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Picked up a 1948 Smith-Corona Silent with textured black finish. The cover (over the ribbon spools) with the shiny black stripes is grey and dull, not nice black like it should be. Any way to get that black again? The stripes are still shiny because they are smooth. What would make that dull, cleaning with something too strong? Thanks
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Does it look like my Sterling? If it does there's nothing wrong with the paint. On the other hand crinkle paint is notorious for holding onto dirt, which can make black paint look dull. Everyone has their own method for cleaning crinkle paint. I use plenty of beer (for myself, not the machine) and a lot of Q-Tips soaked in a cleaning solution. You have to be gentle yet thorough with crinkle paint; if you just start scrubbing it like a mad man you'll destroy it.
Last edited by Uwe (14-11-2014 23:22:43)
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I can vouch for the sensitivity of this crinkle finish - be very carfeful what you use to clean it, and never let metholated spirits contact it, or it may turn into a sticky sludge that never dires and is very hard to remove. Be very gentle with this finish in particular!
Last edited by beak (15-11-2014 03:27:20)
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Thanks for the advise. Yes it is like your Sterling. I washed it with warm soapy(Dawn) water and it became black again, it looks great. I think it might have been some kind of a wax that turned white. Thanks again.