How do you clean / take care of your 1010 rails after a launch?

[gdjsky01]

All that gunk can really foul up the rail guides slidin' on down...
So other than scotchbright which is 'okay' how do y'all clean them rails with all that skidmark and metalstorm gunk?

 

[Voyager1]

Thankfully, I don't use sparkies, so I don't get all that erosion on my rails.

However, you'd probably need a good clean with paper towel and vinegar, then fine steel wool and WD40, or perhaps the other way around - preferably right after the launch. I'm sure others with more experience with sparkies will have their own preferred methods.

 

[teepot]

I'm not sure what the club does. But I'm thinking grill cleaner, then wipe that off or hose it off, then spray with WD40.

 

[cls]

Yeah, skidmark and metalstorm are the worst, blackjack not far behind...

Ask the fliers to give a wipe or 2. Once a year, deep acid bath and rinse.

I found a place nearby that sells 30% vinegar, wow that's mean stuff!

 

[rocket_troy]

For those that don't mind dealing with pretty serious chems and are in oz; there's this stuff:

https://www.nvchemicals.com.au/product/automobile-chemicals/alum-bright/

It's freak'n amazing at cleaning launch rails even with decades of caked-on rocket skidmark. Gotta love hydrofluoric acid

Always wear suitable eye & hand protection.

TP

 

[rcktnut]

I set on 2- 5 gal pails spray vinegar on all sides wait 15 min. or so and then use a Scotch brite. I cut a small piece of Scotch brite so that it firmly fills the channel up and use a Kooler stick to push the piece thru the channels. Then hose down good. They look pretty much new yet after 20+ years of use.

 

[cwbullet]

We use Aluma Brite. You want to wear old clothes and gloves with it.

 

[JimByrne]

I wipe all our rods & rails with bore cleaner (for muzzle loaders) then with them with silicone spray,
also use scotch brite when needed

 

[CaptHaywire]

Fill a PVC pipe with vinegar and drop the rail in. Let it set overnight and then use Scotch-Brite as necessary.

 

[Handeman]

Our club is very lucky. The landowner let us put a sea-container on the property for storage and we leave the pads out in the field the whole 6-7 months of the season.
Because of that, the club only cleans our rails once a year with Scotch-Brite pads and WD-40 before the season, during our maintenance day. The rails get put into the sea-container at the end of the season, but the pads sit outside during the off season. We finally replaced the rails after 11 years because the anodizing was starting to get bad in places from exhaust and years of Scotch-Brite pads. The 1010 & 1515 pieces the pads are made out of are dirty, but still in good shape after 12 years. I don't think they have ever been cleaned other than the rain washing them, off so their anodizing is still very good.

There are a few folks that will clean a rail once in a while during the season. Usually with the Scotch-Brite pads and WD-40. We haven't found that dirty rails have any detrimental affect on flights or the rails themselves since only the edges of the slot contact the rail buttons and the slots stay pretty clean with use. They may not look so good, but they work just as well dirty at the end of the season as they did clean at the start.

 

[Wayco]

I fly a lot of sparky motors, but seldom clean my rails. About the only negative effect is wear on the rail buttons. I think it's easier to replace rail buttons than it is to clean rails.

 

[jd2cylman]

I fly a lot of sparky motors, but seldom clean my rails. About the only negative effect is wear on the rail buttons. I think it's easier to replace rail buttons than it is to clean rails.

We (QCRC) as a club decided that the rails are a consumable item and started a plan to replace 10 a year. Mostly because it's really hard to get enough help to clean them.

 

[rocket_troy]

We use Aluma Brite. You want to wear old clothes and gloves with it.

Yeah, looking at the MSDS, that'll definitely do the job. Probably no scotch brite necessary I'd imagine.

Eye protection would also be a good idea.

TP

 

[David Schwantz]

I use aluminum Brightener. Different from above. But maybe close, mine is clear. Spray it on, let sit a minute and pressure wash it off. They look new afterwards. I use the stuff on all the aluminum on the truck.