Good Luck with your building
Hey Ray,
We chatted a bit before the end of the year. If you're getting closer to pounding rivets, let me know!
If you just want to clean off grime, laquer thinner works nicely. Unless you're planning on a polished airplane though, I'd follow the previous advice to etch, alodine and prime with a good epoxy based primer. Happy to help with getting started with that if you need it.