What is the white corrosion on MPC engine trucks? Can it be cleaned?

[Anonymous]

What is the white stuff on the side of engine trucks ond wheels? I see a lot of this on MPC and Fundimension engines. Can it be cleaned or wiped off? How do you get rid of it?

Thanks for any help!

[csxt30]

prriscool to the forum !! We have others here from your Pittsburgh area also !! Not sure what you have on your trucks there, but someone will come along & help you soon. Just wanted to tell you our UPS men always deliver good here. It was a Fed-x man once that came & just dropped a boat we had ordered on the ground ! I was watching out the window & it was marked fragile . He didn't care . Thought that was neat in your signature below !!

Thanks, John   

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the welcome.

The rear truck on the front engine in the photo shows what I am talking about. I see a lot of engines that have this and was wondering if it cleans off.

[kpolak]

I have this stuff on one of my scout tender trucks too.  I can't clean it with the normal dish soap/tooth brush.

Thanks for the post.

Kurt

[Anonymous]

prriscool and kpolak,

                             Try heating the affected areas with a hair dryer and white residue should wipe off.  That residue is common on PW scout trucks as well as some MPC pieces.

[chuck]

Are these plastic trucks?  If so, the white material is a result of the plasticiser bleeding out of the material.  Heat from a hair dryer will soften it and allow you to wipe it off with a rag.

[Anonymous]

They are not plastic trucks. Most of the engines I see this on have one nice set of trucks and the other truck looks like this.

Thanks for the tips!

[chuck]

Is the diecast metal being attacked or is this just the paint not adhearing to the diecast metal.  The Zinc alloy used in truck side casts and steam engine boilers is supposed to be free of lead.  A bad alloy with a high lead content can begin to disintegrate/crumble over time.  If the diecast metal was not prepped properly before painting, the paint may be coming off.

[Chris F]

I've seen white deposits on Postwar trucks, but can't recall any on my MPC stuff.  Interesting that it seems to form only on the rear trucks - they're the motor trucks.

Anyway, I put a drop or two of light oil on the sideframes and buff them with my Dremel bristle brush (NOT wire brush).  If you don't have a Dremel tool, try an old toothbrush.

[1688torpedo]

 Hello All!    Just spray some WD-40 on the affected areas & this should clean off with no trouble. Just keep the WD-40 off any paint or decals on the engine. Take Care.

[kpolak]

Thanks for the tip on the hair drier!  I have the Plastic Scout Trucks.

The gentle heat seems to make the white substance liquid.  I found that the white substance needs to re-solidify and be removed with a fingernail, and dry tooth brush to get all of it, espicially around the details of the trucks.  Heating it definately helps the removal process.

Repeating the process will insure that you get all the junk off.

Kurt