Subject: Re: Removing duct tape residue.

From: Joe <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu May 15 15:46:01 2003

At 05:06 AM 1/29/03 -0600, Toth wrote:

>
>> For cleaning computer plastics, the absolute best product I've found (in
>> the US) is Hoppe's No. 9 Powder Solvent.  Found at your local sporting
>> goods store.  Even removes PERMANENT Sharpie.
>
>Has anyone tried removing Sharpie from a chassis with textured paint? I
>have a couple of items that were marked up with a Sharpie, and short of
>paint thinner (which seems to dilute and bury the ink in the paint while
>damaging the texture), I've found nothing that seems to work.

   I've used alcohol on that stuff and it seems to remove some but not all
of it. I've never found anything that would remove it completely.

   Joe

---

From: Vintage Computer Festival <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu May 15 17:37:01 2003

> of it. I've never found anything that would remove it completely.

Try using a stiff plastic bristle brush with the alcohol.  It'll get
deeper into the texture and remove more.

-- 

Sellam Ismail                                        Vintage Computer Festival
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
International Man of Intrigue and Danger                http://www.vintage.org

 * Old computing resources for business and academia at www.VintageTech.com *

---

From: Tothwolf <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu May 15 18:32:00 2003

On Thu, 15 May 2003, Vintage Computer Festival wrote:
> > > Has anyone tried removing Sharpie from a chassis with textured
> > > paint? I have a couple of items that were marked up with a Sharpie,
> > > and short of paint thinner (which seems to dilute and bury the ink
> > > in the paint while damaging the texture), I've found nothing that
> > > seems to work.
> >
> > I've used alcohol on that stuff and it seems to remove some but not
> > all of it. I've never found anything that would remove it completely.
>

The textured paint I have with sharpie on it has a very light texture. The
problem seems to be that the paint is "soft", or some kind of scratch
resistant paint, and the sharpie was pulled down into tiny pores in the
paint. I've been wondering if I'd be better off just repainting the
covers, as they aren't very large. I just don't know where I'd get that
kind of paint, or how it needs to be cured.

-Toth

---

From: Tothwolf <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu May 15 18:34:00 2003

On Thu, 15 May 2003, Joe wrote:
> > Has anyone tried removing Sharpie from a chassis with textured paint?
> > I have a couple of items that were marked up with a Sharpie, and short
> > of paint thinner (which seems to dilute and bury the ink in the paint
> > while damaging the texture), I've found nothing that seems to work.
>

That pretty much describes my experience with it :/

-Toth

---

From: Jim <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu May 15 21:54:00 2003

Get thee to your local gun shoppe and pick up a bottle of Hoppe's No. 9 
Powder Solvent.  Takes most every thing off.  Haven't used it on painted 
surfaces, but it'll remove the unremovable from plastic. Methyl alcohol 
is the 'official' solvent for Sharpie ink though. Available from your 
local pharmacist.

Jim

---

From: Joe <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu May 15 21:56:09 2003

>kind of paint, or how it needs to be cured.

   Check with automotive paint suppliers. They have every color under the
rainbow and now that most of the new cars are being made of plastic they
carry paint that's designed for use on plastic. Paint made for metal
finishes never does work well on plastic. It's not flexible enough and it
usually flakes and peels. You'd probably have to buy a minimum of a quart
of paint so the cost might be prohibitive. You'd also need a GOOD
compressor and spray gun and a place to spray so it's a big investment.

   The problem is that most computer stuff seems to use a peeble finish and
not a smooth finish. You need to sand the surface in order to get the paint
to stick but if you do you lose the peeble finish. If you don't sand then
the new paint flakes off and in addition the new paint fills a lot of
peeble finish anyway. You might be able to bead blast it to roughen the
surface without losing the finish but now you need more equipment!

   I see on TV that they now have lasers that can burn off dark spots like
freckles and tatoos without burning the lighter color skin around them. I
wonder if something like that could be used to burn off dark marker stains
without damaging the lighter surrounding area. Yeah I know that kind of
equipment is expensive but I wonder if it would work. If so there are some
of us that could build their own lasers or modify existing ones. Just an idea.

    Joe

---

From: Don Maslin <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu May 15 23:52:01 2003

> is the 'official' solvent for Sharpie ink though. Available from your

Are you sure?  Being the poisonous one (vs ethyl alcohol) it would
be a bit surprising for a pharmacist to trade in that item.

						- don

---

From: Mail List <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu May 15 23:53:01 2003

OK, I've said this before, but no one listened?

I've gotten sharpie marker completely off painted metal computer
items with acetone. It takes a little paint off too, so don't rub too
hard, for too long in one spot. Don't use acetone near any ignition
sources, like a lit cigarette, or a hot water heater pilot light, etc. It's
explosively flammable.

If it's sharpie marked plastic, best results are first clean with alcohol
to get a lot of it. Then, with an alcohol wetted paper towel, sprinkle
some comet cleanser on the towel to make an alcohol/comet paste,
and scrub till it's off. Use pure white paper towels, because the ink from
printed ones tends to come off back onto the surface you're cleaning.

Acetone will also take sharpie off plastic too, but it will take some plastic
with it, and leave textured surfaces smooth afterwards.

---

From: Jim <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri May 16 00:41:00 2003

That's where I've found it in the past... (About six months ago when 
grandchild #1 decided he wanted to be the next Picasso.  Thoroughly 
decorated the kitchen floor. Cost about $6/ltr IIRC.)

Jim

---

From: Jim <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri May 16 00:51:01 2003

That's why I use Hoppe's Powder Solvent. Removes the ink w/o damaging 
the plastic. (Many gun parts are plastic these days...) Many industrial 
solvents are also plastic solvents. Acetone, methyl chloride, toluene... 
Not good for plastic. I was given the Hoppe's solution by an 
acquaintance whose business is buying last year's PCs from gov't 
auctions and reselling retail. Damage is an unacceptable consequence of 
cleaning. Lowers the retail value and hence the profit.

Jim

---

From: Mail List <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri May 16 01:35:01 2003

Hello Jim,

 > Damage is an unacceptable consequence of cleaning.
 > That's why I use Hoppe's Powder Solvent.

Yes, but the previous paragraph was about the kinder and gentler
alcohol / comet cleanser paste. Just requires mucho more elbow
grease. I'd bet the comet is similar to your Hoppe's Powder, but
not being a specialty product, probably is lower in cost, and being
found in every grocery store, more readily available.

Once you've tried it and gotten comfortable with the acetone technique, ie.
learned when it might work for you, and how to go about it, etc. It doesn't
really damage an item, it just modifies it. Smooth finish plastic is all right
too. And clean is better than all marked up. But, the amount of time you
wish to put into the scrubbing techniques will be dependant upon how
important it is to you to keep it in as close to original condition as 
possible,
and how much time you have to make available to do so.

At 10:49 PM 5/15/03 -0700, you wrote:
>That's why I use Hoppe's Powder Solvent. Removes the ink w/o damaging the 
>plastic. (Many gun parts are plastic these days...) Many industrial 
>Not good for plastic. I was given the Hoppe's solution by an acquaintance 
>whose business is buying last year's PCs from gov't auctions and reselling 
>retail. Damage is an unacceptable consequence of cleaning. Lowers the 
>retail value and hence the profit.
>
>Jim
>
>Mail List wrote:
>

---

From: Chad Fernandez <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri May 16 02:04:00 2003

Mail List wrote:
> grease.

Which may scratch painted metal, since comet is an abrasive.

> I'd bet the comet is similar to your Hoppe's Powder, but

I doubt that an abrasive is a common gun cleaning recommendation.

> too.

Not when it is surrounded by texture.

> And clean is better than all marked up.

Not when the cleaning is destructive.  Besides there are alternatives 
that will clean and not be destructive.

Try 3M's Adhesive remover.  It's an auto body shop product.

Chad Fernandez
Michigan, USA

---

From: Doc <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri May 16 07:16:00 2003

> grease. I'd bet the comet is similar to your Hoppe's Powder, but

   Ahh, no.  That's "Hoppe's"  "Powder Solvent", not "Hoppe's Powder" 
"Solvent".  As in removing gunpowder residues.  It is magical stuph.

   Comet is very destructive on PVCs and softer plastics.  Not-an-option.

	Doc

---

From: Gene Ehrich <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri May 16 08:24:01 2003

We are going to be driving from Florida to New Jersey (Phila area) in a few 
weeks and wondered if anybody has any thrift shop type places that often 
have good old computer items that they could recommend in the area.

Same question for Denver/Colorado Springs area.

Thanx in advance

---

From: Mail List <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri May 16 09:52:00 2003

Doc,

 > Comet is very destructive on PVCs and softer plastics.  Not-an-option.

It doesn't hurt a monitor housing one bit. See my other post.

---

From: Mail List <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri May 16 09:55:01 2003

Hello Chad,

Perhaps you hadn't read the entire thread on this?

 > Which may scratch painted metal, since comet is an abrasive.

Part of the previous messages was about getting Sharpie marker
off plastic. That's what I said I've used the alcohol / comet paste on.

 > I doubt that an abrasive is a common gun cleaning recommendation.

You'd have to ask the gun experts. I'd never heard of this Hoppe's Powder
Solvent before. It wasn't I that was advocating it's use. But if I ever 
have some,
I'd be willing to give it a try just to see how it did. But at the present 
time, already
having a proven effective method of cleaning the Sharpie off plastic with 
commonly
available materials already at hand, I don't yet have the need to run out 
and get
any of the Hoppe's Powder.

>>Smooth finish plastic is all right
>>too.

 > Not when it is surrounded by texture.

On something like a huge monitor, the marking were generally on the top
of the bezel. I'd cleaned / smoothed the top, stopping at the corners and it
looked acceptably ok when it was done. The corners provided a transition
point from being smooth on the top to textured on the sides.

Sometimes the parts are worth enough to put a lot of time into it, and 
sometimes
they're not. As monitors declined in value, the time available to clean or 
refurbish
them also had to correspondingly be reduced. Part of it also depends on how 
much
spare time you have, and what value you place on that time. The time it 
took to clean
a monitor as I describe below was only something I could do in times past. 
With monitor
values having declined to where they are now, I could only do this cleaning 
for one
I was going to use myself these days. I stopped selling any monitors a long 
time ago,
and now excess ones only go to scrap. But ...

If you have an old 13" or 14" VGA monitor you've picked up at uni or gov't 
surplus,
if it's an average small size PC monitor, it's not worth a whole lot these 
days, so
you wouldn't be risking much to experiment on it. My method was to take the 
back
casing off the monitor and clean it up in the bath. Squirt straight 
dishwashing liquid
on a scrub brush, the sprinkle comet on heavily to get a paste, then scrub. 
It scrubs
the sharpie marker off very very well. Then either let it dry overnight, or 
blow dry with
air.

On the body of the monitor, since it couldn't go into the bath and get soaked,
I used the alcohol on a white paper towel and got off as much as I could. Then
I wet another paper towel with alcohol, sprinkled on comet, and scrubbed. The
alcohol comet paste scrubs the Sharpie marking off very well. When I cleaned
monitors this way, when I was done, they were so clean, even though they
started out dirty and marked up, when done, they looked like they just came
right out of the box new. The 20" Sony I'm sitting here in front of right 
at the
moment was done this way. The results were perfect. The texture was not
disturbed in any noticeable way.

You can choose to disbelieve, or you can give it a try. Your choice.

At 02:57 AM 5/16/03 -0400, you wrote:
>Not when the cleaning is destructive.  Besides there are alternatives that 
>will clean and not be destructive.
>

---

From: Chad Fernandez <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri May 16 10:33:31 2003

> "Solvent".  As in removing gunpowder residues.  It is magical stuph.

Will is make me fly :-)

>   Comet is very destructive on PVCs and softer plastics.  Not-an-option.

Comet is something I use on computers all the time.  I find that if it 
does scratch the plastic it is so fine that it really isn't noticeable 
on a textured plastic surface, especially if you wax the surface 
afterwords.  There was one item that did get scratched significantly, 
but I can't recall what it was..... seems like it was some Apple // item.

I wouldn't use Comet on painted metal, though.  Even on plastic you need 
to make sure you don't use it too dry.

Comet will normally make an IBM PS/2 look new again!

Chad Fernandez
Michigan, USA

---

From: [email-masked]
Date: Fri May 16 11:37:40 2003

I usually see isopropanol rather than methanol at the pharmacist.

Peace...  Sridhar

---

From: [email-masked]
Date: Fri May 16 11:39:11 2003

On Fri, 16 May 2003, Chad Fernandez wrote:

> > alcohol / comet cleanser paste. Just requires mucho more elbow grease.
>

I use soft scrub.

Peace...  Sridhar

---

From: Peter Turnbull <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri May 16 12:51:00 2003

> I usually see isopropanol rather than methanol at the pharmacist.

It may depend on the pharmacy, and methanol is more likely to be in the
back room than the front shelf.  IPA is sold as "rubbing alcohol" in
the States, "methylated spirit" for a variety of purpose is commonly
available in the UK and most of Europe -- it's a mixture of ethanol and
methanol (plus dye).  The point, however, is that methanol is a better
solvent for felt-tip and ballpoint pen inks than isopropanol is, and
that's what the original reference was about, IIRC.

For glue residue (incl. duct tape), though, what we call "white spirit"
or "turpentine substitute" (not to be confused with cellulose paint
thinner) in the UK, is better than any of the common alcohols.

None of the above will have any effect on most plastics, unlike
toluene, MEK, acetone, ..., all of which are solvents for many plastics
(in fact, for most non-waxy plastics, which leaves little but polythene
and PTFE).

-- 
Pete						Peter Turnbull
						Network Manager
						University of York

---

From: "TeoZ" <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri May 16 13:37:36 2003

How many people keep something as nasty as MEK in their house?
Generally if your trying to disolve something then pick a solvent in the
same family as the ink is made out of. like disolves like is a general rule.

---

From: "Fred Cisin (XenoSoft)" <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri May 16 13:42:00 2003

Sandblast (bead blast for more delicate surfaces
repaint

> And clean is better than all marked up.

Such as that O1 that Adam autographed

---

From: "Peter C. Wallace" <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri May 16 13:51:00 2003

> thinner) in the UK, is better than any of the common alcohols.

	Kerosene, Stoddard solvent or Toner dispersant are about the same as
"White spirit" I like to use Toner dispersant since its really clean and
practically odorless (mostly pure isoparafine). Deodorised kerosene for camp
stoves is also good and pretty cheap...

> (in fact, for most non-waxy plastics, which leaves little but polythene

Peter Wallace

---

From: Joe <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri May 16 14:51:00 2003

MEK has all but been banned in the US and is just about impossible for an
individual to obtain. Besides it EATS plastic!

   Joe

---

From: "TeoZ" <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri May 16 15:25:01 2003

Yes, but at one point in time not that long ago people used to clean their
hands with the stuff (guess thats why we live longer now). I am afraid to
find out what solvents and chemicals my father has in the garage these days.

Anyway the problem with computers is that the texture that makes markers and
sticky stuff so hard to clean off the plastic is easily damaged with
solvents and ruins the look of the part. MEK would actually disolve common
plastics (and has been used to do just that).

---

From: Tothwolf <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri May 16 17:49:01 2003

On Fri, 16 May 2003, Joe wrote:
> > Generally if your trying to disolve something then pick a solvent in
> > the same family as the ink is made out of. like disolves like is a
> > general rule.
>
> MEK has all but been banned in the US and is just about impossible for
> an individual to obtain. Besides it EATS plastic!

Are you sure? I have a small glass bottle of it that I've been using to
bond ABS plastic, for which it works very good. The last time (a year
ago?) I looked into buying a larger quantity from a chemical company, it
was still available...

-Toth

---

From: Don Maslin <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri May 16 17:51:00 2003

>  > That's why I use Hoppe's Powder Solvent.
                      ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Read this as "Hoppe's Gunpowder Residue Solvent" a liquid.

						- don

---

From: Mail List <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri May 16 18:04:00 2003

> Such as that O1 that Adam autographed

Then the GSA surplus employees wrote "LOT 42" right
over top of it.

---

From: Joe <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri May 16 19:00:49 2003

yes you can still get it but you have go to a chemical co. It's not
readily available the way that alcohol, mineral spirits, etc are.

    joe

---

From: Peter Turnbull <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri May 16 19:03:00 2003

> individual to obtain. Besides it EATS plastic!

I believe it's still commonly used for certain industrial processes.
 Yes, it does attack plastic -- that's it's principal use :-)  Ditto
for actone.

-- 
Pete						Peter Turnbull
						Network Manager
						University of York

---

From: Peter Turnbull <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri May 16 19:04:37 2003

> Generally if your trying to disolve something then pick a solvent in
the
> same family as the ink is made out of. like disolves like is a
general rule.

MEK isn't particularly nasty.  Less nasty than acetone, and you'll find
that in many houses (in the guise of nail polish remover).  Less nasty
than some of the things found in various paint thinners.

-- 
Pete						Peter Turnbull
						Network Manager
						University of York

---

From: Tothwolf <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri May 16 21:42:00 2003

On Fri, 16 May 2003, Joe wrote:
> > > MEK has all but been banned in the US and is just about impossible
> > > for an individual to obtain. Besides it EATS plastic!
> >
> > Are you sure? I have a small glass bottle of it that I've been using
> > to bond ABS plastic, for which it works very good. The last time (a
> > year ago?) I looked into buying a larger quantity from a chemical
> > company, it was still available...
>

Thats what I thought. Strange as it is, the small glass bottle of the
stuff I use for ABS I picked up at a local chain-type hobby store.

-Toth

---

From: Tothwolf <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri May 16 21:54:00 2003

On Thu, 15 May 2003, Joe wrote:
> > The textured paint I have with sharpie on it has a very light texture.
> > The problem seems to be that the paint is "soft", or some kind of
> > scratch resistant paint, and the sharpie was pulled down into tiny
> > pores in the paint. I've been wondering if I'd be better off just
> > repainting the covers, as they aren't very large. I just don't know
> > where I'd get that kind of paint, or how it needs to be cured.
>
> finishes never does work well on plastic. It's not flexible enough and
> it usually flakes and peels. You'd probably have to buy a minimum of a
> quart of paint so the cost might be prohibitive. You'd also need a GOOD

The covers that are marked up with sharpie are metal. The paint is kind of
soft and gives a little. I've not seen it used much. The covers are for
some SCSI drive chassis. I have both a compressor and spray gun, though
the compressor is a little too small for larger projects.

> not a smooth finish. You need to sand the surface in order to get the
> paint to stick but if you do you lose the peeble finish. If you don't
> sand then the new paint flakes off and in addition the new paint fills a
> lot of peeble finish anyway. You might be able to bead blast it to
> roughen the surface without losing the finish but now you need more
> equipment!

I guess you could say these have a pebble finish. The texture is pretty
fine and you don't notice it right away. I have a bead blasting cabinet,
but the metal underneath the paint is smooth. I guess the texture is only
part of the paint.

> freckles and tatoos without burning the lighter color skin around them.
> I wonder if something like that could be used to burn off dark marker
> stains without damaging the lighter surrounding area. Yeah I know that
> kind of equipment is expensive but I wonder if it would work. If so
> there are some of us that could build their own lasers or modify
> existing ones. Just an idea.

Thats an idea. That type of equipment turns up at local auctions every
year or two too. The last time that kind of gear turned up, one guy picked
up all 3 laser units for a total of $5.00 simply because no one else
wanted to haul them off. They do tend to be kind of bulky. He later told
me they worked fine, though one needs a supply of liquid helium or liquid
nitrogen to operate. Oh, and they use *lots* of electricity...

-Toth

---

From: Chad Fernandez <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri May 16 23:13:00 2003

> individual to obtain. Besides it EATS plastic!

Last I knew, Lowes carried it.

Chad Fernandez
Michigan, USA

---

From: Joe <[email-masked]>
Date: Sat May 17 07:05:01 2003

>but the metal underneath the paint is smooth. I guess the texture is only

  Correct. They call it splatter paint or something like that. It has lumps
in it and you spray it on that way. I guess the size of the lumps control
the size of the bumps in the finish. I used to work in a paint and body
shop and we used the stuff to re-pain the insides of trunks of 60s and 70s
cars that had that finish. The stuff they used left a greyish finish with
large spots and streaks of very dark color. 

   You can sandblast or bead plastic the base material (metal or plastic)
and then paint over it and get a rough finish but it will have holes and
dips in it instead of bumps (pebbles) so it's not the same.

>nitrogen to operate. Oh, and they use *lots* of electricity...

   I've never seen any of that stuff close up. What's the liguid mitrogen for?

    Joe

---

From: Joe <[email-masked]>
Date: Sat May 17 07:06:48 2003

>Last I knew, Lowes carried it.
    Hum. I'll have to check on that. Is it full strength (100%)? You can
still get MEK in things like PVC pipe glue, model airplane cement, etc but
it's not 100% pure and it has various amounts of platic and other fillers
dissolved in it.

    Joe

---

From: Chad Fernandez <[email-masked]>
Date: Sat May 17 08:21:00 2003

> it's not 100% pure and it has various amounts of platic and other fillers

I don't know if it's full strength or not..... what would it be thinned 
with?  I'll look too.  I'm curiuos now.  I need to go to Lowes any way 
to buy a dust pan and broom for the basement.

Chad Fernandez
Michigan, USA

---

From: Peter Turnbull <[email-masked]>
Date: Sat May 17 11:53:00 2003

> to buy a dust pan and broom for the basement.

I wouldn't expect it would be "thinned" with anything.  For use as a
plastic cement, it's usually thickened by dissolving ABS or PVC in it.
 Pure MEK is a very light colourless liquid.

-- 
Pete						Peter Turnbull
						Network Manager
						University of York

---

From: "Paul Pennington" <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun May 18 10:15:00 2003

I'm surprised no one here has mentioned De-Solv-It for removing sticky
label residue.  It's made from orange peels and is totally safe, yet works
very well to remove a variety of sticky remnants.  It was used extensively
during the Alaskan oil spill to remove oil from wildlife.  The company
president drank some of his product at a demonstration to prove its safety,
although they don't recommend this.

    The history and uses of the product are interesting:  see their web site
at:

    www.orange-sol.com

    It's available at Home Depot and Walmart or from the web site.

    I use it all the time to remove labels and their residue from old
computers and CD jewell cases.  It can even be used on paperback books and
sofware boxes, as long as they have a slick, shiny finish.

    Paul Pennington
    Augusta, Georgia

---

From: Joe <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun May 18 11:49:00 2003

What you're talking about is the same as Goo-Gone. It's been discussed
here several times before but it's not effective for removing hard dried on
tape resdue or permanent marker ink ("Sharpie" markers).  Otherwise it
great for tape and adhesive that hasn't dried up yet.

    Joe

---

From: James Rice <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun May 18 12:38:01 2003

I've had good luck with "Gum Label Remover" by Rawn America.  It's 
labeled as an  adhesive solvent and is sold for $4.99 a 3oz bottle at 
Fry's.  It's a blend of naptha and citrus solvents.  I've used it to 
remove velcro adhesive that I personally know was 12 years old from the 
side of monitors and had hardened to the point that it withstood 
scratching by my pocket knife.

James

-- 
http://webpages.charter.net/jrice54/classiccomp2.html

---

From: Vintage Computer Festival <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun May 18 19:02:00 2003

> although they don't recommend this.

Different citrus-based cleansers are more effective than others.  I've
never used Do-Solv-It before but Goof Off is basically the same thing and
works quite well.  I once used a product called "A Touch of Orange" and it
worked excellently with crayon on plastic cases (this is the way some
thrift stores annoyingly price their items).

> sofware boxes, as long as they have a slick, shiny finish.

Indeed.  But make sure you don't allow any to get into any cracks,
scratches or rips in the paper or else it will stain the cover.  Also,
avoid exposing it to the cut edge of the cover on paperbacks because it
will absorb into the paper pulp and cause discoloration.

It also helps to apply the cleaner to your rag first and then rub the
offending gunk with the rag.  Spraying any liquid onto a book can
sometimes have undesired effects if you're not careful.

--

---

From: Mike Ford <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon May 19 00:38:01 2003

>Then the GSA surplus employees wrote "LOT 42" right

That is when you start working with Qtips or bits of tissue wrapped on the 
end of tweezers, and practice until your good at controlling contact edge 
on something else.

---

From: Tothwolf <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon May 19 10:35:00 2003

On Sat, 17 May 2003, Joe wrote:
> > I guess you could say these have a pebble finish. The texture is
> > pretty fine and you don't notice it right away. I have a bead blasting
> > cabinet, but the metal underneath the paint is smooth. I guess the
> > texture is only part of the paint.
>
> Correct. They call it splatter paint or something like that. It has
> lumps in it and you spray it on that way. I guess the size of the lumps
> control the size of the bumps in the finish. I used to work in a paint
> and body shop and we used the stuff to re-pain the insides of trunks of
> 60s and 70s cars that had that finish. The stuff they used left a
> greyish finish with large spots and streaks of very dark color.
>

It sounds like the best thing I can do for now is leave it alone until I
can find out what kind of paint to use. I wouldn't mind repainting it, but
I don't want to mess it up. I have a number of these units, and would like
to preserve a consistent look.

Since the thread is already on the subject of paints...

How difficult would it be to touch up scratch damage on a painted metal
chassis? Specifically, I'd like to repair some transit damage on a SGI
IRIS 1400, which has an off-white lightly textured paint. The paint
differs from the drive chassis that has sharpie marks, in that the paint
on the SGI is very hard (and easier to chip/scratch) and the texture is
much more coarse. Also like the drive chassis, the texture appears to be
part of the paint and not the metal.

I also have a rack-mount device that was originally painted with a rubber
like paint that got "sticky" and made a mess. I've been trying to strip it
off of all the metal surfaces so I can repaint it with some regular
spray-on paint, but some of the metal is textured. What would be the best
way to get that nasty rubberized paint off the metal? The paint came right
off the non-textured metal with some paint stripper and a plastic scraper.

> > > I see on TV that they now have lasers that can burn off dark spots
> > > like freckles and tatoos without burning the lighter color skin
> > > around them. I wonder if something like that could be used to burn
> > > off dark marker stains without damaging the lighter surrounding
> > > area. Yeah I know that kind of equipment is expensive but I wonder
> > > if it would work. If so there are some of us that could build their
> > > own lasers or modify existing ones. Just an idea.
> >
> > year or two too. The last time that kind of gear turned up, one guy
> > picked up all 3 laser units for a total of $5.00 simply because no one
> > else wanted to haul them off. They do tend to be kind of bulky. He
> > later told me they worked fine, though one needs a supply of liquid
> > helium or liquid nitrogen to operate. Oh, and they use *lots* of
> > electricity...
>

These units were all cart-like and had wheels. They were of course older
units, and were not very small. I think they averaged about 1-1/2 to 2ft
square and about 3ft high. The liquid helium or liquid nitrogen was needed
by one of the units to cool part of the laser. The laser levels could be
adjusted for different things, and the guy who bought them told me he had
no trouble cutting 1/2" steel plate with one of them. Other than that, I
don't know too much more about them, but I wish I would have had room so I
could have bought them myself ;)

-Toth

---

From: Joe <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon May 19 11:29:41 2003

At 10:42 AM 5/19/03 -0500, you wrote:
>chassis? 

   It shouldn't be difficult at all if you have a decent paint gun and a
GOOD compressor.

Specifically, I'd like to repair some transit damage on a SGI
>part of the paint and not the metal.

   Again, I would suggest taking it to an automotive paint supplier and
letting them see if they can match the color an texture. I'm sure they can
match the color and I expect that they can match the texture as well. If
you're not handy with a paint gun then you could even take it to a paint
shop and have them do it. I had one piece repaired that way. They kind of
chuckled when I first brought it in but eventually painted it for me for
$12. (that was a long time ago!)

>like paint that got "sticky" and made a mess.

   I've seen stuff like that. I'm not sure what it was but I expect that it
might be an epoxy paint that didn't get mixed properly. Some of that stuff
can be a real B*****D to get off! If you can't strip it with paint
stripper, MEK or something like that you might try taking it to someone
that has a tank where they dip and strip furniture. If that doesn't get it
off then you're probably stuck with it.

 I've been trying to strip it
>could have bought them myself ;)

    Yeah. Sounds like a NEAT toy!

    Joe

---

From: ben franchuk <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon May 19 12:58:00 2003

> part of the paint and not the metal.
Have you checked with your local model hobby shop for paints?
Ben.