In need of help removing residue from Alclad

Modeling Subjects Aircraft
1

I have what appears to be chalky water marks left from the decal process on my Alclad II Polished Aluminum finish. They do not wipe of with a gentle polish from a soft cotton cloth. Is there any way to remove these without having to re-paint?

2

Was Future involved? It doesn’t work on Alclad too well for me. I’d give Windex a shot.

3

Thanks, Bondoman

Fortunately Future was not used. Will windex effect the Alclad finish at all?

4

Windex shouldn’t harm the Alclad, but what you have may be a chemical reaction between the Alclad & the decal setting solution. If that’s the case, the only option is to re-paint. Doesn’t happen often, but I did experience the problem on one of my builds when I rushed into decaling without letting the Alclad fully cure. Now, I wait a minimum of 72 hours before decaling unprotected Alclad.

Regards, Rick

5

I appreciate the info guys. I let the Alclad cure for probably 2 weeks before spraying some auxilary panels and then another 72 hours before decaling. My best guess is it is decal-glue residue and/or spots from the water used.

I’ll give Windex a try tonight…hopefully this is a quick fix. I appreciate your help as always. I was pleased with how the Polished Aluminum came out and from advice of other forum members decided NOT to use Future so as to preserve the nice metal look. Other than a screw up on the wing tank decals (other post) this is turning out surprisingly nice

6

If it’s only residue from the decal adhesive, then a rinse with warm water & a drop of detergent should remove it, since the adhesive is water soluble. May take a light scrubbing if it’s really dried on.

Regards, Rick

7

Mmmmm…I suspect, perhaps, something else Charles. You say it looks chalky. This has happened to me occasionally with Alclad. If I sprayed it a little heavy, it would dry with a chalky look to it. I freaked at first, but found that another light mist coat fixed the blemish. Did you notice this after decaling, or was it there before?

Jerry

8

Jerry,

The effect happens AFTER decaling and it looks like the residue left on your windows after you wash your car. My best guess is that it’s either the glue/water mix from the decals or Micro-Set / Micro-Sol drops.