How to shine up the 7800 metal peice?

[ussexplorer]

My 7800 is a beat up. That is fine with me since after getting the used system. That will be my main system for use. What pisses me off is the condition the 7800 metal/silver bar is accross the top. Looks really bad compaired to the rest of the plastic case.

 

Any help on fixing it up? Making it look good?

 

Later,

 

Josh

[Video]

If it's kind of rusty looking, got white crap growing on it or whatever, you can buff it off using a dremel tool and a felt buffing wheel. I did to mine and painted a clearcoat over it when I was done so it would stay shiney looking. Just be careful of the rainbow strip as it can be stripped off with the rust and dirt.

 

Sorry, thinking of the 2600, same should go for the 7800 though.

[BoOchan!]

Luckily, The 7800 I bought STILL had the Plastic on the Metal plate, I make sure EVERY DAY that no dust gets on it. (BTW I got rid of the plastic, it was really dirty!)

 

Anyway, I found that Wood marveer or Instant Shine type cleaners work quite well.

[ussexplorer]

When I get a peice of hardware with a peice of plastic over metal or plastic I leave it on. Providing it looks good. I have ran into a very few peices of electronics that it didn't look good on. I prefer having a peice of plastic (even beat up a little) to protect the item. Then one day out of the blue I would peel it off when it looks like bad.

 

Later,

 

Josh

[granitehillkid]

Is there any way to restore the rainbow color strip? Any suggestions? I just bought a 7800, and the color on the metal is faded to nothing.

[Shawn]

Is there any way to restore the rainbow color strip? Any suggestions? I just bought a 7800, and the color on the metal is faded to nothing.

1020582[/snapback]

 

 

The rainbow is just paint so when its gone its gone.

 

Also that plastic shoudl be removed as it will PERMANTLY attach it's self to the metal over time and leave a nasty stain on your system when your forced to remove it. Best bet it to the punch IMO.

[spacecadet]

Also that plastic shoudl be removed as it will PERMANTLY attach it's self to the metal over time and leave a nasty stain on your system when your forced to remove it.

1020606[/snapback]

 

No, it won't.

 

I always leave plastic on when I can. But there have been times when, just through nature taking its course, it has fallen off various things. There have also been times when after several years I have said "screw it" and taken it off. It doesn't stick. When you remove it, the stuff underneath looks good as new.

 

My 5200 and both joysticks still have the plastic on, but it's peeling a little bit. If I wanted to, I could just rip it the rest of the way off and the system would look exactly the way it did the day it was first produced.

 

The only plastic that sticks and leaves a residue is the kind that would have stuck and left a residue if you took it off right after it was applied. I hate that stuff. But regular contact plastic like on Atari consoles does not stick (unless you've left it out in the sun and melted it or something).

[Shawn]

Also that plastic shoudl be removed as it will PERMANTLY attach it's self to the metal over time and leave a nasty stain on your system when your forced to remove it.

1020606[/snapback]

 

No, it won't.

 

I always leave plastic on when I can.

1020706[/snapback]

 

 

Someone wanna back me up here and confirm for this fella that the plastic strip will attach itself to the metal on the console over time please? Cause I know this is not a hear say statement I'm making it's a fact which my others on this board have commented on in the past in other threads. Even this sites Administrator ALBERT.

[Bruce Tomlin]

Toothpaste is probably a good choice for a polish. It's esentially the same stuff as the "silver polish" cream, only with flouride and flavoring added. Just put a bit on a towel and rub the metal with it.

[spacecadet]

Someone wanna back me up here and confirm for this fella that the plastic strip will attach itself to the metal on the console over time please? Cause I know this is not a hear say statement I'm making it's a fact which my others on this board have commented on in the past in other threads. Even this sites Administrator ALBERT.

1020761[/snapback]

 

Yeah, they've commented on it, and then others like me have come in and said exactly the opposite. What you are saying *is* hearsay; you have no experience with it, you're just relying on disputed comments by others.

 

I have lots and lots of experience with this going back many years - *all* I buy is boxed systems and many of them still have the plastic on when I get them. Other products I buy also have this plastic on them, as is true of everyone else too. I have never, ever had this plastic leave any sort of residue no matter how many years after the fact I've taken it off. The *only* time plastic leaves a residue is when it is glued on - which it sometimes is. There is a special kind of glue that is not supposed to leave a residue but often does (the same stuff they use for those CD and DVD case seals). But Atari consoles do not have that; they have regular contact plastic that's held on by the attraction between the plastic and the metal itself. That will come off with no problem whatsoever any number of years after the fact.

 

I've got half a mind to take the plastic off one of my 5200 controllers to prove this once and for all, but I won't because it's not worth it. *I* know it won't leave a residue; you can believe these urban legends that it will if you want. But it won't. Plastic and metal don't mix. There's no way chemically to make them mix.

 

Toothpaste is probably a good choice for a polish. It's esentially the same stuff as the "silver polish" cream, only with flouride and flavoring added. Just put a bit on a towel and rub the metal with it.

 

You just want to make sure you're not using a toothpaste with abrasives in it, like baking soda. That's essentially like trying to polish metal with Ajax. I wouldn't use any toothpaste that has a powdery texture in your mouth.

[bjk7382]

My 7800 has the plastic still on there, and the corner is peeling up a tiny bit. I peeled it back a little more and there doesn't seem to be any residue, just looks like shiny metal under there. But the flap doesn't stick back down as good as it did originally. Maybe they did use some type of low bond adhesive on the plastic. And maybe they changed it over the years they made the console which accounts for some people saying it leaves residue and then some people saying that it comes off just fine.

[frogstar_robot]

My 7800 is a beat up. That is fine with me since after getting the used system. That will be my main system for use. What pisses me off is the condition the 7800 metal/silver bar is accross the top. Looks really bad compaired to the rest of the plastic case.

 

Any help on fixing it up? Making it look good? 

 

Later,

 

Josh

318852[/snapback]

 

Why......... With this of course:

 

 

 

Sometimes I just kill me.

[shadow460]

Whether or not the plastic strip sticks to your 7800 permanently depends on what brand the plastic is.

It's much like a plastic coating I use every dau at work to protect painted metal stock as I'm making the stock into parts.

 

The worst that will happen if the plastic isn't exposed to the elements is that the plastic itself will weaken or get cuts in it, making it impossible to remove in one piece.

That same plastic coating, however, if left in the sun, melts into whatever it is stuck to.

 

The plastic strip on my 7800 feels much like the 3M brand we've tried at work. That stuff doesn't stick to anything for very long. It stays on while I'm working with the part, but peels off soon after.

 

None of the plastic I've used has left any kind of residue.

[2600khz]

My Freind Machined a Peice Of Grey Plastic That I Leafed Gold And Laquered Its Actually A Viable Replacement Part Cuz Its SuperSoaker WaterGun Plastic And Thats Tough!

 

Ask Some Dude Who Works For A Storage Container Company To Make One

[okto]

Plastic and metal don't mix. There's no way chemically to make them mix.

You don't know anything about chemistry, do you? The issue is not them mixing (although it's perfectly possible to do so, under the right circumstances). Many adhesives are complex polymers, so when plastic (a polymer) ages and decomposes, as things on 20-year-old electronics tend to, it can get sticky. Also, many plastics outgas all kinds of awfully corrosive substances as they decompose from UV exposure or simple oxidation, which could accelerate corrosion on the metal bits.

I didn't know if the plastic Atari used would decompose into icky things or stick to metal, but saying it's chemically inconceivable is hogwash. Since I have heard several people say that the plastic on the 2600jr and 7800 can corrode or stick to the metal, I'm going to go with the safer option of peeling it off.

 

I've got half a mind to take the plastic off one of my 5200 controllers to prove this once and for all, but I won't because it's not worth it. *I* know it won't leave a residue; you can believe these urban legends that it will if you want.

O brilliant and infallible Collector, show us wayward Peons the true way!

I'm glad you know it won't, and think you knowing it makes it true and/or good enough for the rest of us, but in the future, maybe leave the arrogant windbag routine at home?

 

Sorry if my post is harsh, but you totally patronized the people who disagreed with you and treated them--us, really--as if we are idiots and you deigned to set us straight. It's just plastic, dude, not your mother's honor.

[Artlover]

*all* I buy is boxed systems and many of them still have the plastic on when I get them. Other products I buy also have this plastic on them

Whats the word I'm looking for....hmmmm. 4 letters, starts with a.

 

Seriously, it was for short term protection during storage and transport during it's pre-sold life. Meant to be pealed off once you get it home. I can see leaving it on in the case of collectable mint condition investment, but not for the general gaming machine that's activly being used. Just peal the annoying pink plastic off and get it over with. It's going to happen anyways sooner or later, so what are you waiting for. Till you're on your death bed so you can have the satasifaction of seeing it like new before you pass on? At that point, you'de be better off opening an original factory sealed console box or something instead of fussing over a protective plastic liner.

 

Chant. {Tear it off}{Tear it off}{Take it off}{Tear it..??}{Take it off}{Hey hey, it's Tear it off.}{It's not Take it off?}{No!}{We're not trying to get him to strip?}{NOoooo, you pervert!}

[MyChvycaprice9c1]

I'm a mechanic/car guy as well and for polishing dirty and dull metal, i get this polish called "Top Brite" it's cleaned up some of my most dirty/dingy metals. if you cant find that, most polishes made by No. 7 are great

[darklord1977]

i have a 7800 and ive had the same one since it came out...i always kept it in good condition.. if you want to shine the system up try this.. for all over the system i use endust for electronics..it keeps all the black surface shiny..and for the metal strip..i have actually used chrome polish and.. dont laugh ,because this actually works car wax((use it very sparenly though) it really gets that strip shiny and it protects from corrosion...