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Cleaning marks off of an eMac?
Posted by: Nathan_A on 2021-09-26 15:01:28
Does anyone have any tips on how to clean/polish some marks and scuffs off of an eMac that's otherwise in good working order?
Posted by: SuperSVGA on 2021-09-26 15:03:44
I've found that "magic erasers" work very well for things like this. It won't do much for underlying damage, but will easily remove most marks on the surface.
Posted by: Nathan_A on 2021-09-26 15:32:27
I've found that "magic erasers" work very well for things like this. It won't do much for underlying damage, but will easily remove most marks on the surface.
I was thinking about trying this stuff: https://www.amazon.com/Novus-7100-Plastic-Polish-Kit/dp/B002UCYRZU/

I also need to figure out how to dismantle part of the case to clean some of the grime that's accumulated on the white plastic underneath the rear grille.
Posted by: Crutch on 2021-09-26 15:34:52
+1 on Magic Erasers. They are amazing at cleaning scuffs off old Macs and don’t leave any mark at all that I can see. Also they cost basically nothing.
Posted by: Nathan_A on 2021-09-26 15:41:58
Just ordered a couple Mr. Clean "magic erasers" from Amazon. We'll see how it goes.

I always wanted one of these eMacs, and a 1.42 Ghz one w/ 2GB of RAM popped up locally for $55, so I snagged it. The eMac always felt like the "pinnacle" old school AIO Macintosh to me even after Apple moved on to the Pixar Lamp G4. It'll be a nice little buddy to my SE/30. Though I'll probably have to get rid of my other SE/30 and my CCII project to make room for it.
Posted by: Nathan_A on 2021-09-26 19:09:09
Holy. Crap. 😲

So, apparently we had some magic erasers around the house already, so I pulled the shell off the eMac, used some high-pressure air & Q-tips to clean out the machine. Then I got to working on the shell.

First, I put it in the shower and used the detachable showerhead to wash away all the caked on dust (which seems impossible to actually clean entirely under the clear plastic grille, as the grille doesn't seem to come off). Second, I wiped the thin film of sooty dust out of the inside of the shell. Last, I went at the 20 or so brown & black scuffs, marks, and dings on the outside of the shell... the Magic Eraser is... UNBELIEVABLE!

The eMac looks practically brand new! I need to get some NOVUS #1 to get rid of the swirl marks and bring everything back to its showroom glow, but as-is the Magic Eraser treatment absolutely blew me away.
Posted by: Jinnai on 2021-09-26 21:09:30
Nice, thanks for the tip! I always recommend Spray Nine, it's a very strong detergent it seems, it's been able to vaporize almost anything but takes some pressure sometimes.
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