.

Vic

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Believe it or not, my takeoff distance is hurt dramatically in the Air Tractor as the leading edges accumulate enough insects during full moon periods, to the point that some days I have to shut down for 15 minutes and de-bug them!

NAPA sells Bugs-B-Gone in concentrate if you guys can't find Rejex, and it's also plexi-safe,


Best,

Rupester said:

Paul,

Have you tried Rejex? ...made by the same folks who make Corrosion-X. It's an easy-to-use polymer that goes on all the leading edges. Applies a lot like Dupont #7 or any gentle cleaner/polish/liquid wax. It makes painted surfaces shed stuff much like Rain-X makes water bead on your windshield. It lets you literally hose off 90% the bugs; the few that remain you just wipe off. Rejex is so good, I now use it on all my cars. On my cars it lasts almost 6 months before I have to reapply. I now have two of my buddies hooked on the stuff.

Click to expand...

Ironflight said:

I might have to give that Rejex a try....auto parts stores?

Click to expand...

Never seen it an auto parts store, but most of the pilot websites and many FBOs carry it. It's great for the whole plane (including the canopy), not just the leading edges. I too use it on our cars. Better than any wax I've tried. Give it a try; you'll love it.

Scrubby

Great post!

Hugh

I tried WWA and like it.

After reading this thread, I thought I should try something better
than 'Lemon Pledge' and ordered the Wash-Wax-All starter kit.

The starter kit includes:
16 oz. Wash Wax All-blue
16 oz. Wash Wax All degreaser-red
4 oz. Belly wash
1 scrubber pad
4 Aero towels (microfiber)

Cost:
About $30 + ~10 shipping

As the RV was mostly debugged and washed, I only used the blue
and some red ( on the belly).
Very easy to use and the results so far are great.
I'll use the scrubber pad and belly wash in the future as needed.
Now I need to go out and smash some bugs.

Thanks all for your posts on this subject,
Tom

I'll toss into the mix, what I like.........

Simple Green "Extreme" --- Boeing spec.

This was available at Home Depot for awhile in 32 oz. spray bottles, but it seems that HD has discontinued the product. I got my last two gallons just yesterday from Aircraft Spruce.........which was delivered by "UPS" in perfect condition. Note: there is a recent UPS thread lurking around here..

We spray this on, let it set a bit, and then wipe with a wet rag, followed by another dry rag. Takes the bugs easily off, and dry's to a polished look. We spray the plexiglass with a different cleaner.

L.Adamson --- RV6A

tomwebster said:

After reading this thread, I thought I should try something better
than 'Lemon Pledge' and ordered the Wash-Wax-All starter kit.

The starter kit includes:
16 oz. Wash Wax All-blue
16 oz. Wash Wax All degreaser-red
4 oz. Belly wash
1 scrubber pad
4 Aero towels (microfiber)

Cost:
About $30 + ~10 shipping

As the RV was mostly debugged and washed, I only used the blue
and some red ( on the belly).
Very easy to use and the results so far are great.
I'll use the scrubber pad and belly wash in the future as needed.
Now I need to go out and smash some bugs.

Thanks all for your posts on this subject,
Tom

Click to expand...

How far did that order get you? Just curious... thinking about ordering some.

Wash wax

I purchased two bug pads 11 years ago and I'm still using the same ones.
I use water and a bug pad after every BUG flight and the critters come off with ease. I wax the airframe two to three times per year.