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phipscube
October 22nd, 2004, 08:28
I have a very early Jap DC. Its one of the first 100,000 promotion box types with the cooling pipe system in it.

I have a problem with it thats been developing over time... its slowly getting yellow patches in areas on the casing where its getting hot and is looking quite tatty now. I heared that its possible to clean the Old PC Engine casing with some mild bleach and wondered if I could do this with my DC.

I'm really tempted to do this but don't want to risk completely ruining my casing.

Has anybody tried doing this, or know another method I could use to make my beloved old DC look nice again?

Thanks :)

LyonHrt
October 22nd, 2004, 09:37
Wow never heard of that problem myself.
But i think it should be ok to clean it using bleach, be carefull of the logo and printed text on it.
That said, if its yellow on the inside of the case, then it might not fix it, and most likely due to, to much heat.

tinku
October 22nd, 2004, 11:07
buy some black spray m8 lol !! ;D

or start mesuring up for a door stop.

tinku :)

qatmix
October 22nd, 2004, 12:16
I also have the same problem, there is ment to be some plastic polish which will sort it out. If you find out let me know.

phipscube
October 23rd, 2004, 09:43
LyonHrt, I was gonna try and take the logo off the case some how and glue it back on if I try bleach. *The main areas of discolouration are the whole top of the casing, most of the back, and a little bit on the modem. *The other side and the bottom are still white which is odd as you'd epect the bottom to be the worst.

tinku, heh heh! aye, that would be the easy way.

qatmix, thats really interesting! I'll investigate that.. btw, is your DC an early model jap with the cooling pipes inside? My asumption is that its only a problem with these early units as they do get very warm.

Also, the problem is definately not sunlight as I keep it in a corner of the room where the tv shades it.

phipscube
November 1st, 2004, 04:39
qatmix, I've tried soaking the back of my DC casing in mild bleach overnight (approx 10 hours). not a hint of change :(

I might try stronger bleach, but I don't think it will help. the only plastic polish I can come across that MIGHT work is expensive ($30) and only guarantees to get rid of scratches and discolouring on clear plastic.

I wish I could find specific info on how the old PC Engine's used to be cleaned with bleach. Mainly the concentration of bleach and time to leave soaking. (Im scared of overdoing it and wrecking the casing completely).

I will search more, but maybe its a lost cause.

Mental2k
November 1st, 2004, 17:26
could u buy new housing? or are these first few different

Kamjin
November 1st, 2004, 19:40
qatmix, I've tried soaking the back of my DC casing in mild bleach overnight (approx 10 hours). *not a hint of change :(

I might try stronger bleach, but I don't think it will help. *the only plastic polish I can come across that MIGHT work is expensive ($30) and only guarantees to get rid of scratches and discolouring on clear plastic.

I wish I could find specific info on how the old PC Engine's used to be cleaned with bleach. *Mainly the concentration of bleach and time to leave soaking. (Im scared of overdoing it and wrecking the casing completely).

I will search more, but maybe its a lost cause.

Sunlight.. heat and age are the main causes, bleach will help a bit.. but you'll probably have more fun cleaning it well, and then painting it something nice.. like metallic green 8)

Alexvrb
November 1st, 2004, 21:01
Has anyone tried 3M's Plastic Cleaner and/or their Plastic Polish? They're meant to be used together, but they can be kind of pricey, so maybe just the Polish (but clean your DC prior to using the polish).

phipscube
November 2nd, 2004, 02:01
Mental2k, I thought about getting a new housing... even buying a defective unit off Ebay. I guess I'm just being anal, i'd like to try and keep it as original as possible. I don't think there is much difference apart from the sticker underneath saying model number and serial code etc (Also the manufacture stamp in plastic under the top housing thats November 1998 ). I'm proud to have owned my DC since early 1999 and especially proud that its one of the first 100,000 promotion. I'm a bit daft eh? :P

Kamjin, I agree, I think its a combination of those now too, not just heat.... but I can't bear the thought of painting it.

Alexvrb, I think that stuff is used to remove scratches and make shiny... but i'll investigate it, maybe they have something to at least reduce discolouration, thanks! :)

qatmix
November 2nd, 2004, 05:14
Has anyone tried 3M's Plastic Cleaner and/or their Plastic Polish? They're meant to be used together, but they can be kind of pricey, so maybe just the Polish (but clean your DC prior to using the polish).

Thats the stuff, its ment to remove yellowing.

phipscube
November 2nd, 2004, 07:15
I'll get some and try it.

*update*

Ordered 3M cleaner and polish kit $17.95 for both together ($9.95 each)

I read a few car forums and it seems this stuff gets rid of yellowing on headlights as well as scratches! Bonus!

Just gotta wait for it to come now....

Will update you on how it works.

Alexvrb
November 2nd, 2004, 09:18
Yeah, I know it works pretty good on car stuff, but I haven't seen it used on non-automotive plastic. Heck, I haven't had to use it on my car at all, older vehicles tended to use more glass and metal. But it helped my brother's nasty looking headlights a lot. So it seemed like it was worth a shot before you had to declare it a lost cause and replace the entire case (or paint it, but that would remove the original look altogether). Good luck, and remember to check the instructions when in doubt.

phipscube
November 18th, 2004, 08:23
Well, got the polish, tried it...... didn't work at all.

Its looking DAMN spanky and new though!..... apart from the yellow patches :(

Ah well.

qatmix
November 18th, 2004, 11:08
:(