cleaning up an apple ][e case! what solution would you recommend?

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cleaning up an apple ][e case! what solution would you recommend?

Hi again everyone! I'm back with another question!

I'd like to polish up my apple ][e with something. I found Cascade Plastic Booster on amazon but it seems they are sold out and most other places online are also sold out.

What chemical or product do you all prefer to use to clean your Apple ][ PCs? Any recommendation is very welcome and very appreciated!

Thank you!!
sotu

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Re: cleaning up an apple ][e case! what solution would you ...

http://retr0bright.wikispaces.com/

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Re: cleaning up an apple ][e case! what solution would you ...

If you just want to clean it and aren't concerned with yellowing or other color fading issues. I have a three step process.

1) Disassemble, removing everything from case that can easily be removed.
2) Apply gojo (found in auto parts stores) hand cleaner with a clean soft cloth and gently clean. This stuff will remove any grease and surface dirt.
3) To remove gojo residue, wash in dishwasher in top rack - you can skip the dry cycle in case your dishwasher has a high temperature for drying which could melt the plastic.

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Re: cleaning up an apple ][e case! what solution would you ...

I agree totally, Retrobrite is the way to go.
I have done this myself and was completely amazed at the results.

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Re: cleaning up an apple ][e case! what solution would you ...

For the opposite, I found out the hard way what not to use -- nail polish remover!

Tried to get a sticky label residue off ... did that ... and took the paint off too! Ack!

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Re: cleaning up an apple ][e case! what solution would you ...

Sticky Label Residue....

Use a little water amd baking soda with an old toothbrush.
Works wonders. Smile

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Re: cleaning up an apple ][e case! what solution would you ...

I have yet to try Retr0brite, but may mix some up soon to try on a Mac SE with a Kensington SystemSaver "tan". I've heard it works wonders, so if you have any yellowing, it's the way to go.

If yellowing isn't a concern, I've found two products which work well. I started using Endust for Electronics in the 1990s to clean components--it gets rid of general dirt/dust buildup pretty well but is only marginally effective on permanent marker and does nothing for yellowing. I switched to Techspray Keyboard Cleaner later on and continue to use this today with the special equipment cleaning cloths. It does a better job than the Endust on tough spots and while it isn't great on marker, it's better. Again, this one does nothing for yellowing but does leave a nice shine.

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Re: cleaning up an apple ][e case! what solution would you ...

Macintosh128k - That retr0brite looks PERFECT! Thanks mate! I never have seen that site Smile very cool!

Mike WIllegal - I'm going to take your suggestion as well on a few things. As you probably know, the yellowing of the plastic is sometimes what makes some of the old stuff look awesome.

LittleJohn - Gonna try it out! glad to see others are using it with success as well!

Dog Cow - I lost a good lamp that way.. it was wood and had paint on it.. now its just got a huge paint scuff from the nail polish remover.. Live and learn as they say!

gsmcten - Nothing beats Baking Soda for cleaning sticker goop! sooo true, and it wont take off the paint making it prime for cleaning!

Scott Baret - those look promising, shine is what I'm after! I'll have a look at the Techspray Keyboard Cleaner!

I am going to test retr0brite today after I get off work! Working a weekend shift today Smile

Hope y'all are having a great weekend and doing fun stuff. Now that my IIe is running so smoothly Puck Man has infiltrated my home!
Also trying to get a C compiler of some sort running on 5.25 floppy!

Cheers!
sotu

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Re: cleaning up an apple ][e case! what solution would you ...

For stickers, grease and some pen inks, I've found a citrus-based product called Goo Gone that works well and doesn't damage plastics.

Another item I'll add to the "don't use" list is rubbing alcohol. It initially cleans well, but leaches oils out of the plastic, making it brittle and more susceptible to damage and discoloration later.

I've yet to mix up some Retr0bright, but I should be picking up a few 8-bit Ataris & peripherals tomorrow that might give me the incentive.

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Re: cleaning up an apple ][e case! what solution would you ...

I have found Plexus spray to work really well. Its a plastic cleaning spray that removes sticker residue as well. I use it on my motorcycles and gave it a go on my IIE and IIC's. Worked great!

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Re: cleaning up an apple ][e case! what solution would you ...

For sticky labels use WD-40. You can get it in a stick applicator form that has an abrasive felt tip and this is good for rubbing the sticky goo off.Wipe with a paper towel and go at it again if there's any left. Doesn't work as quickly as some things you could use, but is very gentle and can be used safely on loads of things.

As for cleaning the case, you can use smooth peanut butter. This will be very lightly abrasive and get in all the nooks to get the dirt out and also, the oils lost in the top surface of plastic will love stealing a bit of oil from the peanut butter.It's also totally safe to use, and the dog will lick your case clean for you, while you pop upstairs with the girlfriend, with the rest of the peanut butter.
Another thing you can do is 30% white spirit 70% linseed oil. Works great, but the safest bet is the Peanut butter.

These techniques will be fine on a plastic case, but I wouldn't advise white spirits' use on a painted one.

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Re: cleaning up an apple ][e case! what solution would you ...

Hi all,

Mixed up a batch of retr0bright with the room mates today! It was terribly difficult to find glycerin.. which I had assumed would be the easiest to find! For some reason, Albertson, Rite Aid, CVS Pharmacy, and EVEN WALMART! were all out of glycerin.. they only had the suppositories haha.

Ok.. so I drove to a walmart that was 3 cities away from me not to bad for a sunday cruise and got the glycerin.. also bought a blender because.. well I didnt have one.

Mixed up the goods and got a real thick white goop.. kinda funky but it seemed like what I was supposed to get based on the retr0bright authors description. I added in a very small bit of oxi according to description and painted it on a keyboard I had as a test (dont want to hit the ][e and the Macintosh with it yet)!

Set them in the sun for about 2 hours but then the sun went down.. so far nothing to visible as to the fixing of the yellow.. but the site mentioned to wait at least a day so we shall see tomorrow! I will post pics if it is a success and if I fail... I will try again Smile

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Re: cleaning up an apple ][e case! what solution would you ...

before and after shots of my first retr0bright test

fully covered apple iie

fully applied to my gear!

this was a fun experience and retr0bright works great!

I will recommend retr0bright to anyone who wants to do some de-yellowing of your old computers and parts. Also, found out that magic erase markers work great for removing yellow after the fact, so my advice is to use the retr0bright and then go back through and spot clean / even it out with the "magic" eraser (a professional grade art eraser)

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Re: cleaning up an apple ][e case! what solution would you ...

Looks good, the difference is literally like night and day with before and after.

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Re: cleaning up an apple ][e case! what solution would you ...

looks like you didnt disassemble the computers or the monitor, is this product safe to use on the electronics if it gets onto them? i plan to do this on my //c and my very yellow //c monitor but am afraid to disassemble both in fear that i may crack or damage the internals.

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Re: cleaning up an apple ][e case! what solution would you ...

Macintosh128k - thats so true! and I thoroughly scrubbed that keyboard frame before I applied anything to it so the "before" part is as clean as it was going to get.

Mr.Fix - I'm no expert on the matter since this was a first time for me.. but here is why I didn't worry about disassembling the case:

1.) The Xanthan gum in the mix makes the retr0bright a very thick and paste-like solution. It can be easily applied to "just the case" with a brush. It is not difficult to spread it around the case without it leaking into the inside and touching components. If you just get it on the case you wont have anything to worry about.

2.) After my test run with the keyboard I realized that the solution hardens into a thick gel-like substance that can almost be peeled away, sort of like wax. To this extent, it is very easy to remove with a little scrubbing which in turn made me feel confident that any minor mistakes would be easily stripped back.

There is some pretty strong hydrogen peroxide in the mix and I'm not chemist, but if you are careful then I believe it is ok to apply without completely disassembling.

Hope it goes well for you too! Wear gloves for sure!!

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