Best Way to Clean...

Comments

• burdger

  June 2007

  Some people don't like to, but I'll use Goo Gone very sparingly on boxes, just enough to get the tape residue off, and then I wipe it clean.
  
  
  
  As for peeling labels, I have some super glue that has a brush applicator. It's nice because if you get too much glue on there it makes a mess that's almost impossible to get off. Just brush it on lightly and press it down for a while.
  
  
  
  Dirty labels I just use a little bit of rubbing alcohol on a paper towel, and if it's just dirt it usually comes right off and looks like new.
• Dain

  June 2007

  Goo Gone also has a less-potent product that's a gel. It seems to work a little better on boxes (you still have to be cautious, but it's less concentrated).
  
  
  
  -Dain
• brideck

  June 2007

  Thanks. These all seem like good ideas.
  
  
  
  I take it the concern with Goo Gone is saturating the box and leaving a greasy stain behind?
  
  
  
  Another unrelated question:
  
  
  
  Why do different games fit tightly or loosely in the same system? Is there a difference in the thickness of the connector on some boards? Most of my games fit just fine, but my Popeye and Kid Icarus in particular slide in very loosely and are difficult to get started.
  
  
  
  I know I could do some surgery to tighten up the pins in my system, but it seems to handle all of my other games just fine so I would rather not deal with it yet.
  
  
  
  -Brian
• dangevin

  June 2007

  For a loose system get a game genie and leave it in as your permanent plug-thru.
  
  
  
  You can also manually bend your pins but this can lead to disaster if you don't know what you're doing.
  
  
  
  I have used goo-gone liquid on boxes and had no problems. The oily stain on labels sometimes is permanent because of the lamination, it's got noplace to go...but on paper or if you only get a bit on the edge sometimes it disappears on its own. I like to apply it to a paper towel and blot any excess, then use it to gently rub at the residue until it starts to ball up. Keep doing this with a clean area of your paper towel and it should be safe around any labels or on any box. I don't often apply directly from bottle to label, as this leads to excess and drips that can roll into bad places. When I do use the bottle (when it's a game I don't care about that's going to be resold or something) I shake the liquid so that a bit soaks into the applicator tip, then hold the bottle upright and the cartridge upside down and "apply the cartridge to the bottle" so to speak to prevent problems with excess.
• brideck

  June 2007

  I have heard of using a Game Genie like that before. Maybe that's a good way to go for me, so I don't have the hassle on some of my games and I don't risk screwing things up by playing with the connector.
  
  
  
  It still doesn't explain why some games seem to fit better than others, though. I can literally feel the difference just by sliding different carts in and out and all about.
  
  
  
  -Brian
• Bratwurst

  June 2007

  I have measured slight differences in the thickness of circuit boards within NES carts. Basically the earliest licensed games are the thinnest, after around 1989 or so they started getting thicker (but only by about .010 inches)
  
  Unlicensed games were generally made thickest of all, probably to ensure that they'd work right away in toaster decks back in the day and because they weren't beholden to Nintendo's manufacturing standards.