I feel like an idiot for posting this, but the pictures in this thread are amazing. How exactly do you clean the NES carts with a magic eraser, especially the labels? I tried this on a Mario 3 cart and now it looks like I took sandpaper to it, and it's not like I was scrubbing hard. What do you do with the 409? Could you be more specific about your process? Thanks!
aaooooo! Look at this thread! You're not an idiot, this is what these threads are for. The trick with the magic eraser is to keep it really wet, but you can't really let the edges of the label get wet. So you need to find a happy medium. For the Starforce cart (I'm assuming that one since it has the most crap on the label). iirc with marker (especially on a label) I take a dry erase marker and go over the sharpie marker and with some case a lot of it will just wipe off. Whatever doesn't you can hit it with some rubbing alcohol. *Always avoid getting the edges of a label wet (and never do this on a N64 label). After that if there is anything left the magic eraser should do the trick.
I've got some more before an after pics. Me thinks this thread needs an update!
I'm still a little confused. Are you saying to color over any sharpie with a dry erase marker, and then wipe that off the label with a wet magic eraser? I did try to put some rubbing alcohol on a Kung Fu cart and use the magic eraser, but it took off the first layer of ink where I wiped it.
What's the deal with the 409 and the heat gun? Do you just heat the general area where a sticker is and then scrape it off?
I feel like an idiot for posting this, but the pictures in this thread are amazing. How exactly do you clean the NES carts with a magic eraser, especially the labels? I tried this on a Mario 3 cart and now it looks like I took sandpaper to it, and it's not like I was scrubbing hard. What do you do with the 409? Could you be more specific about your process? Thanks!
aaooooo! Look at this thread! You're not an idiot, this is what these threads are for. The trick with the magic eraser is to keep it really wet, but you can't really let the edges of the label get wet. So you need to find a happy medium. For the Starforce cart (I'm assuming that one since it has the most crap on the label). iirc with marker (especially on a label) I take a dry erase marker and go over the sharpie marker and with some case a lot of it will just wipe off. Whatever doesn't you can hit it with some rubbing alcohol. *Always avoid getting the edges of a label wet (and never do this on a N64 label). After that if there is anything left the magic eraser should do the trick.
I've got some more before an after pics. Me thinks this thread needs an update!
I'm still a little confused. Are you saying to color over any sharpie with a dry erase marker, and then wipe that off the label with a wet magic eraser? I did try to put some rubbing alcohol on a Kung Fu cart and use the magic eraser, but it took off the first layer of ink where I wiped it.
What's the deal with the 409 and the heat gun? Do you just heat the general area where a sticker is and then scrape it off?
No, once you use the dry erase marker, you can use a dry paper towel or cloth to wipe it off. Don't quote me on this, but it would appear that whatever chemical that makes the dry erase marker "wipe-able" it has the same affect on the sharpie. So you can just wipe it off. I use a q-tip or old cotton t-shirt to apply rubbing alcohol. The only thing you should use with the magic eraser is water.
I use the heat gun to get stickers off. A quick note about the heat gun, be patient. Get the sticker glue hot slowly, I usually keep the heat gun at least a foot awat from the cart. I do this A) not to damage the cart as it will begin to bend and warp as it gets hot and I don't want to heat the glue of the NES label. Once I've got the sticker part off there is usually residue and goo-gone (using a q-tip) takes that off quite well.
The key here is that it isn't a race, be patient and pay attention to what you're doing. I hurried through the 720 cart and you can see on the bottom right of the label some of the goo gone went to the edge and that "stain" is still there. Also on the right side of the label, the goo gone hit the edge. That one was bad but it turned out ok.
I wish I had done before and after pics of some of my stuff, this is how I get with my stuff sometimes. Good to see more people enthusiastic about restoration projects.
People commenting on trying to get permanent marker off the textured surface of an NES cart. Try a soft toothbrush! It got me 99% there on a couple of carts.
Necro-Bump on this thread. I just bought this little guy off ebay the other day. He deserves better than this, so a restoration is coming. I'll post pics to the main after the restore is complete.
This thread makes me sad that bestine is no more. But, I've got Doc Edingtons Rubber Cement Thinner & Adhesive Remover at least (It's also 100% heptane)
Wow you got rid of the yellowing! Did you use retrobright?
Sort of, it turns out that Retr0bright isn't a product but rather a recipe online. I really didn't feel like mixing anything as you need to get the forumla into a cream texture.
This stuff did the trick and I didn't need to mix anything.
To be honest a much better way of cleaning consoles and controllers is to disassemble them and scrub all the parts in the sink with warm water and dish soap, instead of using rubbing alcohol and 409. Gets stuff super clean and with a toothbrush you can get at all the crevices.
I'm in the process of restoring a GameBoy myself. It was in rough shape too-- battery corrosion caused some rust and blue crystals to form on the PCB, and I thought I'd never get it to work... but it still works! I'll post some pics once it's done.
First thing, first. I love restorative work and that is a part of the enjoyment of the hobby-- cleaning up dirty, abused and even discarded stuff and giving it new life, especially when you can see a "gem" under the dirt and grime! You have some great work here, and I like seeing it, so thanks for sharing!
I do have a comment, though, for you and others-- don't use magic erasers. Magic eraser is basically a super-fine grit sand paper. If you use it to remove stains, you're not only "erasing" the stain, but also wearing down plastic on the system.
For shinier exteriors, this may not be noticed, but if you scrub matte/textured plastic, it will smooth it and cause irreparable damage. As much as I love making old, worn stuff look new, I also have a bit of a "conservationist" mindset. Conservationists will take damaged/dirty items and if there is no known way to clean them without damage, they don't clean them. Instead, they wait for innovations to come around that will allow for restoration to occur that will not damage the item.
The only exception to this is whenever the dirt or damage is expediting degradation. In such a case do what minimally evasive work you need to in order to fix the problem.
I'm not criticizing your work, but I am trying to assist. I remember the first time I used a magic eraser. I had some stubborn magic marker ink that wouldn't come off on the front of a NES cart (even using alcohol and brake fluid.) I thought I'd try magic eraser. It worked, but then I had a noticeable smooth spot on the cart and it didn't take much effort to noticably damage it.
WHOOOOOO boy. I got a Gameboy game of ebay the other day that was Magic Erasered into having almost NO coating on it. *shudder* That being said though, most of these things are far from unique and making them look the best you can by whatever means seems fine. If you are dealing with a rare item though, it would only make sense to the collector and restorer to take more precautions.
I picked up a jungle green for pretty cheap because the original owner said it no longer worked. I found that spilled pop got in the ram connector and wouldn't connect. I cleaned it all up and it works like new.
Comments
Originally posted by: fsped09
Originally posted by: cma2032
I feel like an idiot for posting this, but the pictures in this thread are amazing. How exactly do you clean the NES carts with a magic eraser, especially the labels? I tried this on a Mario 3 cart and now it looks like I took sandpaper to it, and it's not like I was scrubbing hard. What do you do with the 409? Could you be more specific about your process? Thanks!
aaooooo! Look at this thread! You're not an idiot, this is what these threads are for. The trick with the magic eraser is to keep it really wet, but you can't really let the edges of the label get wet. So you need to find a happy medium. For the Starforce cart (I'm assuming that one since it has the most crap on the label). iirc with marker (especially on a label) I take a dry erase marker and go over the sharpie marker and with some case a lot of it will just wipe off. Whatever doesn't you can hit it with some rubbing alcohol. *Always avoid getting the edges of a label wet (and never do this on a N64 label). After that if there is anything left the magic eraser should do the trick.
I've got some more before an after pics. Me thinks this thread needs an update!
I'm still a little confused. Are you saying to color over any sharpie with a dry erase marker, and then wipe that off the label with a wet magic eraser? I did try to put some rubbing alcohol on a Kung Fu cart and use the magic eraser, but it took off the first layer of ink where I wiped it.
What's the deal with the 409 and the heat gun? Do you just heat the general area where a sticker is and then scrape it off?
Originally posted by: cma2032
Originally posted by: fsped09
Originally posted by: cma2032
I feel like an idiot for posting this, but the pictures in this thread are amazing. How exactly do you clean the NES carts with a magic eraser, especially the labels? I tried this on a Mario 3 cart and now it looks like I took sandpaper to it, and it's not like I was scrubbing hard. What do you do with the 409? Could you be more specific about your process? Thanks!
aaooooo! Look at this thread! You're not an idiot, this is what these threads are for. The trick with the magic eraser is to keep it really wet, but you can't really let the edges of the label get wet. So you need to find a happy medium. For the Starforce cart (I'm assuming that one since it has the most crap on the label). iirc with marker (especially on a label) I take a dry erase marker and go over the sharpie marker and with some case a lot of it will just wipe off. Whatever doesn't you can hit it with some rubbing alcohol. *Always avoid getting the edges of a label wet (and never do this on a N64 label). After that if there is anything left the magic eraser should do the trick.
I've got some more before an after pics. Me thinks this thread needs an update!
I'm still a little confused. Are you saying to color over any sharpie with a dry erase marker, and then wipe that off the label with a wet magic eraser? I did try to put some rubbing alcohol on a Kung Fu cart and use the magic eraser, but it took off the first layer of ink where I wiped it.
What's the deal with the 409 and the heat gun? Do you just heat the general area where a sticker is and then scrape it off?
No, once you use the dry erase marker, you can use a dry paper towel or cloth to wipe it off. Don't quote me on this, but it would appear that whatever chemical that makes the dry erase marker "wipe-able" it has the same affect on the sharpie. So you can just wipe it off. I use a q-tip or old cotton t-shirt to apply rubbing alcohol. The only thing you should use with the magic eraser is water.
I use the heat gun to get stickers off. A quick note about the heat gun, be patient. Get the sticker glue hot slowly, I usually keep the heat gun at least a foot awat from the cart. I do this A) not to damage the cart as it will begin to bend and warp as it gets hot and
The key here is that it isn't a race, be patient and pay attention to what you're doing. I hurried through the 720 cart and you can see on the bottom right of the label some of the goo gone went to the edge and that "stain" is still there. Also on the right side of the label, the goo gone hit the edge. That one was bad but it turned out ok.
Originally posted by: joekonik
Here's one I did. I found it in a junkyard face down in the mud. Looks like it got ran over as well.
That... looks awesome.
Originally posted by: Paul
man all these poor carts being subjected to harsh chemical cleaners and then rough treatment by Magic Erasers
I vant to clean your carts!! <vampire voice>
1) N64 cartridge
2) Game Boy cartridge dirty contacts. It was not loading in it's original condition. Works perfectly after cleaning
3) Game & Watch. Body cleaned and rear silver reflector replaced with custom made parts. I'm still perfecting the process but I'm 90% there
Wow you got rid of the yellowing! Did you use retrobright?
Sort of, it turns out that Retr0bright isn't a product but rather a recipe online. I really didn't feel like mixing anything as you need to get the forumla into a cream texture.
This stuff did the trick and I didn't need to mix anything.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004OKDW20/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Gave this soldier a proper clean up
Now that is fantastic. I really need to do that to both of my SNES'.
Problem: Someone took a crap on it
Solution: Dissasemble and clean.
I think the stain was BBQ sauce. The PS1 it came with was the same way. It was like the owner used them as paper plates at a birthday party
Here`s a before and after of a PS1 controller for you.
Problem: Someone took a crap on it
Solution: Dissasemble and clean. I think it was BBQ sauce
Nice job. Coffee stain?
I do have a comment, though, for you and others-- don't use magic erasers. Magic eraser is basically a super-fine grit sand paper. If you use it to remove stains, you're not only "erasing" the stain, but also wearing down plastic on the system.
For shinier exteriors, this may not be noticed, but if you scrub matte/textured plastic, it will smooth it and cause irreparable damage. As much as I love making old, worn stuff look new, I also have a bit of a "conservationist" mindset. Conservationists will take damaged/dirty items and if there is no known way to clean them without damage, they don't clean them. Instead, they wait for innovations to come around that will allow for restoration to occur that will not damage the item.
The only exception to this is whenever the dirt or damage is expediting degradation. In such a case do what minimally evasive work you need to in order to fix the problem.
I'm not criticizing your work, but I am trying to assist. I remember the first time I used a magic eraser. I had some stubborn magic marker ink that wouldn't come off on the front of a NES cart (even using alcohol and brake fluid.) I thought I'd try magic eraser. It worked, but then I had a noticeable smooth spot on the cart and it didn't take much effort to noticably damage it.
BEFORE:
AFTER:
I have a Game Boy Advance box that some fool had written on with a sharpie. I managed to get rid of most of it though. I think I did a pretty good job
BEFORE:
AFTER:
Did you use the "dry-erase marker write-over" method by chance?
Did you use the "dry-erase marker write-over" method by chance?
I first used magic eraser to make the marks considerably lighter and then used dry-erase marker to almost get rid of it entirely.
Did you use the "dry-erase marker write-over" method by chance?
I first used magic eraser to make the marks considerably lighter and then used dry-erase marker to almost get rid of it entirely.
Interesting. Thanks!
I picked up a jungle green for pretty cheap because the original owner said it no longer worked. I found that spilled pop got in the ram connector and wouldn't connect. I cleaned it all up and it works like new.