The Cessna 120-140 Association Forum

I recently removed some decals from the underside of my C-140 wings. There is some residual glue from the vinyl decals that I need to clean off. Can anyone recommend a cleaning fluid or some way to remove the residual glue w/o damaging the paint or the fabric. The fabric is poly fibre and the log entry states both wings were covered with Poly-Fibre IAW STC SA1008WE.

Test a spot with WD40 and work it some, give it some time, and clean off oil residue with soap and water.
Polyfiber and polyurethane paint are tough - don't think WD will hurt either. 2c

Goo Gone might be worth a try too. I've never used it on the plane but have had good results on many different surfaces with it.

Tried both WD40 and goo gone. Neither worked very well. Just ordered some Poly Fibre paint cleaning fluid. Thanks.

What kind of adhesive is it? When you say "decal" I think of the water soluble ones we used to use on model airplanes...

One other thing you can try is vegetable oil.

One more FWIW, curious what the decals were for? Try calling "Aerographics" the decal people and ask if they have any suggestions, that's why I ask about the decals, possibly something they suppled . They're good folks, I ordered new "N" numbers from them in the recent past for another aircraft. Also try a bit of lacquer thinner in a test spot, again I don't think it will affect the two coatings I mentioned earlier. Inflation, price went up, 4c. P.S. A dab of 100LL, if you haven't tried already.

...again, being careful with trying a small spot, you might try Wally World carb cleaner. I use it for everything except salad dressing and eyedrops .
Mac

OK, the vinyl decals were installed by the previous owner who was a missionary pilot. They were religious in nature and able to be seen from the ground. In retrospect I should have taken them off twenty years ago. No excuses offered and constructive criticism accepted. The substance that is left after I peeled the vinyl decals off is hardened now. The fabric is still in excellent condition. I will try the Poly Fibre fabric cleaner when it arrives.

I would NOT try carb cleaner or Acetone or other really aggressive chemicals.
If you must, try some on a Q-tip to see what happens, i’d expect carb cleaner to dissolve the paint.

Yeah, I dissolved some slider bushings in the forks of an old Triumph by accident once...