Cleaning Rexine?

[Hewlett_T]

Hey,

I just got around to cleaning a gift record player (Fidelity HF45), which I believe is covered in Rexine.

I went to clean this with water, just plain water on the back to be extra safe and the colour was coming off on the rag. So I immediately stopped, is this normal? And how do I go about cleaning this without risking stripping all the colour off?.

Thanks, and sorry for yet another dumb question :/.

[newlite4]

Very difficult to clean rexine without some of the colour coming off. Just a light detergent or aerosol foam cleaner applied with a brush should remove most of the grime but inevitably some of the colour will also come off with the dirt. Just make a compromise, it will certainly look better for it.
Neil

[Audio1950]

Not a dumb question at all....Unfortunately, in most cases, Fidelity used a paper-backed imitation rexine, which does not have the waterproof properties that the genuine material has. Too much water, and you'll end up taking the top surface off completely. The only thing I can suggest is one of the foam upholstery cleaners in a can. Spray the foam on, very gently spread it around, and wipe off very gently with a damp cloth. Try it on a hidden part of the case first, though.

[Horris]

After you have cleaned it you can try wiping it over with soft cloth with a smear of the appropriate colour shoe cleaning cream.
Be gentle,try it on an unseen area first.

Dave
M0HBV

[paulsherwin]

I vaguely remember somebody tackling this problem by cleaning it in the usual way, which removes some colour, then letting it dry, then dampening it all over with IPA, then letting it dry. The idea is that colour from deeper down in the 'rexine' leaches to the surface as the IPA dries, restoring the colour. I've never tried this though, and may have misremembered it, so take care.

[camtechman]

I vaguely remember somebody tackling this problem by cleaning it in the usual way, which removes some colour, then letting it dry, then dampening it all over with IPA, then letting it dry.

I used that process on a Bush TR82 a couple of years back and posted before & after pics on here.

[paulsherwin]

Right! Here it is: https://www.vintage-radio.net/forum/...ad.php?t=30099

It was over 7 years ago

[G6Tanuki]

Originally Posted by Horris

After you have cleaned it you can try wiping it over with soft cloth with a smear of the appropriate colour shoe cleaning cream.
Be gentle,try it on an unseen area first.

Shoe-cream works well on Rexine (and the various Rexine-alikes you may come across). The brand of colour-restoring shoe-cream I remember was called "Scuff-kote" and came in a bottle with an applicator-pad built into the top.