I've been reading about restoring planes using a razor blade to scrape off rust. This number 2 has been staring at me for a while. Today it got the treatment.

I used WD40 for lubricant, followed by maroon and then gray Scotchbrite. This is the first time I have used the technique. I took photos along the way, so I can tell how long it took to do this side of the plane by checking the timestamps. 12 minutes from start to finish.

Before

After

Here is how the process went

Step 1. Put a little WD40 on the side of the plane and scraped with a razor blade for 3 minutes. I stopped when it looked like this. The latter half probably did not achieve much. I think 1.5 minutes would have done as good a job. I stopped when it looked like this.

After mopping off the rust with paper towels

Next after scrubbing with maroon scotchbrite & wd40 for 2 minutes

Then wiped off with paper towels

Scrubbed with gray scotchbrite for 3 minutes

A quick wipe off with paper towels

Then wiped down until the towels came away clean

I'm happy with the results. Will be interesting to see if a razor blade is practical when it comes to cleaning up the inside of the body.