Cleaning pretender shells

[grizzly519]

EDIT:I have ressurected my old thread as am in a very similar situation and need advise.For those willing to help please go to end of thread as i will start the new post there,Thank you.



Due to unfortunate circumstances i now have a very grimy bludgeon and octopunch.i have carefully washed by hand the majority of it but oc's tentacles meeting arm and his face area are an outright pain.Can anyone out there tell me if these shells are dishwasher safe or would jets pressurewash paint right off?

[SleeplessKnight]

Is it just dust or is there something sticky in there? If it's just dust you could try one of those compressed air cans that you clean keyboards and electronics with.

[grizzly519]

it's sorta sticky.the "incident" was all my g1s were in a old wood trunk in basement.basement flooded,trunk rotted so wood grains as it were seeped through the ziploc bags and left a film.i've handwashed with soap and water but oc's tentacles,suckers,face or any indented area is still gross.i'm astounded that the shells still look as good as they do though and think they are worth the cleaning but unsure as to how.any advise is greatly appreciated.

[justprime]

dish washer jets will in most cases not harm the paint depending on how strong the jets are (mine is a counter top model) the big thing here is that dishwashers use hot water and that will cause paint to come off but more importantly will distorte the plastic (again i just turn cold water on here using no hot at all or just enough to make it warm)another way is to use a removable shower head to clean with as you can regulate heat and steam pressure or simply use a garden hose attachment.

[TwinTwistR]

If it were my TF's I'd want to start out as gentle as possible before moving up to stronger methods. Patience is key. Since water partly dissolved the residue from the chest and deposited the stuff on the shell, try soaking (full submersion) the shells for a long time (at least 24hrs) in plain water. Then use a kid's soft bristle toothbrush to gently scrub in the nooks and crannies. Sounds like the hand wash already got the surface stuff, so I'd be surprised if the soak/toothbrush didn't take care of the rest.

[chans formers]

don't throw them in the dishwasher,not if you plan on salvaging them.
the easiest and safest way.....sunlight dishsoap,used toothbrush and patience

[Commandoclone87]

Sounds nasty, a good soaking and a soft toothbrush should do it. Just feel lucky that there isn't any chrome painting. Had to clean a TM Blackarachnia a few months ago.

The dust was so caked on that a can of air didn't do a thing (must have been a lot of humidity where she was stored as there was some minor corrosion on the screws).

Had to disassemble her, soak and very carefully clean the dirt and grime off. I hadn't been that nervous in a long time.

[joshimus]

Throw them in a bucket of paint thinner and oil and vinegar. That should do the trick
Really don't do that though. Patience is certainly something better to go with. I would warm up the water too, not HOT cause you run the risk of deforming the shells. Warm water, dish soap, time and patience.

[Shockwave 75]

All good tips, however; unfortunately the PVC that parts of the Pretender shells are made of, like the arms namely, just get sticky/oily over time. It's a chemical change in the plastic and there's nothing you can really do about it except keep cleaning it off.
I found that the Lysol wipes work quite well in that regard.

[grizzly519]

Originally Posted by Commandoclone87

Sounds nasty, a good soaking and a soft toothbrush should do it. Just feel lucky that there isn't any chrome painting. Had to clean a TM Blackarachnia a few months ago.

The dust was so caked on that a can of air didn't do a thing (must have been a lot of humidity where she was stored as there was some minor corrosion on the screws).

Had to disassemble her, soak and very carefully clean the dirt and grime off. I hadn't been that nervous in a long time.

No chrome on the shells but several other figures and accessories are toast now because of it.Perceptor,Motormaster/Menasor sword,mail away Sunstreaker,Ratchet and Thundercracker to name a few.so i'm grateful i can salvage what i can.