How to clean vintage unit?

[johnnywalker]

I just acquired an SL-1800 Mk2 and plugged it into my system. I was able to move my cartridge, a Denon DL-110 on a stock Technics headshell, right from my old TT, an AT-LP240-USB, onto the new TT (it was so light - 4.8 g. cart + 7.5 g. headshell - it almost didn't balance at 2 grams tracking force, but it did). It sounds wonderful! But now I need advice on how to clean up the "new" vintage TT.

The dustcover is not in great shape. The hinges are still there and functional, and there are no cracks or breaks, but the surface is very marked up. What have you folks used to bring back the shine on the dustcover and get rid of scratches and marks? I tried some Meguiar's polish that I used to use on motorcycle helmet faceshields, but it didn't do much.

More importantly (I take the dustcover completely off when I use the TT, so it's invisible when I'm listening to music), the table itself has small accumulations of the years' grunge. What's the best way to get rid of it? I'm tempted to take Q-tips and a mixture of distilled water and alcohol, but is there a better product/method for this?

Thanks!

P.S. Some differences I've already noticed between my "old" AT and the "new" SL:
1. The SL has a much better S/N ratio. I guess the AT's USB circuit, even when switched out, still affects S/N.
2. The SL provides significantly (audible) better inner detail in the music. Better arm, I guess.
3. The SL's bass is both stronger and cleaner.
4. The SL's cue system is much better: better damped (it gently lowers the stylus onto the record all by itself), and the lever's little handle is easier to hold than the AT's metal knob.
5. The only thing I know of that the AT does better than the SL is brake; on the AT, when you press the "stop" button, the platter stops right NOW, while the SL (this one, anyway) gently but quickly slows to a stop.

[Alec124c41]

The Technics is a better table, as you have seen.
You can use dishwashing detergent and warm water on a paper towel or cloth. An old toothbrush can help. If there is staining from tobacco, some isopropyl alcohol in the mix can help. Simple Green cleaner is good, too.
I use a product called Peek to polish lids, or anything else. It is diamond powder paste, fine enough to resurface a DVD.
Have fun.

Cheers,
Alec

[johnnywalker]

Thanks, Alec. I followed your advice (with the addition of a Q-tip to clean around the tonearm pivot assembly, which I couldn't get to any other way), and the table now looks quite decent. Not new, but clean and sparkly.

Now to get some of that Peek polish and see what I can do for the dustcover!

This unit sounds so much better than what I'm used to that I'm going to have to re-archive a bunch of LPs. A dirty job, but somebody's got to do it!

[analogaudio]

for the cover restoration it is labor intensive but can be made almost as good as new. I use and recommend NOVUS products, there are 3 grades for working on heavier scratches. I am happy with these as they are designed for use on clear plastic, some auto polishing materials I would not recommend because they might cause crazing or yellowing.

http://www.novuspolish.com/store.html

[analogaudio]

PS you are good with alcohol and water, don't rub too hard or you will go through the paint. I have a 1600mk2 and a 1700mk2, brothers of the 1800mk2, fine machines.

[johnnywalker]

UPDATE: That Peek is good stuff! Initially I cleaned and polished my dustcover with it, and it removed most of the small scratches. It also minimized the big, non-removable scratches, and it made my rough-looking dustcover quite presentable. But now I've used it on a couple of other tasks, and since it worked out very well, I thought I'd share it. On many of the Mk2 models there is a black shiny strip across the front of the unit that contains the control buttons. Mine had gotten rather old- and dull-looking, so I tried using Peek on it. I had to use very small, sparse amounts on the cloth, because the area to be polished is so small. But it worked great! The control-button strip now shines like new. Also, I removed the platter and used Peek on the edges to polish the strobe dots and the surrounding shiny areas. Boffo!

[Alec124c41]

Peek is amazing stuff. I even used it to polish scuff marks out of a DVD! Platter? No problem.

Cheers,
Alec