Best way to clean Vintage fascia

doublecee

New Member
Hello!

I have a really nice vintage JVC setup in my office that I want to partner with a Teac 3440 in the living area. Its in great condition, but I know that it could do with a clean. I want to know, what is the best method to really get the silver face plates and knobs to shine?

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Oh, and I am using some nice blue festoons for the VU meters on this and the matching tape decks. May post more pics when time allows

Thanks
 
I use a dilute solution of Simple Green (1:30) applied with q-tips or a toothbrush. Be very gentle over the lettering.
 
seconded

I use dilute solution of Simple Green (1:30) applied with q-tips or a toothbrush. Be very gentle over the lettering.

Discovered Simplegreen a couple of years ago. It is great. Needs to be combined with water according to directions.

Pretty blue meters!

Rick
 
didn't see the UK address....

cool.


Er, whats simple green. Its not something I have seen for sale in the UK

Simple Green is a cleaning product for general household chores. I have the "Automotive" version which states is a "Non-toxic, Biodegradable, non-abrasive, non-flammable Cleaner Degreaser".

I'm sure you could find something else to use if it's not available there.

Before I found Simple Green I used a drop of dish detergent, a little alcohol, and a bit of Grease Lightning in a water solution. You can skip the Grease Lightning if it's not available.

Some WD-40 and a cotton ball work well on metal surfaces. Dry the WD-40 off. Don't touch any plastic with it, either or you will hate me. Windex works great for the clear/plastic parts. Don't spray it directly onto the unit. Use a soft rag.

Good luck!

Rick
 

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cool.


Er, whats simple green. Its not something I have seen for sale in the UK

It's a concentrated cleaning product that is non-toxic and biodegradable. I find it at my local hardware store, but I don't know if you can find it in the UK. Here a 2L jug of concentrate runs about $10, and will last forever.

http://www.simplegreen.co.uk/

The where to buy section doesn't list any retailers. You could order it on-line, but maybe someone can chime in with something else that you could find locally.

*Edit, Tapehead beat me to it.
 
For silver face stuff I use one of those "magic erasers" cut into wedges, dampened with Windex, just avoid the lettering, it's mildly abrasive, like rubbing compound. I use windex and a microfiber cloth for bezels etc.

I also use aircraft windshield polish on clear plastic parts, the scratches will disappear.
 
I do what Echowars says... remove face and knobs, wash them in warm soapy water (I use regular old dish soap and an old toothbrush). After that, I use paste style car wax (turtle wax) and get somewhat aggressive with it... I use lots of wax, keep it kinda wet, and rub pretty hard. To get the wax off, I first rinse it and use the toothbrush to get most of it off. Then I let it dry and hand-buff it with an old cotton towel. Echowars posted that he uses a spray on wax, but often there are still fingerprints or cloudy areas after the initial bath. The paste wax (rubbing) clears them up perfectly. I've done this treatment to 6 or 7 pieces, and every one has turned out great. The process usually takes about an hour.

Example:
The knobs and face of this SX-780 were absolutely filthy, but look at it now!
pioneer_sx780_fl.jpg
 
aircraft windshield polish? Where can I get that?
Look in the yellow pages for aircraft maintenance, or call your local airports FBO.

BTW, I see a spec of dust on the lower right hand corner of that faceplate, horrible, absolutely horrible
 
aircraft windshield polish? Where can I get that?
If you don't have an aircraft store nearby, Meguire's, the car wax people, make a three step system -cleaner, polish, wax- that comes in maroon bottles. Use the #2 polish. You might have to go to an auto parts store since most big box discount places don't sell it. I've used it to rescue a pair of plastic lens eyeglasses that the optometrist couldn't clean. Works great on TT dustcovers.
 
I've had great results with Meguiars Scratch-x Scratch and Swirl remover (auto detailing product.)

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Good thread--I was already wondering about this subject.

For silver face stuff I use one of those "magic erasers" cut into wedges, dampened with Windex, just avoid the lettering, it's mildly abrasive, like rubbing compound.

I like this idea because it involves stuff I already have laying around the house :thmbsp:

I am kind of distrustful of Simple Green. I once accidentally destroyed a bathroom mirror using Simple Green to clean it. I think it chemically etched the glass because the mirror developed a haze that never came off. I don't remember the details because it was long ago. I might have been using undiluted concentrate or something.
 
Makes me want to clean my system up!

All those ideas are invigorating! I like the aircraft windshield polish idea the best. A product I've never tried. Aircraft stuff is usually of the highest quality.

I've used automotive polishes and waxes. Nu-Finish works great, too. Comes off very easily. And it works great on automobiles, too :banana:.

I have some Maguires stuff around. Haven't tried it on my audio gear yet, but I'm about to.

I've also used Armorall. Vodka is a good cleaner, too! I guess I've tried almost every household cleaner/degreaser/polish/wax/oil/solvent available. Even mineral spirits!

I don't recommend laquer thinner!

Rick
 
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