How to clean cardboard bezels?

_jmfr

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 15, 2009
Messages
1,024
Reaction score
64
Location
St Louis, Missouri
Ive got a Time Pilot Bezel that is really dirty. I wanna clean it, but afraid the art will fade when I do. What's the best way to clean 'em?
 
My favorite cleaning method for cardboard bezels is to throw them away and buy plastic ones. ;)

Try the old "whitewash" and spray paint them black, maybe?
 
My favorite cleaning method for cardboard bezels is to throw them away and buy plastic ones. ;)

Try the old "whitewash" and spray paint them black, maybe?

The thing is I may be doing a trade, and I want it to look original. I just dont want the art to mess up.
 
I thought the art was on the glass on those. Or did they use cardboard underlay?

If it's the black cardboard, I just wipe em off with a damp towel, and then shoot some flat black on em.
If they are in decent shape, otherwise I just make new ones.
Or you can always go with Plastic, but they look funny to me..
 
I thought the art was on the glass on those. Or did they use cardboard underlay?

If it's the black cardboard, I just wipe em off with a damp towel, and then shoot some flat black on em.
If they are in decent shape, otherwise I just make new ones.
Or you can always go with Plastic, but they look funny to me..

The art on mine way behind the plexi, and its cardboard. I may just do the best I can with it, and if it turns out bad, I just wont have it to trade.
 
old book restorers trick, using an old white t-shirt rag and rubbing alcohol, gentle rubbing will remove almost any dirt/grime, just be careful not to rub hard or youl get into the ink
 
Anyone found an improvement on this? The alcohol and t-shirt method? I just want to remove the 25 years' "perma-dust" from a printed color cardboard bezel.
 
Last edited:
The very first thing i do with either black underlays or graphic color underlays is to take soft bristle brush and remove the dust or you can probably use a little compressed air.
The rubbing alcohol method seems to work best for black or color graphic underlays. Once the black underlay is clean of dust you can use a flat black or semi gloss spray paint depending on the underlay color and just spray paint it to make them look nice again. I put very lite coats on at a time. You dont want to go too heavy or the material will start to warp. Of course with Time Pilot having a color graphic underlay you can only clean them or replace with repo.

On a side note, i could never understand why Time Pilot had a smoked bezel with such beautiful color graphics underneath. You cant see those graphics that well so ive been thinking about going to a clear plexi for my own TP.
 
Last edited:
I thought the art was on the glass on those. Or did they use cardboard underlay?

If it's the black cardboard, I just wipe em off with a damp towel, and then shoot some flat black on em.
If they are in decent shape, otherwise I just make new ones.
Or you can always go with Plastic, but they look funny to me..

Nope, TP has a cardboard graphic underlay with a smoked plexi bezel.
 
Ive got a Time Pilot Bezel that is really dirty. I wanna clean it, but afraid the art will fade when I do. What's the best way to clean 'em?

I cleaned my Time Pilot Bezel with a little mean green on a paper towel.

And, I actually filmed it! :)

Here's a link that starts right where I clean it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?list=U...=7ycLYevDUyQ&feature=player_detailpage&t=2181

And, the whole video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ycLYevDUyQ&feature=c4-overview&list=UU0zwTpEMt8IsETC7mv9Tt3g

 
In Nintendo cabinets I have found that a little bit of armor all on a fiber cloth (after you dust the cardboard out) will do a great job at restoring the look of the cardboard.

And by little I mean a little no dousing it on. Just spritz some on the cloth and wipe the card board. It will restore the blackness.
 
You can use a very little water and a very little soap. I have a lot of cardboard bezels and, for scan it, before that, I have to clean it best as possible for a better digital restoration process.


andys80s, in my opinion, you used more detergent and dragged so much the cloth/paper. Clean a bezel is a delicate process and slow. Now, your whites zones (clouds) must be a little yellowed because you scattered the dirt.


Regards
 
Last edited:
Back
Top Bottom