• The move to the new server is done. There are some software and database maintenance updates in process. This has us passing the hat around to help out. We appreciate any donations. Seriously, even a dollar helps. The payment page may be found here - https://www.audiokarma.org/support.html

Fixing those scratched dust covers..

The Meguiar's PlastX ($6.99 @ PepBoys) states (paraphrasing) to use a foam applicator, then polish off the residue with a clean terrycloth towel.
I used a piece of new sponge for the application.
Pressure was just about hard enough to just about move the cover (on countertop) while being held with the other hand.

After 1hr on my PS-X5 dustcover, it felt very, very smooth to the touch, but appeared a bit cloudier and more hazy than before.
Rinsing with soap/water did not change this per se (though, the beading of the water during rinsing corroborates the smoother finish).

Is the haze perhaps because I did not get all of it off with the towel - or do I just need to keep on for another 4hrs like bluesky did?

Can anyone suggest when one should stop?
e.g. should this stuff dry like wax and then be removed - or just keep applying it (and thus keep it wet) for the entire time?

cheers
gear
 
Gearfreak, Did you get both product as stated in post 18? Yes, it does take some work and not too much pressure. Do the whole area not just one spot. I also dab a bit in warm water and spit polish it and it looks great. Good luck...Paul
 
Thanks Chungsters. Will take a look to see what else they have. Somewhere I got the impression that the Plast-x was (maybe was marketed as) a one-step solution.
 
When I used the PlastX I just used a cotton towel cut into many pieces, put the PlastX on the cover, and rubbed the entire surface with moderate to moderate heavy pressure in a circular motion. Just non-stop rubbing for 5 hours removed 97% of the scratches and made it shine like glass. Only 3 or so heavy scratches remain, no prob. Guess you could sand those out but I'm happy with the way it came out and am leaving it alone. It looks like new to me. It was a mess when I started. Very very cloudy. It's that simple, just keep rubbin till it looks like new!! Sansui forever!! :music::thmbsp:
 
Ultra-Hog said:
Thanks everyone for the great info! I never would have tried an automotive buffer on a plastic dustcover prior to reading this thread. I thought that I would have ended up with a cloudy, nasty looking mess. I just scored a JVC-QL-A2 direct drive turntable that looked a little rough at first but cleaned up very nicely. The dust cover had a lot of scratches and swirls on it and was somewhat yellow, possibly from long exposure to sunlight. After reading this thread, I headed to the garage and went to work on the dust cover with the Porter-cable orbital buffer and the Klasse All-In-One polish that I had on hand for use on my vehicles. I started with some white Clear-Coat safe polishing compound and followed with several rounds of Klasse AIO. I won't say that the cover looks absolutely new but it is 1000 times better than it was. It's now clear and the swirls are gone with only a few of the deepest scratches and gouges remaining. I bet that if I keep working with it, it could look like new again.

Thanks again! :thmbsp:
Click to expand...

You can probebly use the same trick that plastic model hobbyists use to clean paint off styrene they use everything from Pine-Sol to Easy Off (yes!) to remove paint from resin, different types of plastic and metal. Here's a link:

http://www.gremlins.com/david_morris/paint_removal.html

Enjoy.
 
halidyne said:
Hi,
I've been tapping your brains for a while, but this is my first official post so go easy! I picked up a JVC QL-Y5F with a flat black PAINTED dust cover, any shot at cleaning it up? I was thinking of sand blasting but where to go? Any realistic (sorry) ideas?
It's my first TT purchase in 30+ yrs.(last one was a new Dual 1229Q, UV-15 2400Q cart. - still spinning). This one has a RX3P cart with a Shure stylus complete with a 20° angle tilt (no info on it),. I'd like to keep it simple but I don't know if it's worth just getting a stylus or I should spring for a new cart, any recommendations? I'll be running this through a 30+ yr. old Lafayette 440 Quad receiver(back to the original surround sound!) & Sansui SP2000 fronts (questions comming on my next post) + Cerwin Vega D-3s in the rear. Eventually I'd like to replace the dust cover if I can find one or one that fits, (then the & speakers & receiver), is there a place to help cross reference parts to find a dust cover?

I have to say that if history repeats itself I'll be into this stuff up to my hips again, but this time with a bunch of folks that are as nutty as me - The only difference is you guys really seem to know what you're talking about! OK I've puked my guts up - now I only need to find my way home...
Thanks, Mark
Click to expand...

OOPS...

This is the post I meant to quote... and here's that link again


http://www.gremlins.com/david_morris/paint_removal.html
 
Fixing those scratched dust covers

I use a GyroDec and its all acrylic, cover and baseplate and while not scratched it was looking rather cloudy. Bought some Meguiar's PlastX cleaner and polish and gave it a go. Fantastic result with minimum effort, used very little product and the unit looks brand new! highly recommended.:yes:
 
Confirmation

p70300017rm2.jpg


Picked up a bottle of Meguiar's PlastX ($5.85 at O'Reilly's) to try on a couple of badly scratched dustcovers.

The stuff works. It's gonna take a lot of elbow grease for the deep scratches/gouges, but after just a little effort I can see big results. All the hazing and light scratches went pretty quickly (10 minutes of rubbing).

:thmbsp:
 
I dunno guys, I must be doing something wrong. I read the TT Factory methods and tried a dust cover, and can't get it past "cloudy." It had a couple deep scratches that had to come out, so I took down the areas around them with 0000 steel wool till the scratches were gone. I gathered that you have to do that - it looks like crap at that point - and then bring it back with progressively finer abrasives and then polish. Borrowed an electric auto buffer from a friend, and used Auto Rubbing Compound and then Auto Polishing Compound, putting it on thin, waiting a couple minutes (like wax?) for it to dry, then running the buffer over it. The buffer looks like sheep wool, not sure if it's natural or not. It got clearer to a point, I could tell I was making progress, but I can't get past a certain point. So I thought I'd go to Novus #1 (I think, or 2) Polish and rubbing by hand, but no help, almost like the remaining scratches from the buffer are too much for it. Maybe there is too much abrasive in the buffer cover now and it won't work without being washed out or replaced? :gigglemad Color me frustrated.

One problem I have is everyone says "use this" and "I like that" but they rarely say EXACTLY how they use it: wet, dry, how hard to press with what type of cloth, etc. No substitute for watching someone do it.
 
Love the mayo...

I have not revisited my dustcover scratches with more PlastX (no luck originally as mentioned in my prev. post, waiting to try some of the more involved methods discussed), ...however I did try it on my (lexan?) headlights... where it did a very, very, quick job of removing the murky yellow haze/'oxidation'. (took 5 minutes tops, and with a dirty sponge to boot)

Perhaps that is part (part) of the effect that other users have seen, though I've never seen 'haze' per se on any/my DC's.
 
fixing the scratches on those old covers

I collect old tables so I've cleaned up a lot of dustcovers. Simply the fastest way to get a good as new finish is to buff the unit using a low rpm polisher (don't overlheat the plastic) with foam automotive bonnet using a fairly fine grade automotive paint polishing compound. After wiping this off (use a new rag), spray on Plexus plastic polish (aviation industry polish) and buff out by hand.
Just be careful with the buffer, if it catches an edge, your cover will fly like a frizbee. Ask me how I know.
The results will astound you and your friends will admire your handiwork.

Ed
 
Ultra-Hog said:
Thanks everyone for the great info! I never would have tried an automotive buffer on a plastic dustcover prior to reading this thread. I thought that I would have ended up with a cloudy, nasty looking mess.
Click to expand...

A word of caution about automotive products and power buffers on turntable covers. Most turntables since the mid-seventies or so use acrylic (plexiglas, perspex) or polycarbonate (lexan) for their covers, which are pretty strong and long-lived even if they do scratch and should hold up pretty well under polishing, but many older tables used covers molded from styrene, with a plasticizer added for strength and flexibility. Over 30 years or so the plasticizer leaches out, leaving the plastic brittle. Also, polishes containing cleaning solvents that don't affect acrylic or polycarbonate may attack styrene. Be sure you provide your cover with support directly under the surface being polished so that the plastic doesn't have to support the weight and force of the polishing, and test that cleaner/polish on an inconspicuous spot somewhere at the back of the cover before you start applying it all over, or you might end up with a cloudy, nasty looking mess of plastic shards.
 
Punker X said:
The dust cover on my PF-800 was looking pretty shabby, Lots of small scratches and just looking dull.

I've been into show cars for quite a while and have owned many a black cars and the best polish I have ever used is Zaino Brothers.

Anyway I've been pondering using this polish on the dust cover. Well tonight while listening to a pristine copy of "The Firm" I pull out the polish and used it just like I would on my black show truck.

The results are amazing the heavy scratches are beyond anything but wetsanding, but all those fine scratches disappeared and the brillance of the the clear arylic came out. It looks so damn good I can't believe it.

Check out their website at http://www.zainobros.com/ truly amazing stuff.

I used the Z1 Z5 and Z6. The Z6 also does a great job on cleaning cd's before playing them. It is an optical enhancer for paint so I thought what the heck.

If you are interest in what truck I'm talking about it can be seen at

http://mid-mich-mopars.org/daks.htm

X
Click to expand...


I couldn't find the product Z1 on the website. Is there anither # or name for it? Thanks.

J.B.
 
For any Brits out there - Over here Liquid Brasso is cheap and effective for light scratches. This is a brass cleaner made of jewellers-rouge and a solvent. Works brilliantly on perspex and other plastics and gives a high-gloss finish. Needs a lot of elbow-grease though. I might try toothpaste first followed by Brasso - I'll keep you posted.

FM
 
I use Kit's Scratch Out followed by Johnson's Acrylic Kit automotive wax. Does an excellent job on haze and minor scratches.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom