Here in the UK we have a spray called Mr. Sheen, that works wonders without any damage (I use it on speaker cabinets, amplifiers, receivers etc), just a thought for anyone in the UK.

Love your store. One of our favorite places in Des Moines. We are in WA sate now getting ready to enjoy the Mirantz 19 and the Sansui and the Pioneer receivers and all of the Bose, JVC, Pioneer and Advent speakers we bought from you. We miss that place!

@skylabsaudio

2 жыл бұрын

Hey Scott! Glad you are finally going to get to enjoy your gear in your new home! We miss seeing you and your wife as well! Take care! Kevin

Best glass cleaner for my vintage Pioneers is the old school brand Sprayway w/foaming action and ammonia free. White can blue cap. Stunningly clear results. I use it exclusively on all glass at home now.

I've always used very mild mix of dish soap and water. Never thought of magic eraser, great tip. I'm ashamed to admit cleaning the inside of a Fisher FM 100 faceplate I wiped the entire tuning lettering away with windex! Cleaning the knobs as you did can yield amazing results you don't realize how dirty they are.

@skylabsaudio

Жыл бұрын

Agree! Knobs are NASTY.

I recently pulled my 2220B out of storage. Your videos are very informative! I like seeing a Iowa guy on here! I'll be stopping in next time I'm in your part of the state.

Excellent procedure and video! Just a tip I've learned over the years with faceplate lenses- if they are a plastic or resin type, using a white vinegar/ water mixture will keep them clear and clean almost anything off of them. Glass cleaners with ammonia based ingredients will sometimes result in a cloudy finish. Just something I've learned over the years.

Thank you very much for offering your professional insight into how to clean these things. Excellent information.

I’ve had good luck cleaning up receiver knobs by putting them in an ultrasonic jewelry cleaner. Simple Green at about 25 percent and water. 10 minutes and usually even the cruddiest, shine right up.

Thanks so much for this! Cleaned multiple Marantz plates and a couple Fisher plates with run of the mill dollar store magic erasers and water with success, thank you for the extra tips man, cheers!

Thanks for sharing. Ill be cleaning all my Marantz faceplates like this. Two thumps up.

I use Simple Green instead of Formula 409. Available everywhere. It seems to pull out deep grime such as smoke residue better. And it seems to be gentle on silk-screened letters. Also, rather than buff drying when you’re almost done and risking hazing the smoked plastic, hold the panel under a hot water tap. Shake dry and towel dry and the heat will dry water in nooks and crannies quickly. Hot water really gets all the cleaner and dirt residue off.

@TheAgeOfAnalog

11 ай бұрын

Yep

@goodun2974

9 ай бұрын

Formula 409 is nasty stuff that smells kind of like oven cleaner (the fumes make me gag). If I remember correctly, the bottle tells you not to use it on porcelain or glass, which should tell you something about how strong it is.

a little Q-tip tip, they make a pointed one for makeup that works very well for tight or edges like where the plastic and plate meet. good video!

Just bought a sx-650 and this is what I was looking for!

Thanks for the info!! I just finished troubleshooting my 4300 Quadradial. What a beast!! Left channel kept cutting out. Took it apart and sprayed all the pots, switches, even used your 409 method to clean knobs and face plate and it’s gorgeous!! Plus both channels now work. Btw, I realized that the screws I was using to fasten the wood case were too long, and one of them was hitting some of electronics. So I’m not sure if that was the issue or cleaning the pots. But it sounds so damn good!!

As an alternative method, I've had great luck with using a paste made out of baking soda and water. I think it works best if the consistency is about that of wet sand (not soupy). With that I just use my hands to rub that into the knobs or faceplate, but an old toothbrush works well too. The old brown gunk which seems to be nicotine and dirt comes right off and they look new. I haven't found any problems with it etching the aluminum or taking off the black lettering. Just rinse well when done as baking soda is mildly alkaline and you don't want it on the aluminum for too long.

Thanks for this! I just got a Sansui 661 that was in bad shape and smelled like 50 years of nicotine. It showed. I couldn’t even work on repairs before seriously cleaning it up first, so gave it the 409 treatment - looks great. Thanks again.

I've used Sprayway glass cleaner on every piece I've owned. Never had any lettering come off and it cleans amazingly well.

Great video as always … keep up the good work , really enjoy your videos! Thanks for the advice on my G-9000

Nice info. Somehow or another I'm going to tie this video into why I only vacuum my carpet twice a year...

Okay, the magic eraser tip is the best ever. I have just begun to bring my marantz 2238B back from the dead after it got me through college in the late '70s early '80s. After that I used it in my detailing shop for years and I'm afraid the moisture took its toll on the receiver appearance-wise. I've been looking for a used faceplate or a used unit to use for parts when I saw your video. I removed the faceplate and sprayed it down with glass cleaner and then cleaned it with hot soapy water but still some spots and stains remained. You are right about the screen lettering on marantz units. I started carefully with the magic eraser but when it became apparent it was not harming the lettering I just rub the whole front down and it looks amazing! Knobs are soaking now but the front is looking so nice I am going to continue with the internals and some LED lighting. It will be nice to use this beautiful equipment again.

@goodun2974

9 ай бұрын

Be extremely careful when cleaning things with a Magic Eraser "sponge". It's actually Melamine, which is a hard plastic used for laminated kitchen counters, that has been foamed up with air, and it's fairly abrusive.

Thank you for the very informative video!

Thanks for the info. Need to go clean my pioneer sx1080 now.

Great tutorial. One thing to be careful of is make sure the cleaner is safe on aluminum, as some will cause etching and make the surface into a dirt/mildew magnet. For very special projects I've carefully masked the transparent display and sprayed a clear coat after cleaning. Wow, that brought back the fresh, brand new look and will protect the lettering for many years.

This one popped up on my feed. 409 has their own Stainless Steel formulation, that I have had good results with, plus my stove likes it as well.

@skylabsaudio

Жыл бұрын

Interesting, I'll definitely give it a shot! Thanks

Good vídeo. Thanks

WOW!! Thanks so much.

For those from Canada, 409 equivalent is Hertel Plus, available everywhere.

Thanks so much for super videos. I'm new to this and found so much good information here. Here is a crazy subject that I got myself tangled in. I bought a Japanese Market Yamaha, and the does and don'ts when it comes to step down transformers can be challenging. Why don't you do a video about that. There are so many opinions.

Thanks,very good video 🙂

I've had excellent results using 99% isopropyl alcohol, followed by 5% silicone spray lubricant. The silicone gently cleans off what the alcohol didn't remove, plus it leaves a very nice shiny and smooth surface after it's buffed off; it's excellent on veneer a well.

@xxmrrickxx

10 ай бұрын

I used IPA with great luck for a long time until I cleaned a Kenwood faceplate and the lettering came off like magic marker, arrrghhh. It took a year before finding a faceplate on the auction site to finish the project.

Than you great info next how to clean and paint cover

Great video, what about cleaning the backside? I have a Marantz 2252 that the screws and inputs on the bak have alot of green looking corrosion/mold? Thanks.

Hola. Muy buenos tus vídeos. Realmente los frentes quedan como nos gusta a los que tenemos plateados. Sabes si se pueden quitar rayas en el aluminio? Muchas gracias.

I use a medium to hard bristle toothbrush with Crest toothpaste and 70% isopropyl alcohol to easily remove cigarette tar from most surfaces. Some older plastics very very rarely negatively react to the alcohol, so do very small test spot on an unseen surface.

I e found that Simple Green concentrate, in a 1:3 solution, works quite well to combat cigarette smoke staining.

@skylabsaudio you can get sharpie marks off by taking a dry erase marker and marking over the sharpie. It will just wipe away.

I like the video but have a question l. I own a pioneer sx1250 and the black letter are not as vivid. Can I use black paint to fill the engraved letter and wipe off? Any recommendations? Thanks

Dish soap & warm water does the job. When someone finds a way to clean up the oxidation marks (as seen on face plate around the 10:30 mark in your vid), let us know.

@michaelpung4121

Жыл бұрын

Magic eraser cleaned the spots off mine

I recently bought one of those Scrub Daddy sponges. They become soft in warm/hot water and supposedly will not scratch surfaces. Might be another good option.

The 409 people were probably concentrating on hospital grade cleaner. I worked in healthcare during that time and it was really hard to get cleaners that we needed.

Will this same proicess work for vintage turntable plinths? Specifically, the plastic/vinyl plinth like a Pioneer PL-518?

Least possible and move up as far as detergent. I’d would try microfiber and glasses cleaner as a starting point. Just my opinion, I could be wrong. Also good luck.❤ There are two grades of “goof off” one is industrial, be careful They make plastic cleaner for car applications, I’m complicating things and I’m sorry if that’s so. The metal should should be great!

@Walker.greg369

6 ай бұрын

Your great Kevin , “everyone smoked in the 70s”

This is so cool I have a pioneer sg 9000, cassette deck ct f1000 and a TX 9500ii but they all have a few dents and scratches also my deck at bottom of tape player paint its fading. Any idea how to fix it and any paint for plastic parts? Thank you !!!

@skylabsaudio

Жыл бұрын

Sorry, I don't. Wish I did!

I have a vintage c1990 Denon PMA-970 amplifier I want to put on E-Bay but it has some minor scratches on the faceplate should I list it as is or try to clean it myself ? Thank-you in advance .

"finish up my knobs"........lmao

after cleaning I use...jewlers Rouge....with micro fibre cloth on the metal...avoid the lettering ...

What about faceplates and knobs that have the letters and designs engraved into the them and the paint is flaking off, what kind of paint would be recommended?

Ever use hairspray for the sharpie?

Anyone have any tips on repainting the case on stereos any videos ?

Kevin when you do clean an 80 Technics.......is there a particular soft cleaner you use???? Just water????

Hello can i use LCD cleaner tissues to clean my stereos and hifi then wipe of with microfiber rag?

Try Awesome that’s awesome enough said .

How do you put the Marantz knobs back on?

Great video! I have 2250 faceplate with a half inch crack in the "glass". Do you have any tips on minimizing the appearance of the crack?

@skylabsaudio

Жыл бұрын

Not that I know of

Do you use same technique to clean a silver plastic turntable body? Like on old Technics and Yamaha turntables.

@skylabsaudio

Жыл бұрын

Absolutely, just be careful of lettering.

Great video, I recently got a vintage Panasonic Technics SA500 FM/AM stereo receiver. It's in mint condition. Want to clean the faceplate any recommendations on what to use? Thanks

@odhinn9

5 ай бұрын

Did you watch the video? It's all there...

My favorite is when they use a metal engraver and put their S.S. # right there next to MARANTZ.

@skylabsaudio

Жыл бұрын

Yeah, I have seen that a few times myself. Turns the stomach doesn't it. Lol

@markgettemeyer1145

Жыл бұрын

I just saw a 2230 on eBay with that. It was a beautiful unit otherwise! 🙄

@Dixler683

Жыл бұрын

@@skylabsaudio petty theft of stereos was really the thing growing up in the 70’s. The local police encouraged owners to bring in equipment for free engraving. They put it in the most conspicuous place to discourage theft/resale.

@solice8844

Жыл бұрын

@@Dixler683 Absolutely, I bought my Marantz 2270 in 1974 and that’s exactly what the police told us. It would identify us as the actual owner in the event it was stolen and later recovered by police. Speaker sets, guitars, etc. were also subject to engraving.

@Joe-mz6dc

11 ай бұрын

I find serial numbers kind of sexy. But I'm a cyborg so I guess I'm an exception.

Anyone have any good tips an getting light scratches from brushed aluminium faceplates ( thankfully not near any lettering). Cheers

if you do get lettering off and the face is pretty bad, you can always re-screen print it. it is not that difficult. or you can find someone who does screen printing to help you. you will have to invest in a new screen for your project if they are t-shirt printers as it takes a higher resolution screen for metal and glass.

Magic Eraser is pumice. Equivalent to 3000 to 5000 grit sandpaper. I would rather leave the marks on the plastic.

Oddly enough, working on a Technics RS-M8 with labeling partially gone on the plate. Have you any experience on printing out, etc new labeling for such things?

This worked very well on my ( gasp) Kenwood KA 5500. Boy is she filthy inside tho…..

Getting ready to do the same cleaning on a Fisher 440T. Think this will do it. Side note, bare skin on Goo-gone is brave /s Stuff stinks so bad. ;)

I have a late 70s Realistic SA-1001 amp that I have had for years and lettering is worn around some of the knobs. Is there a source of rub on lettering for electronic gear?

I've got a question, not a comment, so I hope you're still monitoring your older videos. While cleaning the face of my Marantz 115b tuner, the black plastic portion of the faceplate separated from the aluminum portion. If you have cleaned over 200 faceplates, I suspect that you've probably had the same thing happen to you. What's the best product you've found to secure the plastic portion of the faceplate to the aluminum portion? Thanks in advance, I definitely appreciate your expertise! Okay, I've got a comment too. Thanks for your instructional videos, they're a great help. I recently retired from my day job and am going to mess around with restoring vintage stereo equipment for fun.

@odysseus521

4 ай бұрын

I've used locktite 404. It's like crazy glue. Worked well for me.

@brianhagerty7248

4 ай бұрын

Thanks Sir, I appreciate the recommendation.

Hello I have a 1967 Magnavox Console and unfortunately the turntable needs some work. The cartridge and the needle needs to be replaced and the turntable makes loud noises. Can you please help? Also do you sell turntables for 1967 Console so I can purchase one from you?

Are there any faceplate restoration services? Somebody that screen prints original graphics on worn, vintage audio faceplates? Seems like there's a call for a service like this. I have numerous vintage components that are missing numbers and lettering. Old Fisher components seem particularly troublesome.

@skylabsaudio

2 жыл бұрын

Would love to find someone myself. If anyone knows someone, please reply to this post!

@MarvinHartmann452

10 ай бұрын

Maybe a shop that makes lithography. I know a place but I'm not in the US and they do it for me because I know the owner and I do pay very well. Hopefully you can find one in your area.

I dont use any of those ...I use simple plain cold slow running water a few drops of fairly liquid 1x microfibre cloth and my fingers and that just works perfectly for me everything has come up nice and clean then I use my electronic dust blower to blow out any other droplets of water remaining and it also drys it . ☺️👍

Do you have any suggestions on repairing scratches on a faceplace?

@skylabsaudio

Жыл бұрын

Wish I did, sorry

Step 1: A sink Step 2: Water & soap

@joeschmo4170

Жыл бұрын

Always been my way to go. Just warmish water not too hot and good ole sunlight dish liquid.

@jameslynch7826

Жыл бұрын

I totally agree- you don’t want to be anything acidic or alkaline or acetone or sodium bicarbonate as they will react badly. Warm water Cotton wool Dish washing liquid Old toothbrush Far better than using caustic or abrasive stuff

When reassembling don’t leave any finger prints on the backside, you’ll have to disassemble again to clean up the mark.

Akai has fragile lettering too

I have a '77 Marantz 2385, and I'm currently changing my dashboard fuse lights with new original 8V 200ma bulbs. Even though the removal of the face plate was easy, it's the removal of the light housing to get to the bulbs that was somewhat ardouous. The needle was the most interesting part, getting it out of the way. I've comfortably managed to get it moved. While I'm waiting on my bulbs to arrive I've begun cleaning my faceplate. Here's my question. On this model of receiver, is the clear window acrylic or is it actual glass ? It appears to be glass. Anybody know for sure ?

@odysseus521

4 ай бұрын

Just as an added note, I cleaned my face plate with warm water and dove soap, rinse then dry. I used a good spray wax and lightly sprayed on a micro fibre cloth then polished it in. Turned out beautifully

Sharpie ink is alcohol-based. A little isopropyl will take it off instantly.

Is this not definitely gonna be a fun one?

To remove Sharpie 70% rubbing alcohol is more mild than Goo Gone.

A much better way to get rid of marker/Sharpie is rubbing alcohol! You were very lucky that Goo Gone didn't melt the plastic! I've had Goo Gone and Goof Off both melt plastic before!

With today computers and printers, I would thing reproducing the face plate lettering is possible.

I have great luck using toothpaste on faceplates…cheap..very mild abrasive…and smells minty….😊

Careful with Goo Be Gone. Tried it on a spot on a vinyl record one time that had a piece of crud absolutely stuck to it. Tried soaking it and tried alcohol and would not come loose. I put a dab o Goo Be Gone. Ruined the record.

409. whats that, dish soap?

@johnk6837

Жыл бұрын

General household surface cleaner

@gioscervelo

Жыл бұрын

@@johnk6837 thanks. i should have asked what was in it. we don't have that brand.

@darvinsparks2538

Жыл бұрын

Try "Fantastik All Purpose Cleaner" from J&J, it works as well as 409 and may be available in your area. Not as smelly either.

A dry erase board pen could take away the Sharpie marks!

@skylabsaudio

Жыл бұрын

Thanks, I'll try that

@Dixler683

Жыл бұрын

@@skylabsaudio if it is glass , lacquer thinner will remove it quickly. If plastic , naphtha works well. Never use lacquer thinner on plastic or the lettering.

Just be careful with those printed legends on the backside of the face plate. NEVER touch them or if you do, kiss them goodbye. Knobs and levers can be cleaned with a little laundry powder in a bowl of water. Soak for a while and brush off with your used toothbrush. Presto, shiny new.

They look in your eye and THEY LIE TO YOU! 🤣🤣🤣🤣