page 45 - American Bonanza Society

Beech on a Budget
Safe • Legal • Low Cost
By Mike Caban
www.bonanza.org
Wax On, Wax Off:
Low-Cost Cleaning
Products and Tips
Figure 2
With May finally here and the cold wintry weather for many of
us a memory, our Beechcraft airplanes are likely starting to
get the exercise they deserve. For many of us, the beginning
of the prime flying months is the time we also focus on
cleaning up our birds. Even for our members in the Southern Hemisphere,
cleaning and waxing are good things for preparing for the less active flying
months. Whether you’re an old hand at this cleaning ritual or a new
Beechcraft owner, you might appreciate some of my low-cost cleaning and
waxing finds from over eight years of Beechcraft ownership.
Figure 1
Since taking delivery of my fresh ly
painted B55 in 2004, I have always
hand-washed. I use airport water
pressure from a garden hose and a
large cotton towel to loosen dust and
dirt. For drying, I’ve used nothing more
exotic than a genuine leather chamois
cloth (Figure 1), usually available for
under $20 in most auto supply outlets.
The beauty of genuine leather chamois
is that it has no abrasive properties
and high absorption properties. It
has become a favorite for many auto
detailers who pride themselves on not
scratching painted surfaces.
I’ve avoided the expensive pressure
washers, exotic soap systems,
blade brushes, and water spot eliminator
systems; and I have always
been happy with the cleaning results
of water, chamois, and good old
fashioned elbow grease. In my mind,
it doesn’t get any more “natural” than
that, with a green bonus of no soap
chemistry going into the water treatment
system.
When it comes to waxing, I’ll try to
get two wax events in each year (but
at least one). I won’t deny that waxing
the airplane is a major undertaking
in the application of time and elbow
grease. For me it involves about two
four-hour sessions to completely apply
the wax and buff it off by hand. Large,
old cotton bath towels are once
again your friends. The wax products
I’ve found easiest to apply and
buff, while providing a long lasting
beading surface and smooth-as-glass
surface, are Marine-grade liquids from
3M and West Marine (Figure 2), a
quart of which is in the $20 range.
These newly formulated waxes tout
“nano” particle size technology that
seals the surface and leaves a protective,
smooth, high-gloss finish. Since
air is a fluid, it will flow more effortlessly
over your airframe – and we all
know what that means.
Another wax/polishing product that
comes highly recommended is Protect
All, an easy to apply spray liquid.
It’s reportedly available in 14-ounce
bottles for about $10 at Wal-Mart. Still
yet another great value in a wax is Nu
Finish (Figure 3), which applies and
buffs off easily, and available for about
$9 for 16 ounces.
For those of us with less than Herculean
arm endurance, mechanical
help can be found in the form of
a Cyclo orbi tal polisher (Figure 4).
Figure 3
Figure 4
28 AMERICAN BONANZA SOCIETY MAY 2013