Hi all,

Just thought I'd share a method I use for restoring plastic case televisions. Some televisions from the 1960's - 80's had a black rear case, which consists of a rougher texture plastic. These can sometimes fade and can get stains, which seem impossible to remove.

I use black shoe polish (the thick paste in the metal tin, not the KIWI brand liquid in the handheld bottle). I rub it in well, and have found it to work wonders. It brings the case back looking better, and with a nice little shine (depending on how long you polish it!).

This is probably a fairly common method, but after a discussion with someone who had completely forgot about it, I figured I may as well post it for everyone here.

Cheers,

Chris

It can work on Bakelite too. Plastics become more porous with age and this lets the polish dig right into the surface. The same applies to black and brown phenol formaldehyde that 1930s Bakelite receivers were made of. Because of this, it's important to choose the right coloured polish for the colour of the set. If stains aren't a problem but lustre is, it may be wise to use the neutral coloured polish.