How to remove scuffs on consoles and carts

[Mr.Faxanadu]

Does anyone know how to remove scuffs on consoles and carts ??? I’ve heard of people using steel wool but I’m reluctant to try it. I have a couple of NES carts that I want to fix up....

Thanks

Mr.Faxanadu :)

[Duncan]

Does anyone know how to remove scuffs on consoles and carts ??? I’ve heard of people using steel wool but I’m reluctant to try it. I have a couple of NES carts that I want to fix up....

I would be reluctant too -- it depends on the plastic and the scuff in question.

I'd try something more gentle first. White erasers work well for many marks, in addition to their premier role as contact cleaners for cartridges. A non-metallic SOS or Scotch-Brite pad might work on tougher ones.

An actual scratch, of course, is tougher to deal with. What kind of damage are you looking at?

[Ed Oscuro]

If somebody is going to do something silly like take steel wool to a console, they mightn't have second thoughts or pangs of justice about passing it off as a mint unit when it comes time to sell it.

However, that's not what you mean, I can tell, because I have faith in you ;) You're worried about rubbing off a top coat of color on some underlying plastic. I would imagine that except on something like a silver TI-99/4a or a silver badge on a console there wouldn't be anything to worry about.

It's really just the same thing as taking an eraser to an old coin, or dipping it in acid to remove tarnish; this example makes more sense if you think of yellowed cartridges and NES toasters. You're essentially damaging the unit more than it was earlier, because (theoretically, though not practically) plastic that has reacted to sunlight is still the same plastic it was years before and potentially can be restored to its original state by science (though again, I'd imagine that's technology for fifty years from now). Stripping that plastic away means you're just exposing more to be damaged and you've worn away some in the process. I know, it's sort of that old question of "if you replace an ax handle five times and replace the ax head as well, is it the same ax?" Just be considerate of collectors and mention these things if you ever sell it, because some people will notice if the top of a console was oddly smoothed out in parts (I would).

My thoughts - it's absolutely fine to do this if you want the console you regularly play on to look better, but it's absolutely NOT fine to do this if you're going to try to use it to bump up the grade of the unit unless you call it restored, like somebody would an arcade machine (where nobody really should expect an item to be minty or all original in the first place).

[Mr.Faxanadu]

Ed,

I'm just wondering because I bought a 260 in 1 NES cart and it is quite badly scuffed. This is apart of my personal collection and I don't plan on selling it anytime soon. For systems/games I do sell, I always clean them first (to make it look more "impressive") My favorite technique is using those new Mr.Clean erasers. THEY WORK VERY WELL !!! :D

any other ideas ????

I wonder if there are any chemicals that would help clean a cart. Has anyone ever tried bleaching those pee stained snes's. I know that Acetone is great for removing pigments (marker or ink on a cartridge) you just have to watch out for the lable @_@

I think I'm going to take a test cart (say my Jack Nickalus Golf for the NES LOL ) and subject it to a variety of chemicals. I will post my results soon....

[Bratwurst]

The thing with NES carts is that they're textured, once you start making abrasions on the plastic there's no going back. Beware also of using those Magic Erasers too liberally, they're good for getting magic marker off but they -can- dull and 'smudge' the plastic.

I've had good results with Novus, a plastic polishing compound. It's sort of like car wax and comes in three grades for varying levels of scratches. More apparent on things that have a shiney surface to them than dull, however.

[rbudrick]

If there is an actual scratch in the plasticc, do'nt bother. Remove the label very carefully and put it on a clean case of an SMB duck hunt type of common shitty cart.

Here's how to remove the label:

Get a tupperware bowl and fill it with a 1/8 to 1/4 of goo gone. Take the half of the cart case with the label and put it face down in the bowl. Put the top on the bowl. Wait 24 hours (though 12 can do it, you may have varied results). Actually, scratch that...you should only wait that long if there is a clear plastic rental sticker all the way over the label (really needs time to soak through the sides). I would imagine less than an hour would be sufficient to soak through a label without this...prolly even a few minutes.

Remove the case half and gently peel the label off. It should come right off. Dry it somewhat and reapply it to the new case. Let sit for a day. The glue will be sticky again and the sticker dry by then and reapplied on your new case. Put the board back in the new case and screw it back together.

As long as your don't smudge the ink on the label, I've found this to be foolproof...not that I've tested it on fools, heh heh.

-Rob

[Ed Oscuro]

I'm just wondering because I bought a 260 in 1 NES cart and it is quite badly scuffed.
Like the guys said, ANYTHING that uses abrasives to "clean" is also scratching - essentially damaging - the surface. I'd rather have a sun-yellowed (or browned, as it might be) cartridge instead of one that looks like a cat's been using it as a scratching post (figuratively speaking).

Of course this is coming from a RABID condition freak who leaves the Goodwill stickers on most things, so...

It's your stuff, go for it if you want.

[Mr.Faxanadu]

If there is an actual scratch in the plasticc, do'nt bother. Remove the label very carefully and put it on a clean case of an SMB duck hunt type of common shitty cart.

Here's how to remove the label:

Get a tupperware bowl and fill it with a 1/8 to 1/4 of goo gone. Take the half of the cart case with the label and put it face down in the bowl. Put the top on the bowl. Wait 24 hours (though 12 can do it, you may have varied results). Actually, scratch that...you should only wait that long if there is a clear plastic rental sticker all the way over the label (really needs time to soak through the sides). I would imagine less than an hour would be sufficient to soak through a label without this...prolly even a few minutes.

Remove the case half and gently peel the label off. It should come right off. Dry it somewhat and reapply it to the new case. Let sit for a day. The glue will be sticky again and the sticker dry by then and reapplied on your new case. Put the board back in the new case and screw it back together.

As long as your don't smudge the ink on the label, I've found this to be foolproof...not that I've tested it on fools, heh heh.

-Rob


Are you sure about this !!! Won't the label smell like lemon LOL

[rbudrick]

Are you sure about this !!! Won't the label smell like lemon

I always thought of it as more orangish, but no. Once it evaporates and dries, your label should have no scent, in my experience.

I had 65 N64 games that I got from a rental store and they all had a clear sticker that went all the way over the front label and looped around over the back label, completely covering the two labels.

My solution was to soak each side in goo gone overnight. The goo gone would seep through the side edge of the label enough to allow me to lift up about 1/3 to 1/2 of the area of the label, save for the more central part of the label. Withthat, I would gently lift the whole label off. I would then soak the label for another day. After that, I could very easily take the clear plastic label off the real label. The probelem generally arouse when I had to get the glue from the clear label off the front of the real label...darker colors on the front of N64 labels tend to smear. Back labels on N64 games never smear, no matter what. Japanese N64 games that I've seen tend to have a bit more of a gloss plastic coat on the front labels, making them not smear. So, Americans (and mayeb others) got shittier quality labels.

Each cart took about 2 days minimum to clean. It took me over 3 months to clean all those games.

But basically, if you don't go rubbing the wet label, your ink will not smear and it will look as good as you started it with...

And none of them smell citrusy.


-Rob

[The Manimal]

I have had GOO GONE 'stain' a label once. I think it was BLASTER MASTER. The blue turned a really dark blue in a spot I got it on and never changed back. USE AT YOUR OWN RISK.

I will use GOO GONE on a piece of toilet paper or cotton swab and gently clean any sticky residue off the cart or label. I really don't want to damage the labels...

[rbudrick]

I have had GOO GONE 'stain' a label once. I think it was BLASTER MASTER. The blue turned a really dark blue in a spot I got it on and never changed back. USE AT YOUR OWN RISK.

I will use GOO GONE on a piece of toilet paper or cotton swab and gently clean any sticky residue off the cart or label. I really don't want to damage the labels...

Interesting...I've used goo gone on 100s of carts with zero ill effects unless I smear the ink....I wonder what went wrong with yours...that's weird.

-Rob

[The Manimal]

the protective plastic gloss over it was scratched up...could that have something to do with it?

[Bratwurst]

the protective plastic gloss over it was scratched up...could that have something to do with it?

Yeah, if the plastic coating is broken then whatever you're using will soak through. Alchohol, water, goo gone, etc.

[jonjandran]

I use a Dremel tool with a polishing attachment on carts.

It's just like buffing a car, it shines them up like new,

Just don't use a high speed or let it sit in one spot as it WILL melt the cart.

[Ed Oscuro]

...I've used goo gone on 100s of carts with zero ill effects unless I smear the ink....I wonder what went wrong with yours...that's weird.
I used Goo Gone on the top of a Euro Golden Axe cart; it started stripping away the black ink of the label.