Cleaning old kit ...

[Mark Smith]

Best stuff I've found for cleaning up all computers, is the spray on liquid to remove the glue when you peel off a sticker from something and it leaves the gooey crap behind, also sold for removing chewing gum, tar and other sticky things.

Works a treat in removing 20 years of grime :-)
But doesn't do anything for yellowing, that's beyond help for most machines that have it.

[Blacklord]

Best stuff I've found for cleaning up all computers, is the spray on liquid to remove the glue when you peel off a sticker from something and it leaves the gooey crap behind, also sold for removing chewing gum, tar and other sticky things.

Works a treat in removing 20 years of grime :-)
But doesn't do anything for yellowing, that's beyond help for most machines that have it.

Eucalyptus oil does the job too.

Lance

[nikoniko]

Eucalyptus oil does the job too.

And your Koala Pad will thank you for it.

[Blacklord]

Eucalyptus oil does the job too.

And your Koala Pad will thank you for it.

Ha ha, very bloody funny :ironisk:

[airship]

The folks at WD-40 now make a pen for removing stickers. It's just a tube of WD-40 with a pocket clip and a tough, fibrous tip. It works very, very well.

And the best thing I've found for cleaning up old cases is the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. It falls apart as you use it, which is the crap, but it really, really works. It does a terrific job on computers that have come from a smoker's house. The yellow is just gone. And it will even remove small scratches.

But despite what some people claim, there is NOTHING you can do about sun yellowing. Even the folks on the car restoration forums admit defeat, and they have the most to lose.

However, I have a can of Krylon Fusion spray paint (beige) that I'm thinking about trying on one of my old C64C's that's really bad. If I get the courage up to actually paint it, I'll report back. Fusion is supposed to be the best paint around for plastics. We'll see.

[Guest]

To me, cases are easy to fix when they are yellowed (spray paint), but it's keyboards that are the real tragedy.  I have a very low serial number plus/4 that has very yellowed keys and I also have a Coleco Adam with very yellowed keys.  Both are items that are kinda hard to replace.

[Golan Klinger]

And the best thing I've found for cleaning up old cases is the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. It falls apart as you use it, which is the crap, but it really, really works. It does a terrific job on computers that have come from a smoker's house. The yellow is just gone. And it will even remove small scratches.

That's because it is abrasive (it's like very find sandpaper) and you're actually removing a layer of the case. Use the Magic Eraser carefully and gently or you'll end up ruining your equipment and remember, always rub in the same direction (avoid swirls) so if you do scratch the plastic, it won't look as bad.

[airship]

Amen, Golan. I meant to mention that. It needs a light touch.