What's the best you've used on bugs?

OCDetails

OCDetails

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I picked up a new client that I'm really excited about. It's an aviation client and part of the contract is regular maintenance on the crap every plane picks up every time it flies. Once or twice a week I'll go out there and just wipe down the landing gears and clean up the spray under the belly and wings. It's a pretty easy job most of the time and doesn't take up more than two hours a week. However, winter is the easiest time for planes. Summer is when they get really mucked up. Bugs are the worst part of the job.

20150926_103151.jpg


That is a fairly typical example of what landing through a cloud of bugs can give you. Sometimes it is worse and sometimes not so much, but if you don't get them off fast then it is always worse. My other jet client is really good at keeping on top of that after each landing, so I don't generally have to deal with theirs too often. When they know a full detail is coming up then they let the bugs pile on for a few days since I'll be cleaning it all anyway. It's sort of the automotive equivalent of someone taking their dog to get groomed and picking up the soccer team after a game of muddy play because they know you are detailing the car this weekend anyway. lol

Airplanes like the Cessna CJ3 I do a couple times a year and the Challenger 300 I sort of quick detail a couple times a week are painted with something much different than automotive paint. I don't know what it is, but it is a lot different. It doesn't swirl or scratch without really putting some effort into creating them. To be honest, one of the most effective methods I've used at getting the bugs off is just soaking them with Tuff Stuff and then 'sanding' them off with a Bug Block. The CJ3 is a bit smaller than the Challenger is, so I'm not sure if that method is the best anymore. I've tried various bug removers off the shelf, but none have done anywhere near as good as Tuff Stuff. Just using an all purpose degreaser like Simple Green or Purple Power works too, but I'm just curious if you have found anything that works better. I haven't found any aviation detailing forums to pose the question to, but I know someone here will know. :)

Has anybody used DP Road Kill Bug Remover? How do you think it would work on bugs splattered on a wing at 500 miles per hour? That's really the tricky part. The bugs are splattered so thoroughly that it is almost just a shell of bug guts coating the whole underside of the wing and belly.

Thanks for any advice!
 
OCDetails said:
Airplanes like the Cessna CJ3 I do a couple times a year and the Challenger 300 I sort of quick detail a couple times a week are painted with something much different than automotive paint. I don't know what it is, but it is a lot different. It doesn't swirl or scratch without really putting some effort into creating them.
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Oh come on man, it's "Imron", a two-part polyurethane.

If it was me, I'd try some Optimum Power Clean in a foaming sprayer; for some things it just works way better than some other products...not sure if bugs is one of them.
 
I've tried DP and liked it but I've had the best luck with Poorboys Bug Squash. Just spray it on and let it set and the bugs will start to run off. I guess the 500 MPH bugs may be a little tougher, never actually tried that. Let us know how it works.
 
Setec Astronomy said:
Oh come on man, it's "Imron", a two-part polyurethane.
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It could be Imron assuming they are using DuPont's version of high solids paint. I don't know what brand it is, but I do know the stuff is tough as nail. Way more resin than automotive paint, that's for sure.
 
OCDetails said:
It could be Imron assuming they are using DuPont's version of high solids paint. I don't know what brand it is, but I do know the stuff is tough as nail. Way more resin than automotive paint, that's for sure.
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Yeah, that's why I put it in quotes, do they even still make Imron? That goes back 40 years or more, but I think it was the first paint of that type, superseding the existing epoxy paints in resistance and durability.

At any rate, there's any number of brands/types of polyurethane paints that would be on those aircraft, but I'm pretty sure that's what it would be. Anyway, as you know, airplane paint is a lot tougher than car paint.
 
OCDetails said:
I picked up a new client that I'm really excited about. It's an aviation client and part of the contract is regular maintenance on the crap every plane picks up every time it flies. Once or twice a week I'll go out there and just wipe down the landing gears and clean up the spray under the belly and wings. It's a pretty easy job most of the time and doesn't take up more than two hours a week. However, winter is the easiest time for planes. Summer is when they get really mucked up. Bugs are the worst part of the job.

20150926_103151.jpg


That is a fairly typical example of what landing through a cloud of bugs can give you. Sometimes it is worse and sometimes not so much, but if you don't get them off fast then it is always worse. My other jet client is really good at keeping on top of that after each landing, so I don't generally have to deal with theirs too often. When they know a full detail is coming up then they let the bugs pile on for a few days since I'll be cleaning it all anyway. It's sort of the automotive equivalent of someone taking their dog to get groomed and picking up the soccer team after a game of muddy play because they know you are detailing the car this weekend anyway. lol

Airplanes like the Cessna CJ3 I do a couple times a year and the Challenger 300 I sort of quick detail a couple times a week are painted with something much different than automotive paint. I don't know what it is, but it is a lot different. It doesn't swirl or scratch without really putting some effort into creating them. To be honest, one of the most effective methods I've used at getting the bugs off is just soaking them with Tuff Stuff and then 'sanding' them off with a Bug Block. The CJ3 is a bit smaller than the Challenger is, so I'm not sure if that method is the best anymore. I've tried various bug removers off the shelf, but none have done anywhere near as good as Tuff Stuff. Just using an all purpose degreaser like Simple Green or Purple Power works too, but I'm just curious if you have found anything that works better. I haven't found any aviation detailing forums to pose the question to, but I know someone here will know. :)

Has anybody used DP Road Kill Bug Remover? How do you think it would work on bugs splattered on a wing at 500 miles per hour? That's really the tricky part. The bugs are splattered so thoroughly that it is almost just a shell of bug guts coating the whole underside of the wing and belly.

Thanks for any advice!
Click to expand...
That position under the plane is murderous,horrible big time strenuous.make sure your towels don't get oil on them if they do throw them out don't put them in your washing machine .white cheap terry cloths work well under the plane and if you blow through 20 of them no big deal.
 
You may want to consider something that's dilutable and use something like the kwazar Orion sprayer.

I don't know that I have a good recommendation for aircraft paint as I've never had to deal with it. Perhaps a 'truck wash' type product would work well, I have to imagine they are designed to deal with large amounts of baked on bugs




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
OCDetails said:
I picked up a new client that I'm really excited about. It's an aviation client and part of the contract is regular maintenance on the crap every plane picks up every time it flies. Once or twice a week I'll go out there and just wipe down the landing gears and clean up the spray under the belly and wings. It's a pretty easy job most of the time and doesn't take up more than two hours a week. However, winter is the easiest time for planes. Summer is when they get really mucked up. Bugs are the worst part of the job.

20150926_103151.jpg


That is a fairly typical example of what landing through a cloud of bugs can give you. Sometimes it is worse and sometimes not so much, but if you don't get them off fast then it is always worse. My other jet client is really good at keeping on top of that after each landing, so I don't generally have to deal with theirs too often. When they know a full detail is coming up then they let the bugs pile on for a few days since I'll be cleaning it all anyway. It's sort of the automotive equivalent of someone taking their dog to get groomed and picking up the soccer team after a game of muddy play because they know you are detailing the car this weekend anyway. lol

Airplanes like the Cessna CJ3 I do a couple times a year and the Challenger 300 I sort of quick detail a couple times a week are painted with something much different than automotive paint. I don't know what it is, but it is a lot different. It doesn't swirl or scratch without really putting some effort into creating them. To be honest, one of the most effective methods I've used at getting the bugs off is just soaking them with Tuff Stuff and then 'sanding' them off with a Bug Block. The CJ3 is a bit smaller than the Challenger is, so I'm not sure if that method is the best anymore. I've tried various bug removers off the shelf, but none have done anywhere near as good as Tuff Stuff. Just using an all purpose degreaser like Simple Green or Purple Power works too, but I'm just curious if you have found anything that works better. I haven't found any aviation detailing forums to pose the question to, but I know someone here will know. :)

Has anybody used DP Road Kill Bug Remover? How do you think it would work on bugs splattered on a wing at 500 miles per hour? That's really the tricky part. The bugs are splattered so thoroughly that it is almost just a shell of bug guts coating the whole underside of the wing and belly.

Thanks for any advice!
Click to expand...
I'm feeling your pain right now,ditch that microfiber to much drag,use terry towels .
 
for those of you using bug squash, are you using it straight or diluted?
 
VISITOR said:
for those of you using bug squash, are you using it straight or diluted?
Click to expand...


Straight up. Spray it on and let it sit for a few minutes.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
I did jets for a couple of years as my regular job at the airport. Some planes may have Imron but the majority do not in my experience (planes get re-sprays too, that would be so costly to spray Imron most owners do not spring for it). Planes get dirty in the summer, really dirty- bugs,hydraulic fluid leaks, rubber streaking. The bug remover the previous poster recommended and an electric pressure washer works great for non-sensitive areas. Just remember to tape over those static ports and REMOVE the tape when you're done.
 
Another happy Bug Squash user here. I actually dilute it per the directions on the bottle.

Used in combination with the DP bug scrubber sponge I've never had any issues with even some of the worst bug messes.
 
The nose of my Vette is a bug magnet. What I find important is before every drive I spray FK425 on the nose and wipe it off, providing an uber slick surface so the bugs do not immediately bond. Then right when I finish the drive, I spray it down liberally with 50/50 distilled water and Griots car wash, let it soak for a couple minutes, then carefully wipe away the bugs. Afterwards I follow with a spray wax. No problems so far, been doing that since 2010.
 
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