Something like 6 or 7 years ago I finished this Sukhoi model that I designed and scratchbuilt around an ARF Nobler wing. This was long before my now normal process of spraying all dope finishes. This plane is all silkspan covered, including the wing. It was finished from the bare wood with Aero Gloss dope, color is Lustrekote rattle cans, graphics are vinyl, and it is clear-coated with Midwest products "Formula U" polyurethane clear. Not suprisingly however, the clear yellowed pretty badly within the first year. I have used this same process on many of my earlier models and have never had a fuel related issue.

 Yesterday I got the bug to fly the Sukhoi for it's first time in a couple of years. I was taking a break after a few flights when I happened to notice that something looked blistered on the bottom of the cowl. I picked up the plane and discovered that anywhere any fuel or exhaust residue had hit the plane the clear coat was all bubbled, blistered and gooey, and would roll clean off at the slightest touch. This was on the entire bottom of the fuse and wing root areas and with the normal paths flowing out the outboard wing. The good thing is that the now exposed paint and vinyl in these areas is all fine. The other good thing is that the affected white areas are now a nice bright white again, not yellowed from the clear.

 All of this has me wondering, how might I get all of the clearcoat off without harming the rest of the finish or the vinyl so I can potentially go back and clear it with something else? One thought I'm considering is lying a raw fuel soaked rag on the plane for a while to possibly loosen and roll off the clear. I don't know if I dare try that one though.

 Any ideas???

Try the fuel soaked rag trick on the bottom of the plane....its kinda wrecked now anyways.  What the heck, you never know.