ACF-50 (Corrosion Treatment Products Discussion)

[voorheesh]

ACF-50 is a spray on, anti corrosion product that meets a Mil-Spec and is approved for use by several aircraft manufacturers. It is manufactured by Lear Chemical Research Corp. I ran a seach on the forum and did not see that it has been discussed here.

The technique used to apply this to Cessna single engine airplanes is to remove the wing tips and insert a wand through the wings. Using a 40psi pump, ACF-50 is sprayed in the wing structure as a mist. It can be applied elsewhere on the aircraft where corrosion may be found. It is non toxic, does not damage plastic or electric wiring, does not loosen rivits, reportedly lubricates control cables and pulleys. It is claimed to stop surface corrosian in its tracks by displacing moisture and creating a protective coating. I have been quoted a cost of approx $300 to treat the whole airplane by a nearby IA.

I had never heard of this until last week when I met a guy with a 185 who applies it every 2 years. In his plane, it kind of seeps through the laps in the wing skin and appears as a thin oil. One concern I have is that it could attract dirt and dust which might be problematic. I am sure many of you know about this and probably have some experience/opinions. Comments/advice would be appreciated.

[Bruce Fenstermacher]

ACF-50 has been around for maybe 20 years maybe more. It is not new. Everything you said seems to sound about right. It will lubricate anything it touches so it will lube the control cables, it will also lube rivets so if they are loose they will be looser. Yes it will seep out skin seems.

I bought a can at Sun N Fun at least 15 years ago. I use it as a spray lube instead of George's favorite product WD40. As a spray lube it has worked very well. I did use it to lube ailerorn, elevator and rudder hinges on my 170 until it seeped under the paint and removed it. Can't say it would do that to a quality paint job, it did it to mine.

My thoughts are that if I lived in a corrosive environment like the ocean, I'd probably use it or a similer product.

[ghostflyer]

I was going to start a thread on corrosion prevention but as this has kicked on here is my 1 cents worth. Due to the fact I live ON the coast [runway beside the sea] I am always fighting corrosion with all our aircraft. I have used LPS-3 for years [due to local low cost] and found it messy but does a good job but I am now trying ARDROX 30 . Its very different from Lps -3 plus it dries with a "hard colored surface" Smells different also. Horriblely chemical. The only way to stop corrosion is to have it coming out of the seams as this is where corrosion starts. If I have to wipe the waxie residue off the skin during a daily inspection ,I know its doing its job. Has anybody had any experience with this Ardrox 30 ? Trying to repaint a aircraft after some corrosion preventions are a nightmare.

[hilltop170]

If you're going to paint your plane, do it before the ACF-50 and let the paint cure well. I've heard you shouldn't paint the plane for at least two years after the last application of ACF-50. It's good stuff and will seep out of every seam and lap joint it touches.

[n2582d]

Here is Cessna's corrosion control product recommendations from the 100 Series '53-'62 Service Manual:

Corrosion Prevention Products.jpg

[GAHorn]

I used the ACF50 product in the fuselage only of my 206 which had an extremely light area of white surface powder developing (indicating corrosion). It performed as expected, but I sold the airplane 3 years later and cannot comment on any longer period. The airplane likely benefitted as well by lubrication of difficult to reach control/trim cables in the tail.

ACF50 had a competing product known as Corrosion-X, which was rumored to have been formed by a break-away group of employees who complained that ACF50 was secretive about harmful chemicals used in the ACF50 product. They claimed Corrosion-X did not contain these chemicals alleged to be dangerous to handlers of ACF50. "He-said/She-said" claims and counter-claims shot back and forth between the two companies publicly and in court for a few years, but finally calmed down. I believe the two products are essentially similar.

WD40 is not as persistent as these products being discussed and I would not recommend it for anything other than short-term/repetitive use as a corrosion-prevention product,( although back in the early '70s, it was THE product used by the seaplane operators down at Westwego airport (New Orleans) who operated in salt-water serving the petroleum industry. They'd pull those floatplanes out of the water and liberally spray WD40 throughout the fuselage and wings until it ran out the seams.) I think if one wanted to treat corrosion without such long-term seepage, that WD40 might be good, but it's carrier evaporates and would require reapplication more periodically.

In EVERY case, corrosion treatment is not truly permanent. The only way to get rid of corrosion is to replace the corroded parts and start again.

I took the liberty of adding "Corrosion Treatment Products Discussion" to this thread in order to widen the discussion, ...otherwise each product would likely generate it's own thread and lead to difficulty in making comparisions.
A thorough read of this article might help in decision-making, (along with thought about ease-of-application) in making a choice.
The bottom line I got out of it is that LPS-3 is the most commonly-available product which provides nearly the best protection against corrosion, despite the best marketing efforts of ACF50/Boeshield/Corrosion-X etc.

corrosion control products.pdf

[hilltop170]

I agree with everything George said but would like to add my own experience with ACF-50 and CorrosionX indicates they work equally well which is they both are excellent products. I have treated all my planes with one or the other since they came on the market, around 20 years ago. I have seen no corrosion since the treatments. LPS-3 leaves a wax-like residue that I don't like so I don't use it. If you plan on repainting within the next few years, don't use any of them. If you have already repainted, go ahead and treat, it's messy for awhile but worth the extra effort for a few months.

Another benefit is to apply it to the battery terminals and battery cable ends, as well brush coat the inside of the battery box. My C-170 and C-195 both had white flowery growth of corrosion on the battery posts and inside the box when I bought them. It was washed out and neutralized with baking soda solution, dried, and coated with CorrosionX. No corrosion has ever reappeared. I use it on all my batteries: vehicles, motorcycles, planes, and garden tractors. It works the same on all of them. Re-coat once a year.

I would NEVER use ANY Simple Green products on anything I care about protecting. They lied about it being corrosive in the early days and I would never trust anything they claim, ever again. I might wash an anvil with it, but that is about all.