The Energon Pub

Tue Aug 17, 2010 12:41 am

Hi all,
I recently acquired a small number of rather dirty (grime/ severe dust/sticker residue) G1 TFs... I'm wondering what the you guys have used to successfully clean transformers...

also, one of the terrorcon's bolts have started to rust - is there any way that works safely to clean him - or is he a goner (yes, I'm that picky about who stays and who goes)?

News Credits: 1 · Tue Aug 17, 2010 1:16 am

I've got a trick for sticker residue: Johnson's baby oil. Just rub some onto the surface and scrub with your finger. It should get rid of the sticky gunk.

News Credits: 36 · Tue Aug 17, 2010 2:04 am

Can of compressed air for the dusting, the sort you can buy in most computer stores. They are usually used for cleaning out laptop fans.

On the Terrorcon is it a pin or a screw?

Tue Aug 17, 2010 7:23 am

Pretender Skywarp wrote:Can of compressed air for the dusting, the sort you can buy in most computer stores. They are usually used for cleaning out laptop fans.

On the Terrorcon is it a pin or a screw?

Both. Although now that I look at it, the pins seem to be worse off...

Tue Aug 17, 2010 8:12 am

for those really dirty/grimy figures i use a bowl of hot water w/ a few drops (not too much!) of dish soap. use a soft bristled tooth brush to do the scrubbing. the dish soap has degreasers in it that also help. have some paper towels handy to wipe off soapy water. will smell nice after for a added bonus! :grin:

as for the decals, goo gone, zippo lighter fluid and rubbing alcohol all work. for best results dip a q tip in fluid and rub all over decal and let soak to get best results. multiple applications may be needed

hope this helps

Tue Aug 17, 2010 9:41 am

Interesting

Was going to ask about stuff like this.

Just busted out my original G1 since I got them all to the house.

Have been going thru them literally 1 at a time and using a towel baby diaper cut up and soaked in how water then rung out so its damp.

Had awesome luck so far with it....

Might try some of those other ideas on a few figures I bought from other folks or traded for on stubborn .

News Credits: 5 · Tue Aug 17, 2010 11:33 am

Baby wipes work really well too, that way you don't have to soak the metal parts/screws in water. They fit in all of the little nooks and crannies, and are really gental, both in chemical and softness sense.

News Credits: 36 · Tue Aug 17, 2010 1:35 pm

beanman wrote:
Pretender Skywarp wrote:Can of compressed air for the dusting, the sort you can buy in most computer stores. They are usually used for cleaning out laptop fans.

On the Terrorcon is it a pin or a screw?

Both. Although now that I look at it, the pins seem to be worse off...

The screw you could prolly replace quite easily. Maybe look for a junker on evilbay and cannabilise it for the pin?

--B-- wrote:Baby wipes work really well too, that way you don't have to soak the metal parts/screws in water. They fit in all of the little nooks and crannies, and are really gental, both in chemical and softness sense.

And are so soft for sensitive 'bots

Edited for duff spelling

News Credits: 2 · Tue Aug 17, 2010 8:17 pm

A little WD-40 should clean surface rust off those pins and screws, or failing that, make it easier to remove them.

Wed Aug 18, 2010 4:39 am

CLR will work for screws and metal pieces as well. Let them soak in that for a while and the hardware will be like new.

This sounds kind of stupid, but I am being serious. After you have everything cleaned nicely, make sure that you wash your hands before handling them-it is amazing how quickly small quantities of oil and finger smudges can build up to be a problem.

News Credits: 3642 · Thu Jun 14, 2012 3:00 pm

Check out what a little CLR did on Seacon Overbite's screw ...

Fri Jun 15, 2012 4:36 am

Seibertron wrote:Check out what a little CLR did on Seacon Overbite's screw ...

Amazing effect, the screw looked like it was done for, but the CLR makes it look like a brand new screw.

News Credits: 60 · Fri Jun 15, 2012 10:34 am

Lay off the rubbing alcohol on the decals and body. Some might cause the plastic to melt. A little bit of Pledge will do nicely. As for the rust, WD40 already mentioned but if you have the Cosmic Rust feet on MP Megatron I use Johnson and Johnson GLO. Only a temporary fix because the corrosion shows up again.

News Credits: 11 · Fri Jun 15, 2012 10:53 am

Rubbing alcohol might be somewhat volatile, but I've had no problems whatsoever using zippo lighter fluid for removing old stickers and residue.

And hopefully it's common sense, but perhaps I should mention that you want to remove the metal parts before placing them in CLR, because it's corrosive.

News Credits: 3642 · Fri Jun 15, 2012 11:54 am

fenrir72 wrote:Lay off the rubbing alcohol on the decals and body. Some might cause the plastic to melt. A little bit of Pledge will do nicely. As for the rust, WD40 already mentioned but if you have the Cosmic Rust feet on MP Megatron I use Johnson and Johnson GLO. Only a temporary fix because the corrosion shows up again.

Rubbing Alcohol should only be used to remove excess paint. It removes paint and the "clear coat" shine on the plastic. Should not be used on anything else.

To remove decals, use lighter fluid. If applied properly, you can remove the label without damaging the sticker, which allows you to realign misaligned stickers or easily remove stickers in order to apply new stickers or reprolabels. Lighter fluid can also be used to remove price tags and such from the boxes/packaging. If you don't care about preserving the sticker, the regular Goo Gone can also be used, but the stronger stuff has a solvent in it that will remove paint and can melt plastic so I would advise only using lighter fluid because it evaporates so quickly and doesn't seem to cause any problems with the toys themselves.

News Credits: 1 · Fri Jun 15, 2012 2:59 pm

What is CLR? I've never heard of it, do you know if it's available here in the UK?

News Credits: 5749 · Fri Jun 15, 2012 3:06 pm

MightyMagnus78 wrote:What is CLR? I've never heard of it, do you know if it's available here in the UK?

http://www.thecarycompany.com/container ... KgodtBxbMw

News Credits: 1 · Fri Jun 15, 2012 3:21 pm

El Duque wrote:
MightyMagnus78 wrote:What is CLR? I've never heard of it, do you know if it's available here in the UK?

http://www.thecarycompany.com/container ... KgodtBxbMw

Thank you.

News Credits: 3 · Sat Jun 16, 2012 12:34 am

I love Goo Gone, Lighter fluid and CLR! any vintage TF collector's (and most times amateur restorer) best friend! and dont forget the mild soap and water toothbrush scrubdown for that new toy smell and sheen :grin: