stunthanger.com
General control line discussion => Open Forum => Topic started by: Ara Dedekian on May 16, 2023, 09:04:18 AM
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The suggestion was made on here about cleaning glow plugs in an ultrasonic cleaner. I went back one step and boiled some in a crock pot filled with LA's Totally Awesome cleaner and then ultrasoniced them. These were some really old plugs harvested from even older Fox 35s. Lots of crud came out of the barrel and off the elements. They lit up really nice after cleaning and then tried one on a test stand run; it worked OK.
I've read about the deterioration of the element on here, but is that a surface contamination that can be cleaned off? Is it a breakdown of the metallurgy thats irreversible? One of the plugs below has an oxide layer after cleaning, should the elements always be shiny? I have a 5x-10x scope that shows nothing on the elements after cleaning.
I guess the only objective test for cleaning would be to take a plug off a balky engine, clean it up and fly it again.
Ara
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Ara - I don't know. I'm gonna try oven cleaner, mainly because I don't have an ultrasound cleaner.
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So you take old plugs you thought were a problem in the past and want to clean them and use them in a new plane and engine? Thus risking crashing a new airplane when the plug fails? I know new plugs are expensive but compared to a recked engine or plane still cheap.
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Think when theyre ' frosty ' the plutonium or whatevers run out . Wont ' get a setting ' or hold a run . Can Cut .
ANYWAY , if a olde plug gets a shirty run , and you inspect the element & its ' frosty ' , the things past it , for a Stunt Run .
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Sorry but when a plug starts go south on me, it goes in the trash. Im not risking tons of time and money on a $10 glow plug.