The original Luscombe annual checklist says to use steel wool to clean the fuselage. Should I?
The first response is absolutely on the money. If your reading something that tells you to do this, throw that book away.
You’ll set up dis-similar metal corrosion, and never get over it! Use a polishing compound, like Mothers and stay away from any abrasive with an oxide in it!
I painted my 44 – 8A several times, why not just do that?
A40: No. Never do this. Maybe Luscombe wanted to sell some replacement fuselages a few years after you would do this. The steel will get imbedded into the Aluminum skins and you will get a lot of corrosion. If you need an abrasive, use scotch brite pads. Also do not use any abrasive made of aluminum oxide (popular in sand papers) as it in effect the seeds of corrosion which it will imbed in your airplane.
