Restoring and detailing our Kyosho Collections, tips?

[Biggs]

This might be more suited to the body and paint shop, but I want to hear from fellow Kyoshoaholics.

So I ran my latest acquisition through the dishwasher (top shelf of course duh) and it actually came out nicely. Much less stinky. Like it smelled weird AF. One of those smells where like a dog, you just can't stop sniffing it. And you're not sure it is a good smell either... I didn't try with the body, I just hit that with some simple green and hot water.

But now I need to do a quick overall detail before I tear it down. Not surprisingly either the dishwasher left some of that white-ish dusty dried out plastics, or whatever was on it was hiding them. (Fake dollar store Lemon Pledge, and maybe "Kaboom" Armor All?)

A half hour watching videos, and I don't even come across some of the tricks I know and have used. The one I do see, is Simple Green. And there is a new Simple Green Foaming Crystals that looks awesome. So Simple Green, and then a coat of WD-40.

Anything worth mentioning other than the basic rinse, Simple Green, air, and WD-40 combination?

And ESPECIALLY anything I can use inside the house that would less offensive to her nose than WD-40, but still rejuvenate the plastic like WD-40 does?

[Biggs]

And I am seeing some comments below videos that WD-40 is actually bad to use??? Contains acid that destroys the bearings? Is there any truth in this?

Seeing mention of this SC1 stuff, and I am wondering if that is what this car was cleaned with. It stinks if so LOL!

We used to either use WD-40, or Lemon Pledge. I can't find current mention of anyone using Lemon Pledge though...

[Coelacanth]

I've never heard of WD-40 having "acids" that damage bearings. I've always used WD-40 and a toothbrush to easily remove grease from disassembled RC parts, and soak bearings in it, then blow out the excess before re-applying oil. I also use WD-40 to remove leftover adhesive from double-sided tape and stickers that doesn't otherwise want to come off.

Want to clean a bicycle? Spray WD-40 wherever there's grease, including the chain, go to town with a brush...spray-wash it with a pressure washer, then when it's dry, reapply chain lube or other lubricant to the parts that need it. You can clean an entire bike in under an hour and it'll look a whole lot better...you can speed things up if you hit it up with an air compressor to dry it more quickly after pressure-washing it.

[Biggs]

Yeah I was suspicious of that one. I am calling BS on it too.

But any smells like WD-40 or silicone spray tend to bother the missus. So I would still like to find something comparable, that doesn't have those smells. If not, my Lazer is nicely cleaned up and just waiting for a spray down with some WD-40, and then it gets evicted out into the garage lol.

[Biggs]

Alrighty, so the dishwasher was a bad idea. Dadio warned me on RCG (unfortunately too late) that it could strip the anodization off shocks (and probably other parts too). I went back and looked at the before pictures and sure enough they look a bit rougher afterwards. And while the shocks are mostly plastic, the top rings are anodized or something else. Not really a big deal I guess. A good chance they are getting changed out anyways.

Defiantly looking for some other products to use and again especially to replace the WD-40. While it worked well, it was messier than I cared for and I had to go back over with another Simple Green application afterwards. So I am sure any benefit from the WD-40 was erased.

So the SC1 seems promising. And there is the old fall back, Lemon Pledge.

[Coelacanth]

The missus doesn't like the smell of WD-40...but lets you wash your car in the dishwasher?

[TRX-1-3]

What was that stuff? Something like "detail putty"? Sticky firmish blob that you press into surfaces with contours and it conforms to every nook and cranny, removing all traces of dust and small debris. I think it's an automotive detailing industry product. There's a thread around here somewhere......

I guess that stuff could be used as a freshen up technique for that fine shelf dust.

[Biggs]

The missus doesn't like the smell of WD-40...but lets you wash your car in the dishwasher?

"Lets" is a relative term, if I load the dishwasher, and unload it... Now if the dishes came out all oddly covered in mud and smelling like WD-40, I am sure she would get suspicious and I would get in trouble.

Another important lesson I have learned is when I get a new RC car, to leave the light on over my other workbench in the workshop so she is distracted by that. She gets all worried when I leave my LED lighting on.

Oh and it is a REALLY bad idea to have 7 packages show up at once, especially when she is working from home due to this "beer virus." BUT I can get away with 3-4, as long as one has her name on it and there is a shiny to distract her.

But hey, I don't drink or smoke my paycheck or go out to the bars and give her cause for concern, so I think she probably just pretends not to notice toys she hasn't seen before. The dog though, he notices! He most defiantly knows the ones he gets to go chase. And it is impossible to turn on my RC car remote without him coming running and barking! I have a policy, I don't ask her how much getting her hair/nails/spa day done costs.

What was that stuff? Something like "detail putty"? Sticky firmish blob that you press into surfaces with contours and it conforms to every nook and cranny, removing all traces of dust and small debris. I think it's an automotive detailing industry product. There's a thread around here somewhere......

I guess that stuff could be used as a freshen up technique for that fine shelf dust.

Clay bar maybe? Shelf dust is near IMPOSSIBLE for me to manage. My workshop is a woodshop first. It is always crazy dusty in there. I actually need to put in an air filtration/circulation setup... But at least I have an air compressor in my workshop, and an industrial one at work.

[RC10th]

It's hard to go past the ol' tried and true method of Simple Green and warm water.

[Biggs]

Yeah for sure! Simple Green has been my go to cleaner for years. I am going to try out the Simple Green Foaming Crystals stuff. Seeing some very positive reviews of it. But the point of the WD-40, Lemon Pledge, and the SCI stuff is a protective film that helps keep it clean and makes it much easier to clean.

The WD-40 is more useful for cleaning certain things, like adhesive. But as a protectant for RC cars, not very effective. Maybe it was a problem of a crappy bottle with poor atomization on my end. For full size cars I have known a few people that would regularly spray down the engine bay. And it works very well there. It helps keep the plastics from drying out, keeps hoses nice and soft, etc. I may try again with a new can, but this one didn't work for me. I am pretty sure it was WD-40 I used back in the day for this (I used it for everything else).

Ryan Harris I believe mentioned using Lemon Pledge in one of his videos. I can't find it now though. I think it was a much older video. Here is a more recent one where he mentions his cleaning supplies (set to that timestamp). [youtube] https://youtu.be/fucY5v57ACw?t=755[/youtube]

[Coelacanth]

I would think WD-40 is quite unsuitable as a protectant, I've never used it as a protectant. It's an excellent degreaser and moisture and adhesive remover. As you said, it leaves a film residue behind which has an unpleasant smell and actually attracts dust. As such, WD-40 isn't recommended as a lubricant because it actually removes oil products and attracts dust, defeating the purpose of most lubricants.

After I've used WD-40 to clean parts, I wash them in hot water and Dawn dish soap, then make sure all parts are thoroughly dried afterward. A hair drier is perfect for this. Then, I lubricate with fresh oil or grease (if needed). For polished wheels and such, I apply a bit of car wax. My cars have been sitting on shelves for years and there are no signs of any oxidation anywhere. Other than the bit of wax for the wheels, I've never applied any kind of protectant.