The salvaging of old plastic toys brings about it's own set of obstacles to overcome.Whether you want to remove crayon and pen marks, stickers, fix a pull string, repair lithos, or refinish the piece, we present some documented methods straight from master toy collectors.
Although these methods have been found to work for the most part, your experiences may vary.
Cleaning Crayon And Pen Marks From Old Plastic Toys
For marks that are on plastic, start off with mineral spirits or paint thinner. Paint thinner will seldom ever take the finish off a plastic toy. Use a cloth or toothbrush (not too wet) , and you will find that the marks generally come off easily.
For lithos, some success can be had using paint thinner here as well, but if you rub too hard, you will ruin the litho, so work in small areas, and check your work often. Paint thinner is recommended as opposed to a water based product which could wrinkle the lithograph.
If the above methods prove unsuccessful, the next option to use is denatured alcohol, and follow the same process as described above. As a last resort, try to find a product that contains xylene. If you use xylene, use it quickly, wipe up any excess right away, as it will degrade some plastics and ruin the finish. It will clean most anything, but check your work frequently, and (if possible), test in an inconspicuous area first.
Even xylene may not take a stain out of a lithograph, so it is better to give up than keep trying and make it worse than it was. Any stain that penetrates a litho [i.e. felt pens] will be pretty much impossible to take out.
For cleaning just dirty lithos, a light application of a water based product to a rag may be required. Paint thinner is not recommended on plain dirt.
Removing Stickers Or Tape From Lithographs On Old Plastic Toys
[ad#google_a]Place the area containing the sticker face up horizontally and tear a small piece of toilet paper and make it so it is three layers thick. It should just a little larger the the sticker area. Laying it over the sticker, pour a small amount of mineral spirits and pour on to the toilet paper, saturating it to the point that it is wet but not dripping. Let this sit for several minutes. The mineral spirits should soak into the litho and surrounding areas. Ideally, the sticker is made of paper too, and the mineral spirits will soak into it as well. If the sticker is plastic (e.g., tape) or plastic coated, this process may still work, but will take longer. The idea is that the mineral spirits will either dissolve or soften the sticker glue (depending on the type of glue it is).
After several minutes, take the tissue off and see if there are any edges that are starting to come loose. If you are able, slowly peel any edges that you can see coming loose. If it is too difficult, or any of the litho starts peeling away, stop immediately and repeat the process with the tissue and mineral spirits.
Give it a few minutes, then try to peel the sticker off again, but do not try to remove the same area that you gave up on previously.
Note: This method may not work on all stickers or all tape.
After you do get the sticker is off, use a little more mineral spirits to clean up any residue. Rub gently, and watch your work closely.
When finished, leave the item to dry. It will take longer to dry then water would, so be patient.
Taking Apart Old Plastic Toys Held Together With Nails Or Screws:
To avoid scarring the plastic, you need to use a wide, thin blade of some sort, like a 1" putty knife. Slowly try to tap the putty knife between 2 seems of the plastic with a small hammer, watching for any scarring or cracks. The width of the putty knife will help distribute the stress. If the screws are not too secure, gently try to pry the two parts apart.
If not, use a second putty knife, and tap it in under the first one. If that still isn't enough, slowly wedge a screwdriver between the two putty knives. Don't try to use the screwdriver by itself, as you will probably scar the plastic.
If a toy has what look like screw heads, you can use a screwdriver. You may have to apply some pressure, as some of these screws have an unusually steep thread pitch, which makes it easier for the screwdriver to slip out of the slot.
Once it starts to slips, the head of the screw will continue to deteriorate so that you will not be able get it out with the screwdriver. If this happens, either give up, or use vice grips. These screws do break easily, and there is always a chance that the toy could be damaged beyond repair so be very careful.
6. Repairing Lithos On Old Plastic Toys
This is best done with a white glue, such as Elmer's Glue. If the litho is really loose, it is best to try to get it all the way off before trying to apply the glue. If you can get it off, use a spray adhesive on the back of the litho and reapply.
If you can't get it off, then you might be able to work glue under the litho with a thin painter's spatula or a toothpick. Access glue or runoff can be simply wiped away with a cloth.
For touching up old lithos, you may be able to use a water based colour pen. Practice on paper first to make sure you have it right.
10. Painting And Refinishing Old Plastic Toys
Unfortunately, for plastic parts, there's not really a lot of refinishing that can be done, and of course painting is out of the question. To clean plastic, use the following methods:
For general dust and dirt clean-up, use dish soap with warm water. A stiff brush helps you to get into the nooks and crannies. Avoid wire brushes, they may cause scratching.
Cleaning Old Plastic Toys
Lots of built-up gunk from over the years can be cleaned with a soft rag and mineral spirits. To remove stains ink spots or crayon, the mineral spirits should work pretty well, or you can also use some warm water and a bathroom cleaner product such as Comet or Soft-Scrub. Rub gently and be careful, keeping an eye on your progress. For discoloration or burn marks, there may not be much you can do once plastic changes colors and fades or lightens. You can't change the color back, but you can apply some Armor All to help bring it back a little bit, or shine it up at the very lease.
Changes to the color that have penetrated beyond the surface of the plastic are also pretty much irreversible, so if SoftScrub and mineral spirits didn't work, then you're may be out of luck.
For straightening warped plastic, heat is the only possible solution. You'll probably need to get a heavy duty heat gun, a home hair dryer will not output enough heat. Heat up the affected area and then force it back into shape, which may require you to buy some C-clamps and wood strips in order to "force" the plastic back into shape, then heat it, and allow it to cool. Your success will vary, as plastic has a memory and sometimes tries to return to its original shape after it's been heated.
This post was reprinted with permission. Credit toysandgamesforkids.com