Cleaning Portables

[neophone]

Folks,

I'm finally going start a clean-up of my HMV 101. The nickel is in fairly good condition. The leatherette however is a different story. It is lightly spattered with paint flecks and ripped along two edges on the bottom. To "fix" the rips, I think, the only way is to place some similar material underneath and glue the edges down. Anyone have any surefire tricks for cleaning the leatherette? Pumice-free GoJo?

Regards,
J.

[Matt Brown]

Hi John,

Sometimes shoe polish will clean up a portable's exterior nicely (well, it evens out the color at least). I use Fantastic to get the dirt and grime off. In fact, Fantastic works well to remove dirt and grime on wooden surfaces as well.

As for paint flecks/specks, I find that one's fingernail is the best tool for removing these.

Best,

Matt

[neophone]

Matt,

I had thought of Fantastic but I had feared it might be to harsh for the old leatherette. I'll give it a try. Thanks!

Regards,
J.

[Matt Brown]

I have yet to find anything that I couldn't/shouldn't use Fantastik on. I'm a big fan of the stuff - works great!
Cleans micas really well, works great on motors, cabinets, portables, even metal parts.

Matt