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Marantz 18 scope fixable??

I’m curious about the finish on the face plate. I don’t want to use any type of cleaner on it until I find out what the finish is supposed to look like. Mine has a brassy type of yellow finish and I’m not sure if it’s the way is supposed to be or if it’s just built up gunk/tar/nicotine. You can see in the photo up close if you zoom in, that it looks as though there is a silver finish in the shape of finger prints under the “ Stereophonic Receiver” lettering. I don’t want to risk removing any finish or lettering but just want it to look like it’s supposed to. So can someone suggest what’s correct...brassy yellow hue... or silver!

GT.
 

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Seem that last version have a lighter color than olders versions.
I will post pictures of a 18-2018 vs 18-7460 soon.
 
Dearslayer said:
I’m curious about the finish on the face plate. I don’t want to use any type of cleaner on it until I find out what the finish is supposed to look like. Mine has a brassy type of yellow finish and I’m not sure if it’s the way is supposed to be or if it’s just built up gunk/tar/nicotine. You can see in the photo up close if you zoom in, that it looks as though there is a silver finish in the shape of finger prints under the “ Stereophonic Receiver” lettering. I don’t want to risk removing any finish or lettering but just want it to look like it’s supposed to. So can someone suggest what’s correct...brassy yellow hue... or silver!

GT.
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My 6000-ish serial has a very light champagne anodization. In contrast, your faceplate and knobs appear darker and splotchy -- so it may be caked nicotine like you surmised. I would get a clean microfiber cloth and damp slightly it with warm water and test a very small inconspicuous area on one of the round control knobs. See if any of the yellowish stuff comes off and if it is nicotine. If it ends up being nicotine, be very careful cleaning the lettering on the faceplate as it could rub off.
 
bktheking said:
Never mind , that's aftermarket dial glass.
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You mean the one in mine is aftermarket??? How can you tell?




monkboughtlunch said:
My 6000-ish serial has a very light champagne anodization. In contrast, your faceplate and knobs appear darker and splotchy -- so it may be caked nicotine like you surmised. I would get a clean microfiber cloth and damp slightly it with warm water and test a very small inconspicuous area on one of the round control knobs. See if any of the yellowish stuff comes off and if it is nicotine. If it ends up being nicotine, be very careful cleaning the lettering on the faceplate as it could rub off.
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After looking closer I don't think it's nicotine/ dirt . I think it the Champagne anodization coming off in the shape of someone's fingers repeatedly touching that one area but the knobs are not splotchy at all. Must be just the photo. I tried using a soft cloth and a touch of Windex in around the knob but nothing came off. Mind you I didn't try very hard for fear the Windex might harm the finish even more. I will try again under better light.
 
Dearslayer said:
You mean the one in mine is aftermarket??? How can you tell?

After looking closer I don't think it's nicotine/ dirt . I think it the Champagne anodization coming off in the shape of someone's fingers repeatedly touching that one area but the knobs are not splotchy at all. Must be just the photo. I tried using a soft cloth and a touch of Windex in around the knob but nothing came off. Mind you I didn't try very hard for fear the Windex might harm the finish even more. I will try again under better light.
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Your dial glass appears to be manufactured by Sounds Classic. The text and colors are different than the original Marantz dial glass. See my review of dial glass options here:

http://audiokarma.org/forums/index....rmarket-dial-glass-comparative-review.705042/

It looks to me like the knobs have some of that same splotchy color. I don't think Marantz ever made the knobs with a champagne hue -- that's why I suspected nicotine on your faceplate. But it's hard to tell from your photos.
 
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To test for nicotine film, you could also try putting some 99% isopropyl alcohol on a new microfiber cloth and test a small inconspicuous area (no lettering) and see what if anything comes off.

A few years ago, I bought a vintage turntable and it was covered in a nicotine film that came off with isopropyl alcohol.
 
Dearslayer said:
I think it the Champagne anodization coming off in the shape of someone's fingers repeatedly touching that one area but the knobs are not splotchy at all.
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If you don't like the splotchy coloring, I think txturbo (and another AK member I don't recall) were experimenting with having new faceplates made.

The aluminum is really just a thin insert that is glued to the black faceplate frame. The insert could easily be replaced if you had a reproduction. There are two separate insert pieces -- one above the Marantz logo and the other below the logo.
 
Funny that I was thinking of buying a replacement glass from Radiodaze to have as a spare. It’s in the cart on their site. Just have to complete the order. Will order it now for sure.
 
monkboughtlunch said:
If you don't like the splotchy coloring, I think txturbo (and another AK member I don't recall) were experimenting with having new faceplates made.

The aluminum is really just a thin insert that is glued to the black faceplate frame. The insert could easily be replaced if you had a reproduction. There are two separate insert pieces -- one above the Marantz logo and the other below the logo.
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Now that I know about the glass it will bother me till I get a more period accurate one and the finger print shapes on the faceplate will also drive me nuts. Have to get this thing working proper first though.

GT.
 
monkboughtlunch said:
To test for nicotine film, you could also try putting some 99% isopropyl alcohol on a new microfiber cloth and test a small inconspicuous area (no lettering) and see what if anything comes off.

A few years ago, I bought a vintage turntable and it was covered in a nicotine film that came off with isopropyl alcohol.
Click to expand...

Just got home from work and had to check to see if this was nicotine or not so I used a cloth and some 99% isopropyl to clean just the flat surfaces of the control knobs to see if it made a difference. I'd say a big difference. Safe to safe the whole face plate needs to come off for a good cleaning. It also appears that the dial glass is lower on the left side and needs levelling.

GT.
 

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Dearslayer said:
Just got home from work and had to check to see if this was nicotine or not so I used a cloth and some 99% isopropyl to clean just the flat surfaces of the control knobs to see if it made a difference. I'd say a big difference. Safe to safe the whole face plate needs to come off for a good cleaning. It also appears that the dial glass is lower on the left side and needs levelling.

GT.
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Yep. Before and after cleaning photo of knob is like night and day. Prior owner must have been heavy smoker. Be careful around the lettering on the faceplate as it can rub off easily.
 
Just to save me the search how difficult is it to remove the front. I can figure it out but figured you may have some tips. Looks like a few screws missing on the right side heat sink.
 

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Holy crap now that I have the front off its easy to see how YELLOW this thing is.
 

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Dearslayer said:
Just to save me the search how difficult is it to remove the front. I can figure it out but figured you may have some tips. Looks like a few screws missing on the right side heat sink.
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I haven't taken the faceplate off in a few years, but it wasn't too difficult. IIRC, you have to unscrew the knobs with an allen wrench. There might have been some locking nuts on one of the pots. Can't remember if both the top and bottom cover have to come off to unlock the faceplate. It's been too long.
 
Dearslayer said:
Holy crap now that I have the front off its easy to see how YELLOW this thing is.
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You may want to wait until tomorrow and get some more advice from other folks here on the best way to get nicotine off without damaging the silkscreened lettering. There might be a better chemical that is silk-screen lettering friendly. I know alcohol will remove the nicotine -- but it may take any lettering off too.

Buy a pack of microfiber towels and use to prevent scratches.
 
I have micro fibre towels ( I use lots on my truck and Harley and never reuse). I gently used the isopropyl and it did remove some yellowing but not as much as I thought. Looks like the first assumption might have been correct after all. It's a yellow anodize plate and it seems it's rubbed off to silver underneath in those areas unless the isopropyl isn't strong enough to remove the yellow nicotine if that is indeed what it might be. I'll call it a night and hope some others will have some advise as well tomorrow. Thanks so much "monk" for the help.

GT.
 
Here's a pic from when I took my faceplate off a few years ago. The original glue that holds the aluminum insert to the black faceplate dries out over time. The photo shows how thin the insert it. I removed mine, cleaned off the old, dry glue and reglued it. I then clamped it and put some weights on it while the new glue dried.

IMG_1065.jpg
 
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Dearslayer said:
I have micro fibre towels ( I use lots on my truck and Harley and never reuse). I gently used the isopropyl and it did remove some yellowing but not as much as I thought. Looks like the first assumption might have been correct after all. It's a yellow anodize plate and it seems it's rubbed off to silver underneath in those areas unless the isopropyl isn't strong enough to remove the yellow nicotine if that is indeed what it might be. I'll call it a night and hope some others will have some advise as well tomorrow. Thanks so much "monk" for the help.

GT.
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Glad to help. It's always better to proceed slowly and cautiously when cleaning faceplates.

txturbo has restored a bunch of these and can likely give you pointers on how best to clean it.
 
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