For those with the 80/20 "1010" rail or the Giant Leap "Extreme" rail or a similar 1" x 1" 4-slot rail you might have noticed that it's not the easiest thing in the world to clean.

I usually keep a spray bottle of distilled white vinegar with me to wipe down the rail, but that's not quite enough after a full day's club launch.  It wasn't until after I built a couple of Monty Chaffin's "Reload Cleaning Chambers" (featured in the September 2001 issue of ROCINews) that it dawned on me that the idea could be adapted for rails, and quite inexpensively too.

To start, I purchased a 10' length of 1.5" schedule-40 PVC pipe for $1.97, a 1.5" PVC end cap for $0.47, and a 1.5" test plug for $1.96... a whopping total of $4.40.  (I also bought a can of PVC primer/cleaner and a can of all-purpose solvent/cement which brought the grand total to $7.27.)

First, I cut the pipe down to 73"... 6' for the rail, 1" for the test plug. Then I followed the primer and solvent instructions and installed the cap to one end of the pipe.  Ta-dah!  One rail cleaning chamber ready to go.

To clean, simply place the rail into the tube, fill to the top with that magic solvent - distilled white vinegar, and attach the test plug.  With the rail in the tube it only takes about a half-gallon of vinegar to fill, which costs about $1 or less. Leave it for an hour or so (for example, it can be soaking during the drive home from the launch field) and just wipe it down after removing. It still requires some effort to get to some of the inside nooks and crannies, but at least you're not scrubbing. If there are still some stubborn spots repeat the soaking process.

I wouldn't leave the rail in the vinegar bath for more than an hour at a time, and I'd rinse it well with water when you're done.  I've heard some stories about vinegar eating through the anodization on reloadable motor cases when left overnight, but I cannot confirm that. 

Obviously this idea could be adapted to any of the other rails that are out there (such as BlackSky's "Standard" rail or 80/20's "1515" rail).  Just pick an appropriate tube diameter and length to minimize the amount of vinegar required.