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Removing paint from boombox

gadgetmanz - 2012-11-17 15:22

My first post and as you might have guessed I live in New Zealand. 

 

I just acquired a Philips D8303 which has paint spots splattered on it on various spots. The speaker grille has got the biggest blot. 

I got it from local recycling shop which have tested it and it had the stickers to show it should work. 

I am yet to plug it in as I do not have 240V mains in my campervan. I do have a 12V DC power cord but It seems that the polarity on the plug is different from the socket of this Philips boombox. So I wait until Tuesday to test it on mains power at the community shed where I mainly do electronics and computer stuff.

What do you suggest to clean the paint spots with? I wonder if they come off? The speaker grille might be hardest to clean but I will pull the whole unit to parts and remove the speaker grille if possible. It has couple of dents which should be easy enough to straighten? 

I have cleaned many remote controls by pulling them apart and washing the plastic covers with dish wash liquid. Any other suggestions? 

 

What would be the value of the unit if it cleans well and it has no faults? 

If it not worth much as original, I thought about pimping it with flashing LED lights behind the speaker grille? Just for fun...

 

litfan - 2012-11-17 15:27

Depends, what kind of paint it is. Emulsion, comes off with water. If it`s gloss, you may have to leave it, as, you`ll need some sort of spirit to remove it. This, may also remove the silver on the boombox.

northerner - 2012-11-17 15:37

I find hot soapy water and a fingernail the best way of removing paint splatters any more than that and I end up scratching the surface

northerner - 2012-11-17 15:37

Oh and welcome to the forum!!!

litfan - 2012-11-17 16:00

Yeah. Just don`t get like chris de burgh "high on emulsion".

gadgetmanz - 2012-11-17 22:02

That nail trick works on most but the speaker grille 

I might try a toothpick on the speaker grille? But if it does not clean off I will remove the grille and spray paint it. I would loose the text painted to the front unless I make a new template to redo it? A bit of work in any case. Part of the fun 

aestereo - 2012-11-17 22:58

I use Kerosene to clean boomboxes and Hi-Fi components. So far it has been safe on Printing, Plastics, Aluminium face, Acrylic glass etc. for me. I have used it liberally all over on many boxes. However, please try at your risk, starting with a test spot.

gadgetmanz - 2012-11-18 00:07

That is new to me. I will try that on the back first. I thought about using cooking oil. 

I do wonder if kerosene leaves a smell behind?

aestereo - 2012-11-18 02:07

You may use Kerosene or the so called white paraffin oil. It is available in Supermarkets in the Barbeque/Grilling materials section (Charcoal etc.) in my place, named as fuel oil etc. White paraffin oils are available as de-scented, without any smell. I am using this as Kerosene is not available here for domestic purposes. It is especially very good for removing sticker adhesive residues.

 

Raw Kerosene has a smell, but it is a slow vaporising liquid and the smell will go eventually.