I got some gunk on my paint job that I'm pretty sure MEK would take care of. Is there any danger from using MEK on aircraft paint?

(MEK was used to clean my horizontal before the anti-abrasion boot was glued on. Can't remember if it did anything to the paint though.)

Thanks -DP

try it on some paint on the plane you cannot see easily. If it messes it up you know and others wont see it.

NO.

I'd consider acetone instead. I've been using "purple cleaner" you can get that at carquest and other automotive supply places really good for taking grease off and white lead deposits from exhaust on the belly of the plane. MEK is some strong stuff I think it takes the skin off too

Definitely do NOT use MEK on paint. It will dissolve almost everything.

Used to utilize a hot tank of (old age error) Tri Chlor Ethylene TCE not MEK. Back in the days when we just stuck our arms down in the vapors with an Item on a short hook. Arm would come out bleached white. But clean/

I carry a spray can of diesel "quick start" ether. one of the better quick clean solvents.
Does not effect any paint so far. Makes an instant hand cleaner. I sue it to blow out my oil funnel so it does not slowly ooze into whatever I store the funnel in.

Chris C

EDIT PS: MEK is what is most often used to rub out fabric paint when doing patches and repairing or hiding cracks.

Glider Geek
Just note on the purple cleaner
Used on uncovered aluminum it will soak into the lines around the grain of the metal and weaken it!( I think that was the gist of it anyway)
It is not approved for use on aircraft!
Any way thought I would just toss that out.
You can by the aircraft approved kind that is a different formulation tho!!!

GT

MEK will also make your babies be born naked. Bad stuff all around. Those orange oil based cleaners are sometimes good for non-specific gunk. On the slope we used various insect repellants as general solvents. They are surprisingly effective but don't get them on any plastic. They will for instance destroy a pair of sunglasses.

I use DX330 wax & grease remover.

I used diesel to get gunk off of doped fabric (fuel hose rubs on the leading edge, oily grime). I used Mr. Clean if that didn't work- but got it off as soon as possible with a lot of soapy water. Fast orange and stuff like that was just too aggressive- it might not affect the color too bad if you were quick, but you'd notice the luster changed in bright light. I use Mr. Clean now for the belly, but still take it off really quickly with a lot of water and soap.

MEK and other aromatic solvents are reasonably safe to use if you are a cockroach. The rest of us have to be a bit cautious with it. Significant exposure (occupational) will turn your brain tissue into swiss cheese.

M6RV6 wrote:Glider Geek
Just note on the purple cleaner
Used on uncovered aluminum it will soak into the lines around the grain of the metal and weaken it!( I think that was the gist of it anyway)
It is not approved for use on aircraft!
Any way thought I would just toss that out.
You can by the aircraft approved kind that is a different formulation tho!!!

GT

I think it's got caustic soda in it (sodium hydroxide) ya I know to be careful with it it'll eat the aluminum, I try to only use it on the paint to get the lead residue off. It's pretty hard on the lungs too.

This stuff works great, and it's safe on aluminum

lesuther wrote:MEK and other aromatic solvents are reasonably safe to use if you are a cockroach. The rest of us have to be a bit cautious with it. Significant exposure (occupational) will turn your brain tissue into swiss cheese.

It will, curiously enough, also ruin your sense of smell. There are worse chemicals to be around but none that I know of that are still available at your local big box store.

As far as simple green goes, I've never had any luck with it cleaning petroleum products. It just balls up and smears. I had a guy come and power clean the bilges in my (damn) boat. He used a commercial product that was safe and not solvent based. He got it at some big truck washing outfit. One of our big rig drivers may know what it is. It comes in gallons and fives.

Don't know just how different it is, but,
there is a special AIRCRAFT version of simple green.
Chris C

I've been using Mr. Clean Magic Erasers on my fabric with excellent results on stains.

3M's Sharpshooter is also great for spot cleaning.

Oil based paint thinner is very benign on painted surfaces but dissolves a whole host of gunks from tape glues to tar. Similar to Stoddard solvent that's used in solvent wash tanks. Isopropyl alcohol 99 works good too but can be slightly more aggressive.

was using MEK to remove some old glue from the gasket on my baggage door. some got on the outside of the door by mistake - no more paint there,....

WD40 makes an excellent solvent for petroleum/adhesive gunk. Doesn't hurt paint either.

MEK is not as bad as most people think, it just smells really bad. It will dissolve or damage paint but it evaporates so quickly you need to lay a soaked rag on the surface to do real damage. Used sparingly it can be safe. Just don't pour it into a Styrofoam cup as the cup will literally completely disappear without a trace!

MEK , will not harm the paint. If you rub to hard it will remove the paint. Rub lightly to remove the stain or dirt.
Rince with clean water.Let dry befor repainting or tuch up. MEK is good if used in the right way.

Ken