Best way to clean up smoke fluid spilled on engine shells?

I have never had a major spill, so a tissue and q-tip usually does the trick.  For a major spill I would use a microfiber cloth first.

Pete

use Palmolive dish soap in a paper cup with warm water, dip a medium sized artist brush in it and gently clean off the oil. dry with paper towel.

I take it you had an Ice bucket challenge with your favorite locomotive?

I've used denatured alcohol.

Alcohol attacks many paints, I start with detergent and water, and then I might use Naphtha if that doesn't work.  Test with the Naphtha to see if it affects the paint, but I've found it's a lot less likely to damage the paint than alcohol.

I keep Kleenex handy and immediately wipe off any excess.  I have a steady hand and don't spill putting the fluid in, but, sometimes, if I have to blow down the stack to dislodge an air bubble, some comes out of another stack on diesels.

A little orange degreaser seems to work for me.

Did it attack the paint also?

Thanks guys!  I'll give some of these a whirl.  Never add smoke fluid while underway in dim light.  LOL

I got most of it with a tissue, but she needs a bit more work.  

I get most of it off best I can with a soft cloth or paper towel blotting it up (not scrubbing).  Usually that works well enough, but if there is still some sheen from it, I may try a little Bestine on a rag very gently blotting a small area which will evaporate the rest of it. So far no harm to the paint in anyway and it's been years.

Caveat:  I have only done a very small spot around the stack with good success a few times on a few engines so my experience is limited, but with good results so far.

Bestine is a rubber cement thinner that you can by a can of at an art supply store.  It is very flammable and evaporates quickly almost like acetone (DON'T USE) but doesn't harm plastics or for most painted surfaces so far.

I have switched to putting smoke fluid down the stack to the bottom of the smoke unit with a needle nose applicator (like Lionel recommends) which has eliminated any recent dropper mistakes.

I have found that soft cotton gun cleaning patches soaks up smoke fluid well.

They leave no lint behind and are soft enough not to scratch. Old cotton t-shirts work too.

3M microfiber cloths.

Microfiber cloth if you have it. Dawn dishwashing liquid will clean almost anything without ruining it if there's too much shine left. The other suggestion I'd have for one that can't be washed and is too gooey to wipe off would be small amounts of baking soda or, better yet, cornstarch dusted over the shiny spots. The best way I've found to use it on something small is to pick up a little on a dry brush and dab it on. Leave it a few minutes, dust it off and repeat as needed. It should soak up the oil without causing any problems. If you have any doubt about old, soft paint, cornstarch is even softer and more absorbent than soda. When all that will come off has, try wiping it down with the soft dry cloth again.

soft cloth

Great ideas everyone!  I used a small microfiber cloth and gun cleaning patches to get most of it.  

Will probably try diluted dawn tonight and I have some Bestine on hand if needed.  (Gallons of it!)

Volphin; please don't use my suggestion if what the experts are saying is true.

I've been using baby wipes for years for this reason and hard to remove fingerprint residue followed up with a microfiber rag. Works great everytime.

The shell around the smoke stack on our BiPolar has accumulated a circular stain around it from sputter and I've never been able to clean it off.  Tried all sorts of cleaners, but it remains.

No worries Spence.  

How are you mending up?

Above all, do NOT use alcohol and other solvents to avoid possible paint damage - better to use cotton swabs or a microfiber cloth.

FYI: Johnson and Johnson cotton swabs are 100% cotton and are very absorbant.

Unless you are compulsive about spills and such (these ARE locomotives, after all), just a

soft clean cloth and patience - the stuff just goes away pretty soon - it's a light mineral

oil, and will not affect paints, unlike some of the "solutions".

A friend had a nice, weathered SP Alco RS-11; between small spills and simple use, the

fluid seeped into some of the weathering on the hood around and near the exhaust.

It was gorgeous; exactly what one would see on the hood of a noisy, busy, dirty diesel locomotive. Not a Problem; it was a Feature.