Tyche
Copyright© 2020 by Old Man with a Pen
Chapter 32
Yes. It’s dirty ... really dirty. Greasy, grimy, cosmoline preservative dirty.
It’s air-cooled and the fins on the cylinder jugs were crammed near full of waxy, sticky, icky Czech commercial cosmoline. I hadn’t noticed ... they call it ‘caught up in the moment,’ girl ... and I was.
“Eww!
“What cleans it, mom?”
“Acetone, mineral spirits, or kerosene (but I don’t recommend kerosene). A glass spray bottle with Dawn dish detergent diluted with water. A toothbrush or small paintbrush for cleaning small, hard to reach spots in metal. Q-Tips and cotton swabs also work. A heat gun to “melt” the cosmoline.
“Do it outside. Make sure all the openings are plugged. It looks like the factory put plugs in all the holes ... but ... if it was me ... I’d clean around the plugs and tape them shut ... just making sure.”
“How about a hand pump sprayer ... like for the dandelions?”
“If you’re planning to use mine ... no.”
“Why not kerosene?”
“Paint ... kerosene melts paint and your cylinders are black ... either paint or powder-coat.”
“Ok. I’m off to the hardware store.”
“Bring me back a Dr. Pepper?”
“Ok.”
As I was leaving, the man who brought my engine, said, “I wanna see the airplane ... please.”
So ... I got sidetracked.
“Fuse is over there...” and I pointed to the corner... “wings are hanging from the ceiling.”
He looked up.
“Tail is over there.”
He spun and looked ... he saw the wheels on the way by.
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