Removing tiny pine tree stains from the roof of a BF

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Dallas Baillio
Posts: 1181
Joined: Sun Jul 02, 2006 10:52 pm

Removing tiny pine tree stains from the roof of a BF

Post by Dallas Baillio »

Here is a first for me. I have to park our BF outside below many southern slash pine trees. I've had tree sap on the top and have removed it with gasoline, the only thing that seemed to work. Over the past several months I was hospitalized for by-pass surgery and recovery. During this time very tiny droplets of brown pine tar accumulated on the top of our BF in small bumps. There must be thousands of them. I've tried all the removal methods I can think of -- bug and tar remover, Mother's Clay used to remove abrasions from auto paint, paint thinner, gasoline, Comet cleanser, 409, even baking soda. Nothing has worked. The solvents seem to cut the "bump," but did not remove the stain. I expect I'll have to use an abrasive cleaner with a buffer, but thought I would ask for suggestions. I don't own a buffer and am hesitant to buy one unless I know for sure it will sove my problem.
Dallas Baillio
2001 26RSB
Born Free Leap'n Lions RV Club Member
Tonyg

Post by Tonyg »

Don't know if this will work but I have used wet fabric softener pads (bounce) with success on bugs and also on some types of sap. Did not appear to harm the finish.

Tony
Randy Wilson

Post by Randy Wilson »

It may take a mild rubbing compound to remove the stain if it's in the surface of the fiberglass, but for removing pine tree drippings, I use turpentine. It's the natural solvent for pine sap.
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Dallas Baillio
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Joined: Sun Jul 02, 2006 10:52 pm

Post by Dallas Baillio »

An update: I tried turpentine - no luck. I tried, on the off chance they might work, dryer sheets -- no luck here either. I appeal to anyone reading this post to respond with more suggestions! The stains are slightly larger than the head of a pin, brown and raised above the surface of the roof. They have to be from a pine tree, but are not the yellowish sap that can be removed with a solvent. As I said in my previous post there are thousands of them, literally.
Dallas Baillio
2001 26RSB
Born Free Leap'n Lions RV Club Member
jobrien

Post by jobrien »

Last fall I had parked under some trees in a campground in the NJ Pine Barrens and it had rained.

A few days later the BF roof was covered with brown spots. I don't think they were raised like you are saying, but looked like large coffee or tea stains. They were all over the roof.

I admit I had never waxed or treated the roof before. I did wash it.

Washing did not remove the spots, even with a brush.

I went to a local boating store and bought some Meguires #44 Color Restorer (mild cleanre) and #50 One Step Cleaner wax. I tried that combination, and had some success, but it invoved a lot of hard rubbing.

I went back and bought Mequires #67 One Step Compound (aggressive cleaner and polish). This worked very well on the rest of the roof. Although probably not necessary I followed the cleaning with an application of the #50 cleaner wax just for added protection.

I continued on and used the #44 color restorer and then the wax on the rest of the motorhome.

It has been sitting out in my driveway all winter and the roof still has a shine to it, and no spots. One of my house windows looks directly over the motorhome so I can see the roof easily.

I will probably do it again in the spring. It will be easier to do it while it is clean, rather than have to scrub it again.

These Mequire products are all labeled "Marine-RV" and I'm not sure if they are different than the automotive grade.

Hope this helps and good luck.

John
Steve W
Posts: 147
Joined: Thu Sep 01, 2005 1:00 pm

Pine Sap

Post by Steve W »

Dallas. Two suggestions. One, call Kim at BF; perhaps he or Bret in the Service Dept might have an answer. Two, take it to a vehicle body repair shop that knows fiberglas and see what they say. I have used a compound that has worked on tree droppings accumulated while on the road, but have used it as soon as we got home. I don't know if it will work in your case. Anyway, it is Perfect-It II Rubbing Compound by 3M, which comes in either Fine Cut or Medium Cut. When I have used it on the BF, I have used it sparingly and gently so as not to mar the finish.
Wish you luck :)
Steve & Sue Wolfe / Born Free 24RB / toad
George Boley
Posts: 89
Joined: Wed Apr 11, 2007 1:52 pm

Post by George Boley »

Dallas,
At least with New Hampshire pine tree sap this worked great for me over many years. DENATURED ALCOHOL found in a paint store. Colman fuel will do the same thing. Wet a rag and rub the sap, soon it will soften and disappear. George B
George Boley
Knowledge will never be lost, provided it is shared
kent0826

Post by kent0826 »

Dallas,

When you mentioned that the spots appeared to be 'raised' it reminded me of a similar situation I discovered on the top of my car - tiny brown spots. They were very difficult to clean. I later discoved that they were caused from 'artillary fungus'. They form in mulch and 'explode' in Aug/Sep. The spots are often found on the lower portions of houses but cars and anything near the mulch. I believe wind can carry the spores as well. A quick search of cleaning methods revealed little success. Don't know if this is the cause but you may search further in this area related to a good cleaning method.

--Kent
kent0826

Post by kent0826 »

Dallas,

When you mentioned that the spots appeared to be 'raised' it reminded me of a similar situation I discovered on the top of my car - tiny brown spots. They were very difficult to clean. I later discoved that they were caused from 'artillary fungus'. They form in mulch and 'explode' in Aug/Sep. The spots are often found on the lower portions of houses but cars and anything near the mulch. I believe wind can carry the spores as well. A quick search of cleaning methods revealed little success. Don't know if this is the cause but you may search further in this area related to a good cleaning method.

--Kent
kent0826

Post by kent0826 »

Sorry for the duplicate entry.

Did some google searches on removing spots from 'artillery fungus'. Here's some reponses. Hope

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...was doing searches for "fly poop on siding" and came up with this artillery fungus. I don't know if it's what I have but I do have spots on my siding that I tried rubbing off with a kitchen sponge scrubber, a little dish soap and water with very little luck. Well, I was outside trying to clean the vomit smell out of my daughter's upholstered car seat (don't ask) with baking soda and white vinegar. I had vinegar and baking soda all over my hands and glanced up to see more "spots" so I just walked over and started rubbing them with my finger and to my delight and surprise they came right off!! When I get some time, a ladder and a break in the temperature, I'm going to do the rest! I'd be curious to know if it works for you.

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...my dad has shotgun fungus on his front porch pillars and trim, and he uses a product called Super Clean by Castrol (available at auto parts stores).

It works well, but it WILL REQUIRE elbow grease. It's the only thing that we've found that works on this fungus. The fungus looks like little bits of tar, and is about as easy to remove as tar, but with the super clean, it can be done.

-----

The spots are most likely "artillery fungus," also known as "shotgun fungus," so-called because of its ability to leap up to 20 ft. It's a wood-decay fungus that lives on moist landscape mulch and is especially common in the Eastern states, including Pennsylvania. The fungus is sensitive to light, so it's often found on white and light-colored surfaces, including siding and cars.

The fungus won’t hurt your aluminum siding, nor will it degrade wood siding. The problem is wholly cosmetic. The bad news is the fungus is nearly impossible to remove and can leave a stain. If you own a pressure washer, try that first. Then try a cleaner specially formulated for removing mold and mildew, such as Soft Scrub (available in a 36-oz. bottle for $4.99 at Home Depot). Or make your own cleaner by mixing a solution of 30 percent vinegar and 70 percent water. Another home remedy is to mix 1/3 cup of powdered laundry detergent (such as Tide or Fab), 2/3 cup of powdered household cleaner (non-ammonia, such as Spic & Span or Soilax), 1 quart of liquid bleach and 1 gallon of water.

Test any solution in a small, inconspicuous area to make sure it doesn’t discolor the siding. Apply the cleaner with a soft bristle brush, and rinse well. Start at the bottom and work up to avoid streaks. Be aware that these cleaners may not entirely remove the black spots. When it comes to prevention, we don’t know of any chemical treatment to stop the problem. If you spot the fungus, bag up all of the mulch around the house and take it to a landfill. Then put down a layer of black plastic and cover it with stones.

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Corn oil will work to loosen the spores from car finishes. It can be applied using a soft nylon pad, like the "Dobie" Brand (but avoid such pads that will scratch the surface, e.g., Scrunge Pad). Wash it off immediately with soap and hose water after removing the spores. It takes a bit of rubbing, but it will loosen. Do not apply in direct sun as the oil will cook to the surface, especially on hot summer days. Remove the corn oil immediately lest it cake to the car finish. By no means, let it sit overnight. I recommend one polishes their car thereafter to restore an even finish and remove any residual oil.
The spots are on cars. My husband spent over 2 hours this past weekend picking the spots off of my car. What a mess!!
I run an automotive website and have had personal experience with Artillery Fungus. I did a quick writeup on my blog to let people know what I have done to remove these pesky spores, thought it might be of interest to you. Go to my blog here
I have it and had my daughter's car covered in it. I took it to a local detail shop and they used white vinegar to remove it from the car.
Car wax worked in the removal from my car (safely) with a little elbow grease.
On my new truck, I used 'Turtle Wax Spray Bug & Tar and Tree Sap Remover'. I sprayed it on the spots (in small sections) and let it soak in for a few seconds. I then rubbed the spots with pieces of an old soft towel, occasionally using my finger nail thru the towel. In about 4 hours I got all of the spots off, probably because the spots were 2 days old or less.

-----

--Kent
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Mel Wilbur
Posts: 617
Joined: Thu Aug 11, 2005 2:39 pm

Post by Mel Wilbur »

Just a reminder on duplicate posts. The originator of the post can remove a duplicate by clicking on the box in the upper right corner of that post. You can then choose to edit or delete that post.
Mel & Connie
kent0826

Post by kent0826 »

Mel,

Thanks for the reminder. I clicked on edit/delete but couldn't see how to delete it.

--Kent
kent0826

Post by kent0826 »

Mel,

Dismiss that last post. I saw the 'X' button on my last post but not on the duplicate one. Assume that's because there was a reply since I posted last.

Sorry for the house-keeping stuff. I hope to be a contributor when we finally purchase a bornfree.

--Kent
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Dallas Baillio
Posts: 1181
Joined: Sun Jul 02, 2006 10:52 pm

Post by Dallas Baillio »

Well, from looking at photos of "Artillery Fungus" on several web sites it appears that is what I have on the top of my BF. They are about the size of a pin head, brown and raised. I am a loss to say where they could have come from, as I do not have any mulch around my home, but the guy next door does have a wood pile exposed to the elements just 15 feet or so away from where I park my BF. What is most interesting is that they are only on horizontal surfaces, the top, back bumper, hood, etc. Seems like some should have stuck to the sides. Sam, I have not tried Kerosene thinking that if gasoline, paint thinner and turpentine did not work Kerosene would not either. Isn't it a solvent of similar chemical structure? I thank you for the suggestion and will get around to trying it I am sure as I am working my way through every possibility. Thanks to "kent0826" for all his help. I have a cleaner that is used to clean glass top electric ranges that I will try next. I'll also try the baking soda and vinegar. Just hope I don't combine two products and either blow up or gas myself!
Dallas Baillio
2001 26RSB
Born Free Leap'n Lions RV Club Member
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Dallas Baillio
Posts: 1181
Joined: Sun Jul 02, 2006 10:52 pm

Post by Dallas Baillio »

Another update on the tiny pinhead size stains on top of my BF. I tried muriatic acid today. Sort of desperate I guess. First used a mixture of half acid and half water and got poor results. Then tried full strength. Put on rubber gloves and poured the acid in an old 409 spray bottle. I learned through trial and error to let it sit a couple of minutes to penetrate the stain. Then wiped the residue off with an old towel. It worked very well. A couple of times I reapplied the acid a second time to the more heavily stained areas. Usually sprayed a couple of square feet at a time. You do need to be careful to protect yourself. It is best to apply in a breeze and stay upwind of the application. Otherwise the fumes can be harmful. I had no breeze and got a noseful several times. Hope to have my sense of smell back in a couple of weeks!
Dallas Baillio
2001 26RSB
Born Free Leap'n Lions RV Club Member
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