Belly cleaning

[0TreeLemur]

49 minutes ago, GeeBee said:

ceramic waxes are the bomb

I've not heard of these "ceramic waxes".  Last weekend we gave our J a belly rub.  Ready to wax.  Can you suggest a good high quality ceramic wax for a first coat on a clean belly?  Is there any downside to use of a ceramic wax- like a long-term residual that is impossible to remove?  Thx.

[Fly Boomer]

15 minutes ago, 0TreeLemur said:

I've not heard of these "ceramic waxes".  Last weekend we gave our J a belly rub.  Ready to wax.  Can you suggest a good high quality ceramic wax for a first coat on a clean belly?  Thx.

I think "ceramic wax" is a marketing term which incorporates the word "ceramic" into an otherwise mundane product formerly called "wax".  A ceramic coating is a different material, and it is applied using a different process.  Typically an entire car takes a couple of ounces.  An airplane maybe two or three times that much?  Long and tedious process to apply, but it may hold up and look good for a year.

[cliffy]

Be as safe as you can ESPECIALLY  as we get older-  HIRE SOMEONE TO DO IT:-)

Sometimes saving $20 is the most expensive way to go. 

[GeeBee]

2 hours ago, 0TreeLemur said:

I've not heard of these "ceramic waxes".  Last weekend we gave our J a belly rub.  Ready to wax.  Can you suggest a good high quality ceramic wax for a first coat on a clean belly?  Is there any downside to use of a ceramic wax- like a long-term residual that is impossible to remove?  Thx.

Ceramic wax refers to the family of SiO2 coatings. Price difference is the amount of active SiO2. I use the advanced graphene for the expensive coating then keep it touched up with the spray on stuff. It is the only "wax" that survives TKS fluid in good shape I might add.

I use Adams polishes sold on Amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=adams+ceramic+coating&crid=3JRVQEK5TVN1Y&sprefix=adams+cer%2Caps%2C117&ref=nb_sb_ss_ts-doa-p_2_9

[WilliamR]

The ceramic waxes have wildly less tolerance to heat that is often seen on the belly of an aircraft due to exhaust gases and breather oil and much less durability than a ceramic coating. This can be seen in a simple test taking a thin application on glass. Let dry for a couple days. Then see which is easier to remove. The wax will much more easily come off. That's why those waxes are so popular; can't f' it up. Mess up ceramic coating, and you're buffing it off and starting over. The pro ceramic coatings only sold to dealers and shops that have gone to training are even more durable. F that up and something more abrasive than buffing is needed to remove.

If you want to reapply every 10 hours and worried about messing things up, then go with the wax. 

The right nose gear door to my plane takes the brunt of exhaust gases. It lost most of its ceramic coating protection in ~75 hours. The belly was ~125 hours.

Note, ceramic coatings only need one coat. The second coat won't adhere to the first due to the now smooth finish.

A good paint correction will make things a lot easier, too. 

No matter what, regular cleaning and protection of the belly is good insurance. Those exhaust gases are really corrosive, sticky, and hard to see on white paint.

William

[Releew]

This is going to be a questionable response but it WORKS.  Go Jo hand cleaner mixed with soft scrub.  This combination deep cleans and polishes better that ANTYHING I have ever seen.  Removes bugs, oxidation and leaves a luster.

 

Rick

[GeeBee]

They make a big deal about "getting it right" and paint correction. Look, my airplane is a 2005 painted in Awlgrip. You're not going to "correct"  an 18 year old polyurethane finish unless you want to buff it down to nothing and take all the luster out of the finish. Leave it alone. It is what it is. Get it squeaky clean then coat it. I had a friend who recently did the leading edges of his Aeronca Champ with Adams Graphene. Not much you can do in "paint correction" there and if you mess too much with it, you'll be recovering it. He is really happy. Does it glow more? Nope, but the bugs come off with a swipe of a damp rag and he is very happy.

I had my boat done by professionals who spent 3 days on it and used Gtechniq. The job on my airplane is shiner and as good as the boat job. Will it last as long? I don't know but it seems pretty durable to me especially when compared to regular waxes when subjected to TKS fluid.