Removing Nicotine staining from Plastic?

[davegsm82]

Having recently become the owner of a Sharp VZ-2500 Vertical play Linear Tracking Ghetto Blaster (yes, you read that correctly) I am now trying to restore it to its former glory.

However the previous owner appears to have worked in a cigarette factory with no security. I.e. The whole thing is covered in nicotine staining and the smell of stale tabs.

Being vintage plastic (now over 30 years old) I don't want to use any harsh chemicals, as all of the lettering, print and even the block diagram schematic on top of the player are in very good condition.

So are there any clever tips/tricks/substances I CAN use to get it clean? I've already used plain water and washing up liquid on the front of the case, the results are disappointing in places.

Thanks, Dave.

[vinrads]

We used Ambersil foam cleaner in the days of repairing televisions. The rental ones were the worst, I remember one customer saying that's not my set! "Oh yes it is, it's been cleaned" was the reply.

Mick.

[Dave Moll]

If it is staining from cigarette smoke, then it is tar (rather than nicotine, which is colourless), so you will most likely need some sort of organic solvent. The difficulty will be, as you have already realised, is to find the right balance between something strong enough to lift the tar but gentle enough not to attack the lettering.

The only suggestion I can make is to try, starting with something mild, in an area not too obvious or critical to see what works.

[Andrew2]

Another vote for Ambersil Foam Cleanser. I used to squirt it onto a cloth and then rub the object, rather than spray it directly on, as I once allowed the spray to get into a swich bank and it caused terrible trouble!

[HamishBoxer]

Possibly another that might work well is Sugar Soap used in decorating. Easily available at B&Q etc.

[Bazz4CQJ]

I recall the upper decks of buses when I was a kid always had a film of brown slime on their interior surfaces. I guess that the whole world was covered with tar in those days and that explains why most people took a bath just once week, whether they needed it or not . A solution of bicarb might be worth trying if all else fails, free of solvent, it should be relatively harmless.

[G8VAT Wolfman]

Originally Posted by vinrads

We used Ambersil foam cleaner in the days of repairing televisions. The rental ones were the worst, I remember one customer saying that's not my set! "Oh yes it is, it's been cleaned" was the reply.

Mick.

Our service manager had a bit of an evil streak, he would clean one side with foam cleanser which left a noticeable demarkation line across the top and down the face, the customer of course, didn't have access to foam cleanser.. We used to see some lines still there on return visits.

Have you tried hot water and soap? it will have to be hot to melt the tar.

Also WD40 might thin down the tar (it works fine on car tar spots).

I suppose another possibility would be brasso/TCut, but now yer getting onto abrasives.

[Skywave]

Tar is an organic compound. Sodium hydroxide (a.k.a. caustic soda, NaOH) dissolves all organic substances, but trying first on a unseen area with a dilute solution would seem like a good idea. P.S. Don't forget to wear rubber gloves and eye protection: our bodies are organic!

Al.

[davegsm82]

Thank you for all the suggestions (and stories).

If I may regail you with one of my own for humour purposes.

When I was still working at the local TV repair shop, we had one customer bring in a TV which apparently had a dull picture and gone a bit yellow.

You can probably see where this is going.

We plugged the TV into the mains and the antenna i'd installed next to the shops glass counter (which contained bits of Hoover Junior/Senior/turbo and even some twintub bits). Sure enough the old MK4 fired up and the picture was atrocious.

Both me and the boss could see (and smell) the problem. I ran my thumbnail hard up the very centre of the tube, what was uncovered was a beautiful crisp white raster (colour turned to minimum) up the length of the scratch.

The look of shock (and possibly shame) on the owners face was indescribable. Needless to say, we didn't need to do a repair, Without words I just about turned and went back to fixing an amstrad VCR 4600 on the workbench at the time. I don't think I saw that customer again.

Anyway, back to the original question.

Tar; Yes, its the horrible yellowy film over the whole unit, inside and out. Also the smell is something I'd like to be rid of.

Foam cleanser; The stuff that comes in the light blue cans? Sure, I've got some of that I can try.

Inconspicuous area; I beleive the inside of the cabinet at the bottom has full thickness paint on it, I could try here first.

Caustic soda; I've got some, used it in my 2-stroke bike exhausts in the past. Works wonders on carbon and oily sludge.

Thanks, Dave.

[Glowing Bits!]

Kitchen wet wipes usually workfor me, or try using a car polish called Zymol, it's an au naturale cleaner & polish.

[paulsherwin]

I use generic aerosol 'Foaming Bathroom Cleaner' from somewhere like Aldi or Lidl as a first step. It seems to dissolve fag smoke residue very well, though you may have problems with the printing on the plastic surface.

Abrasives like T-Cut are a no-no because they will definitely wreck the printing.

[brenellic2000]

Now there is a mind boggling thought - Paul smoking in the bath!

smoking in the bath

probably the only safe way to do it. Back on topic, I find a soak in bleach works marvels.

[Dave Moll]

Originally Posted by merlinmaxwell

I find a soak in bleach works marvels.

For the plastic item, I assume!

[yampy187]

Xanto kitchen foam cleaner!

It's amazing on old gunjie sets! Comes in a large green aerosol can and can be purchased from pound land or 99p stores. And it's not too strong so leaves any lettering in tact.

Jan

[Peter.N.]

Methylated spirit might be worth a try its fairly gentle, my next step if that didn't work was cellulose thiners but that is a bit drastic. I have had TVs in that I have had to scrap due to nicotine poisoning or rather the associated tar, I have seen it literally dripping off the tube in a set from a pipe smoking household.

Peter

[paulsherwin]

Meths and other alcohol isn't too good on tar deposits in my experience. Wouldn't hurt to try it of course.

[brenellic2000]

... be very careful using meths on gold sized transfers, it'll lift them straight away. I find good old coal tar soap/toilet soap works wonders as a general cleaner.

[ajs37]

Not the answer to the original question, but this does seem to be a possibility - and it may have been mentioned in this forum before:
I was looking at the American vintage radio forum yesterday - somebody was asking how to restore sun faded plastic to its original colour - the answer seemed to be Retr0bright:
http://retr0bright.wikispaces.com/Retr0Bright+Gel
developed by in the UK for restoring audio cases / computer cases etc. The results do seem amazing. It's not a product as such, just a mixture of commonly available chemicals.
Cheers
Andy

[paulsherwin]

Retr0bright techniques have been discussed here before, notably in this thread.

I wouldn't use it in this case because of the need to preserve surface printing, but it would probably shift the tar otherwise.