I received an email from a Piper Forum member. He asked what make's my Strutwipe superior to a clean cloth of shop paper towel. Here is my reply:
Hi,
Congratulations on lasting twenty plus years in industry! I say that because I was laid off more time than hired ��
You pose an excellent question. What make Strutwipe superior? When the economy tanked in 2003, laid off again, I took a fulltime position with the Air National Guard here in Tucson and went back to school. Years later, I became an engineering research student at the University of Arizona, so I had access to optical spectrometer, humidifiers, calibrated ovens, tensile test equipment, and ect. I went through hundreds of diverse types of cloth and paper material and the current cotton woven wipe I use had the best capillary effect, tensile strength, fluid retention, debris removal, and non-fraying quality. I also tested them on the F-16 when I was at work. This wipe held up the best. My unit is a training unit, so it is very high tempo and the struts usually start to leak around 200 flight hours, a lot of touch and go. My aircraft’s struts went 600 hours before going into phase maintenance for mandatory landing gear change. The testing took two years to complete before I was satisfied with my product.
A paper towel will work but I compare it to using a Snap On wrench over a Craftsman’s wrench. My Strutwipes just work better and are more convenient. BTW, I would get three flights out of one 6X6 Strutwipe.