Earthbound Box Cleaning Tips?

[goob47]

Hey guys, I just picked up a CIB copy of Earthbound off of Craigslist for $160 (which in my opinion is a great deal, even if it was missing two stickers), and on the box, someone wrote their name in Sharpie marker or something... Does anyone know how I might be able to get this off? I'll post some pictures tomorrow, but if any of you know of any good (SAFE) ways to remove this, i'd love to hear about it. :)



~goob47

[Gameguy]

Is the box glossy? You might be able to get it off with isopropyl alcohol, but there's a chance it could remove the ink too. It really depends on how glossy the box is, I've never come across an Earthbound box in person so I'm not sure. I use isopropyl alcohol to take off marker from cart labels and plastic, I've never needed to use it on a box before.

[bb_hood]

Thats tough, Iso Alcohol MIGHT take it off, but it also might not and leech the ink in the box a bit. It depends what kind of marker was used. Ive got a SNES system mini box that I got at a yard sale where someone wrote "WORKING WITH 6 GAMES", and Iso alcohol did nothing to remove the ink. If using alcohol doesnt remove the ink right away stop applying it because it will start to damage the box.

[goob47]

Yeah, I tried Alcohol a while ago, but it just started to remove the original ink... Thanks for your input though! :)

[ACiD]

Please take your time, you got a great deal on a piece of gaming history. I would buy up a box that is near worthless and do some testing on it. Maybe Simple Green would do the trick? Even if it didn't work, it's a great cleaner to have around the house.

[goob47]

I've heard that Disinfectant Spray does the trick sometimes, but I tested it on a box that was just about as glossy, and it really just smeared it instead of got it off. :|

Thanks though, I never thought of Simple Green. :)

[Natty Bumppo]

Light fluid might work - the stuff you use to start charcoal with is milder than the type used for cigarette lighters. You can try a bit on a cotton swab and see if it works without damaging the box - if it does you can switch to a paper towel to make removal go quicker. I would put the fluid on the paper towel rather than the box to avoid having the fluid soak into the box. ( I use lighter fluid a lot to remove residue and writing in on book and laserdisc covers - they tend to be really glossy though so that makes a big difference. )

[ACiD]

If you got the money and want minimize risk of fault, another idea when going for a box that could possibly have the same makeup would be either a Mario Paint Box or a Super Gameboy Box. I'm sure someone here more than likely has an earthbound box and one of the others to say if they feel and look about the same.

Edit: Do let us know if Simple Green or another substance works out for you.

[Daria]

I use mineral spirits with a qtip on permanent marker, usually does the trick. Would do a test first though before applying it to an Earthbound box.

[8-Bit Archeology]

Ask wiggyx if you can. He had a video on bestine vs isopropyl. See if that might help. I still need to order some for my carts since the boonies dont stock crafting items.