Any tips for cleaning up a Candy cab?

I recently bought a Neo 29, and the frame around the monitor is pretty yellow.

Does anyone have some suggestions for taking care of that? I'd heard that boat hull cleaner will get rid of the yellowing, but I haven't had a chance to try that out yet.

I used Brasso, a Brass polish

RGP said:

I used Brasso, a Brass polish

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Good Luck!! I tried using like 20 different cleaners to get the yellowing off of mine. Eventually, I ended up repainting, the monitor shroud, and the marquee enclosure

Clearly I was lucky then, looking at my Impress its looks brand new:



I did the same on my Cute before I sold it, so it works good on metal too, I also used a cleaning product available here called, Cillit Bang.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cillit_Bang

I use Fantastic (its a degreaser) for cleaning the film of nicotine & tar thats usually on candies. I use lighter fluid to remove any sticker residue. My astro's speaker housings were extremely yellowed, to the point that it was un-cleanable. I think the plastic had a reaction to sunlight (much like the USA Super Nintendos) that caused the yellowing. I ended up painting my speaker housings.


Before


After


I tried everything under the sun to clean that plastic up, but it just wasn't happening. When I had those painted, three coats of auto paint was applied, as well as clear coat, and they were wet-sanded. Came out money IMO.

-Bill

For easy scuff marks, I use Mr Clean eraser pads. They work well for everyday cleaning of your cab. But I would suggest a new paint job, if you have yellowing.

seconded on the Mr. Clean magic eraser. I use those things extensively on my cabinets and they clean up just about everything, aside from yellowing.

Only thing w/ the Mr. Clean is don't over use it on stuff. Since its a super abravise cleaner, it has the potential to rub the clear coat right off your cab.

-B

billd420 said:

Only thing w/ the Mr. Clean is don't over use it on stuff. Since its a super abravise cleaner, it has the potential to rub the clear coat right off your cab.

-B

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Thanks for the warning.

try soft scrub with bleach

Reviving an old thread.

Speaking of clear coat on the plastic, what do you guys use to protect the clear?

My kitteh likes to chill on my control panel quite a bit when I am in the PC/Gameroom. It's a good thing because he's kinda like the ceiling cat..so I know he's always watchin


But the other day I dropped by box of arcade buttons and it scared the shit out of him. He scratched my control panel. Not too deep but you could see them at an angle.

I used Meguiar's Scratch X to buff it out and it covered them up really well. Added a really nice shine to the paint as well.

I was wondering if a mild waxing on the rest of the cab would help. Anyone here ever do something like this to protect the finish?

I used simple green on my cab, it cleaned it pretty well. It was dirty as hell when I got it.

Yellowing, as has been mentioned, happens as some sort of chemical change within the plastic itself and unfortunately can't be "cleaned off." I have a Cyber Lead that was mint when I got it and has yellowed in the two years since, despite very little exposure to sunlight and no exposure to fluorescent lights. I guess my only options are to live with it or paint it.

As for general cleaning options though, this might sound extreme, but I had a Windy that was so filthy that I took it completely apart and took it to a car wash. I tried to wash it by hand inside but it was just not happening. In the end it wasn't really that hard to take out the monitor, power supply, etc. I took out most of the wiring, but left some in places where it looked like more trouble than it was worth. Then I just brought the cab to a car wash in giant pieces and sprayed the hell out of them with the self-wash soap and power sprayer. I drained the thing out and let all the wiring (and molexes) dry out completely before reassembling, and it worked just fine!

You can see some before/afters here:

Before

After

Incidentally, be very careful if you use the Magic Eraser. It is essentially fine-grit sandpaper and WILL remove more of the finish and gloss than you want if you're not very careful. I only use it as an absolute last resort.

The car wash idea is fantastic for someone like me who lives in a condo with no real place or tools to clean. I'm totally going to do that for my Naomi. Thanks for the tip!

~Paik