exterior cleaning

[kuad]

I'm new and did several searches and did not find anything on exterior cleaning. I have a marantz 2325 and wanted to clean the exterior buttons, knob ect.
grateful for any advice

 

[Cavity]

Also I would like assistance on my SA8800. Some areas of the front metal plate have old fingerprints.

 

[Rsclj]

Before you slather this all over the place CAREFULLY check the silk screening to be sure you don't destroy the printing on your face plate....

remove all the knobs grab an old toothbrush, qtips, and WINDEX...carefully test in a discrete area...spray the Windex on the qtip or tooth brush NOT the face plate...the knobs I blast at will!!

I have cleaned most everything...years of smoke...grease...PAINT...and YES even some LETTERS (off of an old nikko) but like the shampoo says lather, rinse, repeat...I have found that with some patience the Windex does a real nice job on alum knobs, face plates, and the vinyl case...just BE CAREFUL as I said I did remove some letters but it has only happened once...use the toothbrush ONLY to get into those fine grooves, tough stains, and tight spots...use the qtips for most of it...

I finish the NON silk screened areas, knobs, and other "safe" areas with Mothers Mag and wheel polish...cleans up nice and leaves a protective coat...

Again this is what has worked for me...and I an thrilled with the outcome...but your mileage may vary...

 

[Spalls]

I will second Rsclj's comments a bit: I take the knobs off and just let them sit in a cup full of ammonia and warm water for a while. Smooth knobs come out nice and shiny pretty quickly and this also loosens the gunk in textured knobs so that it is easier to clean with a tooth brush.

 

[Jailtime]

Lots of AK members like a product called BlueMagic, find it at an auto store. I've had some good luck with Turtle Wax on faceplates. As said before, careful with the lettering. Just toss the knobs in soapy water and brush them with a soft toothbrush.

 

[kuad]

I apoligize for being such a novice but how do you remove the knobs? I don't want to force them too much. there are no screws on the knob itself.

 

[Rsclj]

most knobs just "pluck" off. Round, square, push button...so on...some times "pluck" turns into a struggle...getting the knobs off of my SX-737 was so difficult that some of the alum sleeves came off of their plastic liner...but nothing more than 35 years of "gunk" held them on the shaft...check twice for set screws o the large knobs...

 

[kuad]

thanks!

 

[rpampt]

For those difficult to remove knobs, use 2 spoons (one behind each side of the knob) and pry off gently. Put masking tape or something similar on the back of the spoon to prevent scratching of the faceplate. Also as rsclg mentioned, some may have a set screw (or sometimes 2) that needs to be loosened first. I second the Windex and Mothers...

 

[Cactus Bob]

Diluted Simple Green works great and is the safest to me :yes:

 

[Sticklyman]

I recently had a pretty good success using plain old rubbing alcohol at 70% by volume, on an aluminum face-plate. I used a small paintbrush to get it on there and work it around some, then paper towels to remove it. The removal is important, otherwise the alcohol just dries and leaves all the gunk still on there, just in a new place.