You wouldn't see scratches because the black deposit that comes off on the cloth when you polish is - in the case of vac plated plastics - part of the silver nitrate-based compound that forms the bright finish on the plastic. It's not as tough as chromium plate which, along with the mention earlier in this thread of the cloth bringing off with it a black deposit, leads me to believe that you wouldn't be able to make a weekly or even an annual job out of this because the typical thickness of the layer of silver nitrate used on plastics for this purpose is many times thinner than a human hair, a thin one from a blond head mind, not a thick one from a ginger pud.blu_fuz said:I was also thinking that it might be too harsh, but I have never tried it. I would hate to see tons of scratch swirls if it was too harsh. I only use soap/water/windex to clean my stuff and a lot of grime covered parts still didn't come clean, so maybe I need something more harsh.
Yes, but maybe with a few good smooth coats of clear lacquer, the shine could be preserved forever and not be in any further danger of going dull or breaking down if it needed to be cleaned. My JVC PC-11 had some pitted areas of plating when I got that a few years ago and I used Silvo on it to great effect, but then it started to go dull again and fortunately, I only tried a very tiny area that time before realising that the silver compound was coming off in greater quantity than it had that first time.blu_fuz said:So maybe good for one time use, then keep it mild with another quick wipe of warm water and dry cloth?
blu_fuz said:Vintage man, that looks damn good.
Lasonic TRC-920 said:Wow, that is a dramatic difference! EVERY radio I have that I bought from Japan has this issue.
Time for some serious polishing action!
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Beosystem10 said:Yes, but maybe with a few good smooth coats of clear lacquer, the shine could be preserved forever and not be in any further danger of going dull or breaking down if it needed to be cleaned. My JVC PC-11 had some pitted areas of plating when I got that a few years ago and I used Silvo on it to great effect, but then it started to go dull again and fortunately, I only tried a very tiny area that time before realising that the silver compound was coming off in greater quantity than it had that first time.
It's like using polish on a car; every time you use it some paint comes off but automotive paints are very thick by comparison with flash plating.
On the other hand, when the original surface does start to come off to a noticeable extent, you could try some of the new types of surface coating which apply silver nitrate to the surface by spraying, no chemical baths required. Usual safety precautions apply; gloves, mask, goggles, etc:
http://www.alsacorp.com/chromefx%20kit/
I haven't tried that one but I fancy giving it a go, some cheaper types are available in the UK which do the same thing.
I have been using this product forever...BUT you have to be careful with it. Like Vintage Man said be careful around painted surfaces...and be careful if you are doing chrome trims while they are still on the box...this stuff leaves a "whitish" film when left on to dry, but if you are careful it is a pretty good productVintage Man said:So there ya have it brothers. I must say I only use this on parts removed. I would not try rubbing this around painted surfaces.......