Originally Posted by lee231
Bennet,
What do you use to get the machine to look so good? I've got a two spool that I started to clean and the decals came off when I cleaned it, luckily it was on the back side. The problem is the shellac is really dull and loose. TIA.
I (very carefully) used the cleaning tutorials put up here by Billy. I did have a spot where I tested the Goop, and it did eventually start to rub away some of the decals.
On the back where it was very, very grimy, I did brush some kerosene on it during its "spa" treatment to see if that would loosen it up a bit. Again, the Goop works, just had to be careful in the spots with the decals and go slowly. I would take some on my fingers and rub it around, working in a small section at a time. Then when the Goop (and my fingers) had picked up some grime, I'd wipe it all off with a cotton ball. I think putting it on with my fingers was a little less abrasive than using just the cotton (but I could just be convincing myself of this). When the decals started to show, I had to be extra careful and not do much more.
The final sheen came from Billy's suggestion of Liquid Gold. I put one light coat on, waited a day, then put on another coat.
The silvery pieces were scrubbed in kerosene to remove the brown oily grime. Then I soaked a few in Evaporust to remove some final bits of corrosion. The final step was a polish with the Mother's.
Nothing new, just following what others on the board have talked about. :)