Daddio said:
Interesting note from the 1957 Double Wasp CB Maintenance manual:
If necessary, wash the exterior of the engine throroughly with kerosene or cleaning solvent, being careful to keep the cleaning fluid away from the ignition cable assembly. Dry the engine with compressed air.
That's the Military way! and my ol' man was a Powerman in the USAF from '45-'65.
Let me tell you, when I was growing up, I spent MANY an hour "helping" him by washing out engine parts in a pan of gasoline with a paint brush.
In fact, in the 70's, he hooked up a refer pump to a water tank, connected an electronic automatic power shut off and set the pressure to 60 PSI, just so he had some air to blow those parts off with.
I've since "pumped" that tank up to 90 PSI, so I can run my air tools off it.
If you have dry skin, the fuel / solvent will tend to dry it out more, so whenever you take an extended break, wash your hands and apply a little lotion to 'em.
It'll help.
In fact, if you want, there's some stuff on the market that you apply to your hands and don't wipe off.
They keep your skin moist, and you don't get so dirty, cuz once you wash it off, it takes all the dirt and grime with it.
I forget the name, ("Liquid Gloves"? something like that) but I've worked with a lot of guys in the past who loved that stuff.
Elvis