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Sound Reinforcement - Forums for Live Sound Professionals - Your Displayed Name Must Be Your Real Full Name To Post In The Live Sound Forums => LAB Lounge => Topic started by: Alex Rigodanzo on August 12, 2014, 06:08:29 PM

Title: Cleaning Duraflex UPDATE
Post by: Alex Rigodanzo on August 12, 2014, 06:08:29 PM
Just picked up a pair of SRX722's.  Looks like the po used Armor All or something similar on the cabs and they're all streaky.  JBL manual says clean with a dry cloth, but also to use a grease remover if cleaning for painting.  So what's the thing to clean these with?  Dawn?
Title: Re: Cleaning Duraflex
Post by: Tim McCulloch on August 12, 2014, 06:11:40 PM
Just picked up a pair of SRX722's.  Looks like the po used Armor All or something similar on the cabs and they're all streaky.  JBL manual says clean with a dry cloth, but also to use a grease remover if cleaning for painting.  So what's the thing to clean these with?  Dawn?

A powdered household cleanser like Spic 'n' Span.  Use a scrub brush to get into the nooks and crannies and follow with a clear water rinse to get the detergent off.

Are you going to repaint them?  I'm not sure anything will fix the streaking if it's penetrated the coating.
Title: Re: Cleaning Duraflex
Post by: Alex Rigodanzo on August 12, 2014, 07:23:32 PM
A powdered household cleanser like Spic 'n' Span.  Use a scrub brush to get into the nooks and crannies and follow with a clear water rinse to get the detergent off.

Are you going to repaint them?  I'm not sure anything will fix the streaking if it's penetrated the coating.

Probably not, just want to give cleaning a try.  They're in pretty good shape but must have been a little faded or something and he wanted to "blacken" them up to sell.  Very few nicks and no dents in the grills so fairly nice.
Title: Re: Cleaning Duraflex
Post by: Bob Leonard on August 13, 2014, 12:33:46 AM
Windex does a very nice job.
Title: Re: Cleaning Duraflex
Post by: John Fruits on August 13, 2014, 04:35:01 AM
If you have  Dollar Tree Store near by you might invest a buck in their "Absolutely Awesome, as seen on TV" degreaser.  This stuff works great at removing anything greasy.  It comes in two sizes, the spray bottle or the larger refill size, can't beat it for a buck. 
Title: Re: Cleaning Duraflex
Post by: Scott Harris on August 13, 2014, 10:29:28 PM
Or you could go in the other direction and get some armor all type wipes and try to blend the streaks out.  If you have streaks on the bottom surface you cold try it there first to make sure it works on a non-visible surface.
Title: Re: Cleaning Duraflex
Post by: Chuck Simon on August 14, 2014, 12:10:43 AM
Be sure and clean it before you apply the Armor All.
Title: Re: Cleaning Duraflex
Post by: Alex Rigodanzo on August 14, 2014, 11:26:55 PM
I'm not applying Armor All. I want to get that off. If I was going to use anything, it would be 303.
Title: Re: Cleaning Duraflex UPDATE
Post by: Alex Rigodanzo on August 16, 2014, 03:10:46 PM
I thought I'd share what I did in case it might help someone else down the line.  Rather than try to clean the stuff off, I thought I'd try to even it out to remove the streaks.  I used my 6" polisher with a clean, dry wool bonnet and buffed the cabinets.  It worked great.  No more streaks and the better cabinet came out looking damn near brand new.  The other is quite acceptable for whatever age these are.  So if you're thinking about applying some product to bring back the black but are concerned about getting even coverage with the texture, this did the trick.
Title: Re: Cleaning Duraflex UPDATE
Post by: Jonathan Johnson on August 18, 2014, 02:07:55 PM
Glad you found a solution.

My go-to cleaner is Simple Green. It's fairly gentle, but works well on removing oily or greasy grime.

For more "durable" gook such as adhesive or permanent marker, I like De-Solv-It (pretty much pure citrus oil), but you want to be cautious on painted or finished wood surfaces (baked enamel or anodized is OK, but it may soften other finishes). Don't use De-Solv-It on unfinished wood.