What do you use to restore the finish on your old consoles?

[Mad_Hatter]

Yea, I know this has been discussed before, but I wanted to get some more opinions.

Basically, my older black console, like the Saturn and Genesis, look like their finish is worn off (not as blsck and sleek). Washing them with dish soap doesn't help.

I used Armor All in the past, which looks good, but it hardly last. And it creates a lot of finger prints and makes the console look nasty after a few days.

I was thinking of Pledge because it is cheaper than the suggestion I found below. I was just wondering is it as greasy as Armor All? Does it last longer?

I don't care about dust.

Lastly, I don't want a product that over does the shine if you know what I mean. I just want it to look regular.

I found this post on another forum, which I think might be my best bet, but it looks like it can be expensive and might overdo the shine:

"What I've been using for years is Carnauba wax. It doesn't attract dust, has good UV protection and it won't eat your labels if it comes in contact with them. A little goes a loooooong way though, it's very easy to use too much. It will leave your games with a shine that doesn't fade for years, and it actually protects the plastic as opposed to just making it shiny.

There are various companies and brands that make good Carnauba wax. I personally use Collinite Marque D'Elegance (915) and Collinite Doublecoat (476s). They're marketed as automotive waxes but you can use them on most any metal, wood or plastic. One can costs around 10 or 12 bucks and should last you several decades. http://www.colliniteautomotive.com/

Whatever Carnauba wax you use, make sure it's straight up wax. Not polish, not cleaner wax, but just plain wax. If you want something really easy to use and available everywhere, go to Wal-Mart and get some Meguiar's Gold Class liquid wax: http://www.meguiarsdirect.com/produc...p?T1=MEG+G7016"

[KalessinDB]

I had never considered doing this before. I kind of love the idea. Please share if you get any good (or I suppose, bad) experiences!

[Cronozilla]

I wouldn't put any kind of finish on it, I would just clean it really well.

I've found doing rounds of cleaning with alcohol then using cleaning wipes (for cleaning counter tops) works well. The wipes really scrub stuff out. The alcohol cleans things up nicely.

In terms of finish I don't recall the plastic ever having a different finish when they were new.

[GirlGamer55]

Reminds me of a question someone asked about getting the haze out of his see through GBA. I remembered an episode of myth busters where they tested several things to shine chrome and de-fog headlights..(I think?) and from what I remember..they used vinigar and baking soda? Made a thick paste and used a tooth brush...no idea if that would help with restoring a finish but..would it hurt it?

[Hobie-wan]

Reminds me of a question someone asked about getting the haze out of his see through GBA.

In that case though it is just translucent plastic all the way through, not like headlight covers where just the surface gets hazy.

[Mad_Hatter]

KalessinDB, will do. For now, don't use Armor All. It looks really good at first, but is really greasy and wears off quickly.

Cronozilla, the finish may or may not wear off. It might just be an illusion to me. But sometimes after using alcohol or taking apart my console and washing the housing with dish soap, I feel the plastic is not as shiny.

That being said, using a product to boost the console's finish is cool because it conceals those small scruffs and scratches. Armor All did this for few days. I might try that car wax as it will probably last longer.

GirlGamer55, thanks for that tip.

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[bacteria]

Dettol wipes or similar are great at getting off the grime and grease from handling consoles, mice, controllers etc.

[Sano]

Hey, try the magic eraser from Mr Clean, or the generic ones from Home Depot (they work just as well). They took the yellow smoke "damage" off my Wii (white one of course) without any real effort.

[KalessinDB]

Hey, try the magic eraser from Mr Clean, or the generic ones from Home Depot (they work just as well). They took the yellow smoke "damage" off my Wii (white one of course) without any real effort.

Seriously?? I always thought those were a combination of like bleach wipes and a very fine grit sandpaper. I would've been petrified to try that on my consoles.

[Aramonde]

Mr. Cleans magic eraser is good for getting scuff marks and stuff like that off your console but its not going to give your console a good finish. That thing will remove logos.