I need to clean printer ink, the stuff we used to have on ribbons in the dot matrix days, off of plastic surfaces like melamine and polystyrene edging. anyone got any ideas that won't melt the plastic?
Brian
Isopropyl alcohol? Surgical spirit?
Angle Grinder ??
You won't melt melamine easily, if at all. On that, I'd use acetone, lacquer thinner, carburetor cleaner, nail polish remover, (yes, also WD-40), whatever was closest to hand.
Polystyrene will react to most of those by turning into a stick glob. White spirit would be the first thing I'd test in an inconspicuous place...
Thomas Prufer
Before whiteout, we used to use a very hard eraser to correct typewriter errors. I suspect that would work even better on plastic than it did on paper.
Colin Bignell
isopropyl alcohol is generally safe I find.
I assume you both mean "dissolve", rather than "melt".
Yes, but "melt" is what Brian had written. And in the case of polystyrene, it describes it rather well -- styrofoam in acetone, for instance.
Another method I'd try might be melamine foam, aka "magic eraser", which is entirely mechanical.
Thomas Prufer
I've cleaned printer-ribbon ink off the casing of my dot-matrix printer with a drop of Fairy Liquid on the rough side of a washing sponge and gentle oscilation.
JGH
Label remover from RS, Servisol, or Electrolube etc.
Derek G
Dot matrix ribbons like we used to have?
I'll have you know my Epson LQ 570+ is still going strong!
(And I clean any smudged printing ink off the case and the rollers using methylated spirit on a pad of cotton rag.)
Nick
As in 'how do you titillate an ocelot?'
Xylene is best, or isopropanol, although less effective.
Actually a friend has offered to use an angle grinder already claiming the furniture is kind of out of date. I pointed out that its a period piece to me and hence worth saving.
Brian
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