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Old 23rd Jul 2012, 3:12 am   #21
lastx33
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Default Re: Removing Nicotine staining from Plastic?

Biological washing powder will remove tar and oil stain from plastics and gives a pretty much as-new look. It is pretty safe on acrylic but test an area before committing with other plastics. I use always Ariel but I suppose most brands will be similar. Dilute powder with warm water to make a strong solution, dampen a cloth in the solution and rub. If you can remove knobs, handles etc, these are best left to soak for 5 minutes in a bath of the solution then rinsed in flowing water. Make sure you remove all traces of the washing powder solution after the tar is removed as there will be a noticeable residue and the powder can attack the plastic if left on long term. I use a clean cloth and warm water in several passes rinsing the cloth repeatedly. I would recommend wearing gloves as it's not kind to skin!

Last edited by lastx33; 23rd Jul 2012 at 3:13 am. Reason: typo
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Old 24th Jul 2012, 8:18 am   #22
davegsm82
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Default Re: Removing Nicotine staining from Plastic?

Thanks for all the replies, don't worry, I haven't forgotten to update this thread, I simply haven't had a chance to try any of the suggestions yet.

I have since managed to persuade the vynil deck to work again, finding belts is NOT as easy as it used to be (unless you want e*ay prices).

I'm very surprised at how well the deck works actually, no skipping or jumping and it finds the beginning of the disc perfectly! Unfortunately the motor which drives the tonearms (via an elaborate cable drive) seems to be a bit weak and sometimes doesn't start unless you prod it. Although it played the 'Grease' Soundtrack perfectly last night (much to my fiance's delight).

I will have another go at the cabinet soon and post some feedback.

Thanks, Dave.
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Old 24th Jul 2012, 8:20 am   #23
yampy187
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Default Re: Removing Nicotine staining from Plastic?

Probably sounds stupid but if you can strip all the plastics down they would come up rather well on the delicate cycle in a dishwasher.

I cleaned all the casing of my Roberts dab radio in that way and it came up perfect! And all the lettering stayed in place

Jan
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Old 24th Jul 2012, 5:49 pm   #24
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Default Re: Removing Nicotine staining from Plastic?

just wondering would a citrus based cleaner affect the printing. I know it is very effective at removing tar from glass and plastic even baked on tar I use it at work for cleaning the lenses in theatrical lights some of which have spent 30 years in working man's clubs and pubs. just a thought.

Jay
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Old 24th Jul 2012, 9:52 pm   #25
MickMcmichael
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Default Re: Removing Nicotine staining from Plastic?

Ambersil foam cleaner and watch the brown stains run off it before you even wipe.

Interestingly, and maybe a side issue; we used to use a product named "Groom" which came in an orange and white spray can (back in the Visionhire days) and this was eventually replaced (by central stores) with Ambersil which smelled the same and did just as an effective job.

The original "Groom" was a car upholstery cleaner back in the late 1970's.

I still use Ambersil today as it's very effective without being too "strong".

Cheers,

Mick.
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Old 25th Jul 2012, 11:20 pm   #26
davegsm82
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Default Re: Removing Nicotine staining from Plastic?

Have tried some foam cleanser tonight, brought loads of the horrible gunk straight off without having to scrub or prod it too much.

I also tried it on an old dab radio that I bought at the weekend and it has affected the writing on the buttons (however it was very worn already).

In light of this I probably won't try it on any of the legends or other print, instead using it on the normal painted surfaces and the rear of the case which after removing the nicotine has revealed some slight sun-bleaching.

I'm looking forward to being able to get it cleaned up as electrically its in good condition.

Thanks, Dave.
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Old 26th Jul 2012, 4:45 pm   #27
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Default Re: Removing Nicotine staining from Plastic?

Back in 1984 Toshiba introduced the first FST flat screen colour TV range but for design reasons decided to fit an additional glass plate over the front of the cabinet secured with clips. They were a terrible dust trap and receivers would come in with hardly anything visible on the tube face. A dab of washing up liquid on a damp cloth finished with a dry towel usually returned the excellent picture to new. It had to be done very discreetly if the proud lady of the house was watching.
I also had the 'That is not my set!' syndrome after cleaning Rexine cabinets with 'Flash' and a nail brush.
The aerosol cleaners were grand and I never had a lettering disaster with them. They even cleaned up speaker cloths if care was taken.
Yes the World was tar covered back in the 60/70's for sure. Arcing lopt's, tube anode caps [leading to a cracked tube] and numerous other faults. All the fun of the fair. J.
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Old 27th Jul 2012, 9:12 am   #28
Mike Phelan
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Default Re: Removing Nicotine staining from Plastic?

I've always found Amberclens foam cleaner usually does the job.

The only one where it failes was on a Blaupunkt radiogram with a padded and studded cocktail cabinet.
The previous owner was a member of the puff 'n' cough brigade and I had to remove the vinyl and scrub it with washing powder to change it from brown to silver-grey.
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Old 27th Jul 2012, 9:16 pm   #29
robjkmannering
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Default Re: Removing Nicotine staining from Plastic?

I have found that any biological washing powder works well and will strip emulsion from rexine effectively as well. This also works well with knobs that have nicotine ingrained into them.

Rob
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Old 28th Jul 2012, 1:13 pm   #30
rmslt56
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Default Re: Removing Nicotine staining from Plastic?

Biotex is used by antiques dealers to clean ceramics which have been coated over the years with cigarette smoke and smoke from coal fires.

Doug
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Old 1st Aug 2012, 10:53 pm   #31
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Default Re: Removing Nicotine staining from Plastic?

I remember those TVs with a flat glass front. Grundig and even some Fidelity/Amstrad sets had them, terrible idea. The filth that got behind was unbelievable, although I think Grundig knew this because to remove them you just had to slide the clips on the front. Customers were usually impressed by the difference. I used to use Jif (as it was called then) cream, used to do the job really well.
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Old 2nd Aug 2012, 9:04 am   #32
Mike Phelan
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Default Re: Removing Nicotine staining from Plastic?

All TVs were like that once!
A screen clean was a regular item on field service.
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Old 2nd Aug 2012, 9:25 pm   #33
stuart_morgan_64
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Default Re: Removing Nicotine staining from Plastic?

I have always used Cif bathroom mousse. Never taken lettering off yet, and gets all ciggi stains off.
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Old 3rd Aug 2012, 1:13 pm   #34
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Default Re: Removing Nicotine staining from Plastic?

I have just used alloy wheel foam cleaner and it worked well on a painted cabinet and did not remove lettering. Expensive sports car wheels have lettering on them.
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Old 5th Aug 2012, 12:51 am   #35
kalee20
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Default Re: Removing Nicotine staining from Plastic?

I have a chassis from a Pye 67A which seems to have been used in a room where either there was a heavy smoker, or a very smoky fire. The grey painted chassis is covered in a light brown film. (The speaker seems OK).

Electrolube Fluxclene has shifted some - this is citrus based (jay oldstuff wondered above). Refugee's suggestion was plausible - I have just been out to the jalopy and brought in Turtle Wax 'Alloy Wheel Clean' which is good stuff.

I'm cautious about this stuff as I believe it has a small percentage of hydrochloric acid, and a very small percentage of hydrofluoric acid, in it - the latter being rather nasty. It does a good job on wheels though...

Result? Reasonably effective, but dulls the paint, compared with the Fluxclene. So tomorrow it'll be trying Ambersil Grooom foaming cleanser (I know I have a can at home).
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Old 10th Aug 2012, 11:07 am   #36
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Default Re: Removing Nicotine staining from Plastic?

Proceed with caution Dave whatever you do, I once spent some time trying to restore a plastic cased Bush transistor to a pristine white; after I read the service sheet properly I discovered it was not meant to be a pristine white. Fortunately no damage was done.
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