Removing a small stain from my Roadster top

[Colonel Biggs]

Recently, I used some Blaster Garage Door Lubricant on the track above my Roadster (car out of the garage, of course). When I pulled the Roadster back in later in the day, I forgot to place the car cover on the top. Overnight, a few drips made it onto the top surface. Blaster is a silicone-based lubricant. Is there a procedure that I should follow in attempting to remove the stains?

[Tom Wesenberg]

I'm in the same boat. A few months ago I set a quart of oil on my roof, and it fell over. Even though the top was screwed on tight much of the oil leaked out. I'm wondering what to use on it, as the top is canvas?

[C26Pinelake]

I use RagTop cleaner and I am very satisfied! Wayne

[Dollar Bill]

Removing any type of stain from light colored canvas is always dicey. Before getting the stain wet, apply a fine powder, like talcum, flour or cornstarch to absorb the oil. Let it sit for several hours - In the sun if possible. Then brush away the powder and scrub with a soft bristle brush and a good grease fighting soap like Dawn. Obviously, the sooner you treat the stain, the better.

Remember that wood stains (from top bows) may occur if water is left on the fabric too long before drying. The best way to prevent them is speed up the drying time with a heat lamp or hair dryer.

It wouldn't surprise me if after the whole process, you see the original stain but it will diminish with time. I wish you good luck!!

[Ed Saniewski]

Check out this thread http://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showth...t=Ed+Saniewski

[ronn]

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with stains on anything material, Ive learned of 2 ways to treat-carpet cleaner for pets often gets quite a bit out

on the other hand, if something is terribly stained and a light color- sometimes it is best to redye to a darker shade when there is no other choice.

and of course, you can just leave it as is................

[springerpete]

An old timer suggested to me that the stain should be covered with clean, dry saw dust. Change it several times to try and absorb the oil. Then, use warm water, a scrub brush and Ivory soap, nothing stronger.

I had good luck on my tan Model A roadster top. I think the soaking with the saw dust is most important. Good luck.

[coupe1942]

Dawn dishwashing liquid is used to remove oils from birds and animals who have had the unfortunate luck of getting into an oil spill. However, that said, I would personally recommend that you speak to someone who does professional detailing before trying out any of the home remedies.

I used a generic upholstery cleaner on the interior roof liner of my wife's Kia Soul and that small oil spot I had inadvertently left when I grabbed the assist strap and had not noticed that I had a drop of oil on the back of my hand from some earlier work ended up with the material becoming a fuzz ball. It was worse than the oil dot before I sprayed on the upholstery cleaner. Worse, I noticed it every single time I got into her car as if it had grown to the size of a mountain. I wished I had not left that dot of oil on her interior roof liner, but I wished even harder that I had never tried to remove it.

Maybe if I had contacted a pro detailer first, he would have given me some good advise on what to do. My fix it solution sure made it worse.

Good luck on what you decide to do. Hope you have better luck than I.

[C26Pinelake]

Useing cornstarch or baby powder first is a very logical approach, then use RagTop. Wayne

[Colonel Biggs]

Many thanks for the inputs. Having spent too many years in completing a ground-up restoration, I was not too pleased with myself for allowing this stain to occur. I first touched base with a good friend up here in NJ who is in the custom painting/restoration business. He thought that he had two products that would do the trick. Alas, neither worked. So much for the "take it to an expert in the trade," route.

I next contacted my mechanical buddy in Houston, who is the "go to" person for the Greater Houston Model A Club. Like others, I am always leery about experimenting with approaches where the success rate has been reported second or third hand. My Houston contact immediately replied, "Use Shout." "I have used it repeatedly for years without a problem on tops and upholstery."

The approach is to wet the stain with Shout's three-stage stain removal product. Then, using a toothbrush, gently rub the stained area. Next allow the stain remover to sit for about five minutes. Then, blot with a damp white cloth to remove the stain product. There is still a wet spot, but it dries in about 1-2 hours. The first attempt lightened the stain by about one-half. I asked my friend if repeated attempts might lighten the fabric. He merely replied that he has been using the product for years without a problem, and that repeated applications were not a problem. I attempted a second round; the stain appears much less, but it will need another 1-2 hours for the affected area to dry. I'll report back in the am.

[tbirdtbird]

I like the sawdust idea.
Speedy-dry, used to soak up oil and other spills on shops floors, is remarkably absorbent, and can absorb 5 times its weight.
It is actually made from a type of clay. It will do no harm. It is worth a try if the Shout leaves anything behind

Tom, give it a try. Use a fresh batch of course

[eagle]

Take some yellow clay soil and dry it in the oven, let it sit on the oil for days if possible.

[coupe1942]

Zout is what my wife swears by, but Shout is also a good product. We picked up the Zout at a Lowe's store a while back and my wife likes it so much better than Shout, that she bout maybe 6 bottles there of the stuff. She is forever trying to remove oil stains from my t-shirts these days.

Various brands of kitty litter are made from dried clay and may be okay to use. I have some in my garage to remove oil on the floors from the car's as my Model A who seem to need to mark their territory there. I would think that grinding up some of this litter into a powder or almost a dust would probably be more than enough to use on a small spot for removal.

[Dollar Bill]

For posterity: Be careful with diatomaceous earth (oil dry) as it's very abrasive - The particles look like cockle burs under a microscope and may abrade the top fabric if not vacuumed away before scrubbing.

Colonel, please keep us posted on your follow on attempts /success as I'm sure this will happen to someone else in the future.

When /if I get around to replacing my top, I plan to use a car cover for added protection when parked in the garage.

[Tom Wesenberg]

My friend uses GoJo or Goop hand cleaner on his clothing to remove grease stains. Use the hand cleaner WITHOUT pumice. He rubs it in then throws the clothing in the washing machine. It works great, so I'll give it a try. My top is dry rotted and needs to be replaced, so I'm not too worried about the stain.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Hand-Cleaner...EAAOSwHoFXu6qQ

[Colonel Biggs]

After four applications, using the same technique described above, the stains are gone. I can still detect slightly the area where I did the rubbing, but it is so faint as not to be noticeable, except if one is up close.

Zout is not a product that I am familiar with, but I like the enzyme concept. And, since coupe1942 has used both products, it is one that I will try down the road on my next mishap.

Thanks for the inputs, as always.