One of my B15's which is a modern plastic cased radio is covered with white paint speckles.

Guess someone was painting their room and did not bother with covering the radio.

Pretty sure the paint is acrylic.

Have had some sucess with wetting the surface with a toweling cloth and then scraping the specks of paint off with my fingernail.

Open to other suggestions on how to remove this paint specks, obviously paint stripper is out of the question.

Also what is the best way to get a good surface polish and remove minor scratches.

Brasso, Silvo ?

Thanks for any advice.

First, to cut back and remove surface scratches and blemishes I use 1200 grit wet and dry in tepid water with a few drops of dish washing liquid as a lubricant.

Rinse off and inspect. Repeat first step if necessary.

Then I finish with Autosol liquid -- not paste -- polish (get it at auto supply shops).

In addition to the above: lots of elbow grease!

Good on you GTC and thanks. Yes I think a lot of work is in front of me if I want to get a smooth shiny finish.

These plastic cased radios are not as strong as the older bakelite ones.

Was a bit wary of starting anything energetic until I'd asked around.

Noted the remarks on Autosol and have found the paste can scratch the surface.

Will look about for the liquid as suggested.

Thanks again.

Yes, you need to be careful about how much pressure you exert on plastic.

And I always suggest doing a practice run on the inside of the case first if you are new to this process.

Any acrylic paint will dissolve eventually if kept wet. The older it is, the longer it will take to melt through the skin. Depending on the location, you can put a bandaid or similar on a stubborn spot and keep that moist for a day or two. If a larger area, wrap in a cloth that you can keep moist but not wet enough to drip. Bits of cellulose kitchen sponge can also be used quite effectively. Eventually the paint should melt away with very little friction. It's the same principle as soaking a crusty roasting dish in water with a bit of detergent.

Maven

Brake fluid intended for cars will strip paint off plastic. My brother uses it to strip paint off plastic HO train models. But test it in an inconspicuous spot (like inside the cabinet) first. A few hours soak should be enough.

Thanks for all the suggestions, think for a start will strip the casing of any components and soak the lot in a bucket of water.

A scrub with a bit of luck will hopefully remove most of the small paint marks.

The case needs a good clean in any case.

Thanks again.

Progress with removing the paint specks and a couple of small smears went well.

Gave the case a soak in a tub of water for a few hours followed by a good scrub with a car wash brush.

This removed a good amount of the paint specks in itself.

No one sold liquid Autosol in town so bought Mothers Plastic Polish (liquid).

The guy in the shop mentioned he had used it on the plastic cover of his turntable with good effect on minor scratches etc.

A lot of rubbing with those kitchen wipes and happily now have a near pristine case.

Certainly took a lot of effort.

Thanks to those for their helpful tips.

Gave the case a soak in a tub of water for a few hours followed by a good scrub with a car wash brush.

Using piping hot water speeds this up a lot. I used the same method on a Bakelite clock I restored the night before last. Soak in hot water for five minutes and the paint will almost fall off.

Wish I had thought of hot water which may have well speeded up the process.

Although these plastic cased radios are somewhat fragile, nowhere as strong as the old bakelite sets.

I've found a good soaking in warm soapy water does the trick. The soapiness has a mild caustic effect which helps lift the paint.