Cleaning Aluminum and Plastic Panels from Nicotine Tarnish: Experiences with Older Audio Equipment

Hello,

Does anyone have a way to effectively clean the aluminum panel (although and applies to other plastics) from nicotine? I've had this "pleasure" a few times and somehow it cleaned, but I was not satisfied - often under the light you could see the nicotine tarnish, especially with brushed aluminum. And I tried dishwashing liquid, washing powders, isopropanol, denatured alcohol, extraction gasoline, foams for plastics, soap, even gently cif, I did not use powders because of the risk of washing away the inscriptions and other preparations that can react with Al. The same with the plates with elements or the entire chassis - I wash most often in denatured alcohol, although to the ideal after this treatment is also much lacking, you need to element by element thoroughly cleaned with cotton balls, for example....

Greetings!


P.S. Applies mostly to older audio equipment, therefore in this section....

I have been using BRUDPUR VC 242 for years. It washes away all impurities and is not aggressive to the cleaned surfaces.

miwi wrote:

BRUDPUR VC 242

Alkaline agent for aluminum? Then good luck with that. Due to pitting corrosion, alkaline cleaning agents must not be used.

As I mentioned I have been using this product for years and so far it has not damaged any surface. After using it, I wash the surface with soap and water.

Mister Muscle - but blue. Glass cleaner
Blue copes with nicotine tarnish almost perfectly. I just don't know if the ammonia won't oxidize the aluminum, you'd have to try it on some invisible surface.

Thanks for the answers. And on the subject of cleaning electronics (boards), does anyone have any proven ways? For example, the mentioned Mr Muscle can be used?
Greetings!

bratyslaw wrote:

And on the subject of cleaning electronics (boards), does anyone have any proven ways? For example, the mentioned Mr Muscle can be used?

God forbid! For electronics only Isopropanol - the best.

That's what I thought, but I preferred to make sure Most often I just wash with isopropanol, sometimes with denatured alcohol, but as I mentioned the results do not satisfy me, especially when the electronics are soiled with a decades-old nicotine-dust mixture, for example. Such as here:



And here the effect of washing and isopropanol, which changed the color:



While it's wet, it looks nice, only after it dries, you can see the unwashed parts and often there is a white film on the laminate. Maybe there is a way to fix this?

In such a case (extremely "dried" tarnish) I helped myself (with the hair trimmed to half its length) with a brush. Such a slightly stiffer (than a normal brush) brush. Of course, first soaking in IPA, and then scrubbing.
You just need to be careful with the more delicate components and mounting potentiometers (for known reasons).

bratyslaw wrote:

after drying, you can see the unwashed parts and there is often a white film on the laminate. Maybe there is a way to do it?

Wash again in a new batch of IPA. White tarnish is most often grease after reaction with IPA.

You can help with toothpaste, like a gentle abrasive (for this sponge, or cotton cloth).

What to wash old electronics with IPA, first of all, not at home.... it stinks too much, and evaporates immediately And as the colleague above wrote, you need to carry out the operations to the end.

freebsd wrote:

What about washing old electronics with IPA, first of all, not at home.... it stinks too much, and evaporates instantly And as the colleague above wrote, you need to carry out the operations until they are done.

And that's what I do, I thought colleagues had some "quick magic" remedy .

With the stench - no exaggeration. It stinks like spirit... Just open the window.

On nicotine dirt -- warm water with Ludwik and a brush. On brass and copper parts - after degreasing in gasoline or a bath in dish liquid -- a light solution of citric acid in water, on electronics -- depends on the dirt --greasy dirt comes off nicely with kerosene with extraction gasoline (1cz of kerosene +3cz of gasoline). White tarnish after washing electronics in alcohol can come from flux residues, remnants of thermally conductive paste, dust from drilling the circuit board, or if the so-called DENATURAX was used, these may be additives to improve the cleaning properties of denatured alcohol.