PlaymoFriends

Creative => How-To => Topic started by: Birdie on October 29, 2014, 17:43:07

Title: Cleaning torsos the Tahra-way
Post by: Birdie on October 29, 2014, 17:43:07
I thought I'd show you what I've been up to this afternoon:

Tahra explained again how she does her magic when it comes to cleaning clicky torsos, getting the printing off I mean.
I bought some old-school erasers, that have a blue side to them that erases ballpoint pen writing (although that has NEVER worked for me in the past, I always ended up with a hole in the paper from scratching).

(http://i.imgur.com/RjtKOAL.jpg)

Then I got to work, and lo and behold!!!

(http://i.imgur.com/h5OgRVH.jpg)

This lady used to have her dress full of roses and leaves:

(http://i.imgur.com/iKXfA0K.jpg)

I have her twice, so this makes for a nice change. I can't believe how good it looks, when I only used such a simple tool.

This guy had some weird printing on his sweater, which made him less versatile. And *poof*:

(http://i.imgur.com/ru0uzEW.jpg)

Roller skater arms?

(http://i.imgur.com/YS1qrHN.jpg)

Off comes the printing!

(http://i.imgur.com/CW0JxFq.jpg)

And this ladies torso had purple&white printing on it. She was also a double, so I cleaned her up too.

(http://i.imgur.com/a2FsRZk.jpg)

And finally I decided the rabbit woman would work a lot better as a regular clicky:

(http://i.imgur.com/HIPLIgk.jpg)

Off came the white tail (and the bunny feet):

(http://i.imgur.com/7cbo2aY.jpg)

This is a dream tool! I do think I erased bits of my fingers off too in the process, but well...  ;D



Title: Re: Cleaning torsos the Tahra-way
Post by: tahra on October 29, 2014, 18:43:16
Glad to be of service ;)

This is a dream tool! I do think I erased bits of my fingers off too in the process, but well...  ;D

:lmao: :lmao: :lmao: :lmao:
Title: Re: Cleaning torsos the Tahra-way
Post by: conniefrere on October 29, 2014, 18:50:18
Wow! Nice technique...... Definitely must try this too.
Title: Re: Cleaning torsos the Tahra-way
Post by: basilsdad on October 29, 2014, 21:52:46
Who knew?  Thanks to both of you.  Great pictures and a great idea.

Joe
Title: Re: Cleaning torsos the Tahra-way
Post by: playmofire on October 30, 2014, 01:55:27
A great method.
Title: Re: Cleaning torsos the Tahra-way
Post by: Raven on October 30, 2014, 05:05:33
It's that simple??  Or did you skip over the part about five hours hard work and fingers now in splints?   ;)

There are certainly some child klickies that I'd love to change - I have so many identical twins, triplets, quadruplets....
Title: Re: Cleaning torsos the Tahra-way
Post by: tahra on October 30, 2014, 08:38:23
I think it takes a bit - as in print doesn't come off at the first rub, but it's not hard... Some are easier than others.


Title: Re: Cleaning torsos the Tahra-way
Post by: Birdie on October 30, 2014, 08:46:41
It's that simple??  Or did you skip over the part about five hours hard work and fingers now in splints?   ;)

Oh no that was a joke, my fingers are fine  :)  Your hands can cramp up if you keep at it for five clickies in a row, because you need to grip the pieces firmly of course. And it doesn't come off with one magic swipe. But it doesn't take that long at all, imo.

I used to scratch off the printing, which left ugly marks. This doesn't leave marks (although Tahra did warn me about one mishap!!), but it makes the surface a bit dull, less shiny.
I hardly see it.
Title: Re: Cleaning torsos the Tahra-way
Post by: Sylvia on October 30, 2014, 10:34:26
What a great tip! I must try this out. :)

This doesn't leave marks (although Tahra did warn me about one mishap!!), but it makes the surface a bit dull, less shiny.
I hardly see it.

To make it shinier again, rub in a small dab of metal cleaner (such as silver polish) and buff it with a soft cloth.
Title: Re: Cleaning torsos the Tahra-way
Post by: Birdie on October 30, 2014, 10:53:57
Aha, thanks  :wave: Tahra suggested metal cleaner too!  I'll try to get my hands on some silver polish then.
Title: Re: Cleaning torsos the Tahra-way
Post by: Pynedor on October 30, 2014, 12:15:19
Nice! tahra's method seems to have worked out great for you. I usually resort to some wet-sanding. :lol:
Title: Re: Cleaning torsos the Tahra-way
Post by: DrDalek6 on October 30, 2014, 22:33:36
Great stuff just goes to show the advantages of sharing good advice and tips between ourselves and a very cheap easy piece of kit to get hold of as well, will have to try that next time previously I've jsut used a bit of sandpaper with tape over the areas I don't want to erase but, this might well work better  :)   
Title: Re: Cleaning torsos the Tahra-way
Post by: Hadoque on October 31, 2014, 01:14:16
I've been using gums too  :)
First time I rubbed so hard the klicky vanished completely ;D ... Joking  ;)
Title: Re: Cleaning torsos the Tahra-way
Post by: tahra on November 02, 2014, 17:41:36
First time I rubbed so hard the klicky vanished completely ;D ... Joking  ;)

:lmao: :lmao:

This time I remembered (barely, but I did!) - pics of the cleaning thing and magic cotton...

(http://www.playkingdoms.com/temp/playmoproc/customtools001.jpg)


The cleaning thing is aimed as a super cleaner, for example after working on a car or something. This is a supermarket brand.

(http://www.playkingdoms.com/temp/playmoproc/customtools002.jpg)

It's like a toothpaste, but more "liquid"...

(http://www.playkingdoms.com/temp/playmoproc/customtools004.jpg)


The other is known, I think. They call it "magic cotton", and it stinks.

(http://www.playkingdoms.com/temp/playmoproc/customtools003.jpg)


I usually give the cleaned klickys a good rub with the "super gel" thing (I use a piece of tissue, or kitchen paper, or a paper napkin, or a bit ot toilet paper.. )

I only use the cotton when the klicky is really scratched (happened a couple of times, the worse of them with the Galactica bridge officers - scared the Tartarus out of me, and I didn't have more torsos!).

Title: Re: Cleaning torsos the Tahra-way
Post by: Rasputin on December 29, 2014, 16:11:12

I bought some old-school erasers, that have a blue side to them that erases ballpoint pen writing (although that has NEVER worked for me in the past, I always ended up with a hole in the paper from scratching).

But is erased the mistake on your paper didn't it, so it worked, just too well.

We have power erasers for our drafting jobs, I wonder if they would work? They tend to have softer erasers so the holy paper phenomenon is avoided but it may keep the carpel tunell effect down.

The eraser with the blue pen side seems to look like it has a grit melted in?

Nice simple idea that works, those are the best ones.
Title: Re: Cleaning torsos the Tahra-way
Post by: Birdie on January 02, 2015, 14:04:15
The eraser with the blue pen side seems to look like it has a grit melted in?

Yup, that's it. The blue part has a more grainy texture:

(http://i.imgur.com/iyCwjtF.jpg)
Title: Re: Cleaning torsos the Tahra-way
Post by: Salamander on July 17, 2015, 16:07:32
Thank you birdie and tahra for this topic.  I used the blue eraser trick for the first time, and it worked great!  This was the first time I've ever permanently changed a part (as I mentioned elsewhere, I'm going to be painting too, but I haven't done that quite yet.)

The funny thing is, when my kids were young (and they were the whole reason I got into Playmo) we never changed *anything* when we played! The kids had no interest in switching hair around or changing weapons/accessories etc, so we just never did it.

(And when the time came that I started switching parts around, the first klicky I tried to take apart was a fat one - shows how little I knew! - which of course broke...)
Title: Re: Cleaning torsos the Tahra-way
Post by: tahra on July 18, 2015, 14:07:01
(And when the time came that I started switching parts around, the first klicky I tried to take apart was a fat one - shows how little I knew! - which of course broke...)

Fat guys pop the same as every other...

Just had that issue with those new heads on speedos... I do have a bunch of them to pop. One of these days I will have to get that done ...
Title: Re: Cleaning torsos the Tahra-way
Post by: Salamander on July 18, 2015, 18:48:18
Fat guys pop the same as every other...

I've read of other people also having problems with the fat ones and the hands up, head turned, smash method.
Title: Re: Cleaning torsos the Tahra-way
Post by: tahra on July 18, 2015, 18:54:26
I've read of other people also having problems with the fat ones and the hands up, head turned, smash method.

Well, it seems to me those methods are really not for fat guys... But they pop the same: My popper (link) (http://www.playmofriends.com/forum/index.php?topic=12000.0)

(before the popring in the playmoroom!)
Title: Re: Cleaning torsos the Tahra-way
Post by: Birdie on July 18, 2015, 19:43:38
Yes popping is a fantastic method, but before I mastered the technique, Tahra had to show me in real life how it is done.
Maybe a video tutorial isn't a bad idea   :)
Title: Re: Cleaning torsos the Tahra-way
Post by: Salamander on July 18, 2015, 22:55:04
Well, it seems to me those methods are really not for fat guys...

That was my point! That I knew so little that I didn't know not to do the fat ones that way!

I've not tried your method though I've read about it!
Title: Re: Cleaning torsos the Tahra-way
Post by: Klickteryx on May 03, 2016, 05:22:44
It's very difficult to find those pen erasers now, at least where I am.

An alternative I read about and just tried is using magic eraser. You get it in the supermarket.
It's a type of sponge which when wet acts like fine grit sandpaper.

I took the print off the head of a clown. The white paint came off first then the black. Took a couple of minutes and worked well.
It doesn't seem to harm the plastic, only the paint.

Will have to see how it is on a larger surface with thicker paint like a torso.

Title: Re: Cleaning torsos the Tahra-way
Post by: tahra on May 03, 2016, 07:40:52
I suppose the erasers are not all that common anymore. The ones I'm using are DECADES old, cause.. well.. they were never very good at their intended purpose. Unless you count poking a hole in the paper as a success.

Anything that rubs off the paint would do...  I find it easier to work with the eraser than the sponge..

The paint comes off in layers, yes. I think some nice effects could come crom that, if we could pull it off consistently.

Sometimes the parts do come off sort of "scratched" :(   In my experience, especially dark blue torsos :wall:
Title: Re: Cleaning torsos the Tahra-way
Post by: Birdie on May 03, 2016, 09:01:33
I suppose the erasers are not all that common anymore. The ones I'm using are DECADES old, cause.. well.. they were never very good at their intended purpose. Unless you count poking a hole in the paper as a success.

Exactly, it's a miracle they're still available at all  :lol:

Still, they're quite common here, I can get them from the supermarket.
Title: Re: Cleaning torsos the Tahra-way
Post by: tahra on May 03, 2016, 09:34:24
I already put out the word at home - any of those found are MINE! :)

Still have plenty. Decades don't seem to curb their effectiveness, thank the Gods... But I do believe I have seen them on the supermarket too..
Title: Re: Cleaning torsos the Tahra-way
Post by: Hadoque on May 03, 2016, 21:23:30
In my experience, softer pencil gums (which are usually white) work fine too though some more/harder rubbing is required to get rid off the prints. But they leave no or much less scratches.
Title: Re: Cleaning torsos the Tahra-way
Post by: tahra on May 04, 2016, 07:26:24
In my experience, softer pencil gums (which are usually white) work fine too though some more/harder rubbing is required to get rid off the prints. But they leave no or much less scratches.

Really? I never got anywhere with pencil erasers. Makes sense they would leave less scratches. Time to try again!
Title: Re: Cleaning torsos the Tahra-way
Post by: Hadoque on May 04, 2016, 20:02:59
Really? I never got anywhere with pencil erasers.

With the first rubbing there is almost no result so you could have the impression it won´t work. But persist and the print(s) will start to come off, at first just slightly but it improves after a while. These gums are not so handy if you have a lot of torsos (or other parts) to clean, but like said to avoid scratches they are great, and repolishing is also much less needed.
Title: Re: Cleaning torsos the Tahra-way
Post by: Klickteryx on May 04, 2016, 21:43:55
I'm surprised the pencil rubbers work, but I have used them to clean up after using the pen rubber so I guess they do have some sanding property.
Though, when you say awhile, how long are we talking about - ad break, tv episode, movie, marathon evening, days, weeks... ;D

As for the pen rubbers, they're a thing of the past here. Unless there is some specialty store that has them, supermarkets, stationers don't carry them anymore. I'm surprised they were still made after correction fluid (twink) came out. I only used them a couple of times and they were really bad on the paper surface.
Title: Re: Cleaning torsos the Tahra-way
Post by: tahra on May 05, 2016, 08:22:47
As for the pen rubbers, they're a thing of the past here. Unless there is some specialty store that has them, supermarkets, stationers don't carry them anymore. I'm surprised they were still made after correction fluid (twink) came out. I only used them a couple of times and they were really bad on the paper surface.

When I was little there  was not such thing as "correction fluid" - my age showing...  :P

Everyone used the pen erasers, with the expected amount of success. Maybe that is why we still had several...
Title: Re: Cleaning torsos the Tahra-way
Post by: Hadoque on May 05, 2016, 15:40:47
I'm surprised the pencil rubbers work, but I have used them to clean up after using the pen rubber so I guess they do have some sanding property.
Though, when you say awhile, how long are we talking about - ad break, tv episode, movie, marathon evening, days, weeks... ;D

It really depends, I mostly use them to remove relative small prints on legs, torsos, headwear, chest-armour, jackets, etc.
The time it takes really depends on several factors, but let´s say a break for TV-ads will usually be too short (certainly when watching non-commercial state TV) and a movie way too long.  ;)
A good way to start trying pencil gums would be cleaning off f.e. large skull-prints that come of some of the pirates´ bandanas or their bicorne-hats, that will give some indication how much time it will take to clean off larger prints from torsos.
The brand of the pencil gum also plays a role, they are somewhat harder ones and other ones that are softer. I prefer to use those from Staedtler.
Title: Re: Cleaning torsos the Tahra-way
Post by: Macruran on August 12, 2017, 23:14:16
I tried the pen eraser method with a Faber-Castell 7016-40 on a black torso. I found it left unacceptably many scratches. (I have three extra of these erasers if you want one.)

I tried a magic eraser on a different torso - white paint on brown - and found it really slow going.

:(
Title: Re: Cleaning torsos the Tahra-way
Post by: Klickteryx on August 13, 2017, 05:07:17

I tried a magic eraser on a different torso - white paint on brown - and found it really slow going.

:(
It is, especially on anything larger than a line.
I use magic eraser to remove the falcon crest off the dark grey breastplates.
That print is on thick. I scuff it up a bit with very fine grit paper then use the sponge stuff. Still takes awhile but gets the job done.
Title: Re: Cleaning torsos the Tahra-way
Post by: playmo73 on January 22, 2018, 20:49:01
thanks!
Title: Re: Cleaning torsos the Tahra-way
Post by: bml87 on January 28, 2018, 11:21:31
Thanks Tahra for this amazing hack! And thank you Birdie for sharing it! The last couple of days I did some experiments. The trick with the blue eraser works really good, but like most of you mention it leaves a dull (not so shiny) surface. So, I bought a transparent matt varnish (the gloss varnish would make it too shiny), which you can use on plastic, such as Playmobil. I used two layers; let the first layer dry for 20 minutes and put a second layer after it. The result looks really good! The only thing that gives away it has varnish, is the feeling of the surface. Tadaaaaaaa:

(https://i.imgur.com/R4Kcw8q.jpg)
Click the picture to zoom or go to: https://i.imgur.com/R4Kcw8q.jpg
Title: Re: Cleaning torsos the Tahra-way
Post by: Hadoque on January 28, 2018, 23:06:30
I find spray-varnish a bit extreme for this purpose...
Sometimes just water with soap and polishing with a clean piece of cloath brings the shine back, depending on what material / which method used to get the printing off.
There are also several kinds of polish-products for synthetic materials, f.e. those used in model-building. These are packed smaller & more handy and they work just fine. But make sure to pick one suited for plastics, ABS plastic preferably. And they might not all be good for use on more brittle/softer plastic, like coats & cloaks.

I tried the pen eraser method with a Faber-Castell 7016-40 on a black torso. I found it left unacceptably many scratches.

You could use a soft (white) pencil eraser instead of a (hard) pen eraser.  Goes even slower though, so mostly good for removing small prints with (a lot) of patience. But: no scratces and the shine comes back easily with a bit of polishing.
Title: Re: Cleaning torsos the Tahra-way
Post by: bml87 on January 29, 2018, 15:13:56
I find spray-varnish a bit extreme for this purpose...
Sometimes just water with soap and polishing with a clean piece of cloath brings the shine back, depending on what material / which method used to get the printing off.
There are also several kinds of polish-products for synthetic materials, f.e. those used in model-building. These are packed smaller & more handy and they work just fine. But make sure to pick one suited for plastics, ABS plastic preferably. And they might not all be good for use on more brittle/softer plastic, like coats & cloaks.

Thanks for the trick :) I will try this next time!
Title: Re: Cleaning torsos the Tahra-way
Post by: Hadoque on January 29, 2018, 23:44:21
Below one of the latest longcoats. It comes with the just released Playmo-Friends figure 9334, a Western Sheriff.
The brownish colour is quite to my taste, and of course I want to use it for my Renaissance-era klickies.

For such coats / jackets, I use the soft, white pencil-eraser from "Pelikan" to remove (some of the) printing.
Sometimes I pick the one from "Staedtler", that one is a little harder and lasts longer, but I can´t always find it in shops in my area.

Don´t use "Paint-remover for plastics" on Playmo jackets & coats, such product "eats" a very little of the plastic you use it on, and on thin plastics like jackets & coats that could sometimes cause them to rupture / break.

Title: Re: Cleaning torsos the Tahra-way
Post by: Tiermann on January 30, 2018, 00:39:26
What a great looking figure Erwin!
Title: Re: Cleaning torsos the Tahra-way
Post by: cheng on January 30, 2018, 02:10:45
very nice custom, Hadoque!
...you've even lighten the dark brown long coat with the rubber  :lol:(just kidding....sometimes I buy parts relying on photos and when I receive them, black can be ark blue etc :P)
Title: Re: Cleaning torsos the Tahra-way
Post by: tahra on January 30, 2018, 08:51:46
He is gorgeous, Hadoque!

Can't go wrong with browns! :love:
Title: Re: Cleaning torsos the Tahra-way
Post by: bml87 on January 30, 2018, 17:30:39
Really nice! I didn’t reach that level of customising yet, but you’re a great example for sure!
Title: Re: Cleaning torsos the Tahra-way
Post by: The_Mad_Hadder on January 30, 2018, 21:40:44
Fantastic, I really like that figure Hadoque, he himself should be a mystery f?gure. Also Tahra I would like to thank you for taking the time out to show us how to do this. I too am going to try this on some breast plats that have a red bird on them.
Title: Re: Cleaning torsos the Tahra-way
Post by: Hadoque on January 31, 2018, 09:55:41
Many thanks for the comments about the custom-klicky  :)
I like him a lot myself :lol:
Haven´t made many the last year (lack of time), and the ones I did do I haven´t shown anywhere yet. I haven´t even updated anything on my Playmo-profile on Fakebook since end of summer...
Title: Re: Cleaning torsos the Tahra-way
Post by: PMatt on April 15, 2020, 17:47:28
Though I have not nearly as much experience as the fellow users who contributed to the discussion, I would like to put my two cents in.

When I first resolved to erase the print off some parts, I went with the pen eraser method, following a suggestion I’d read on some blog. To my dismay, the results left me deeply unsatisfied. Not only did the pieces end up looking significantly duller, scratch marks were also very much visible. Coating the pieces in hair spray restored their shine, but the scratches stayed, and to my eyes they looked very much unpleasant.

I could not ascertain what went wrong: the eraser was precisely like those I would later find shown in this thread, a blue/red one. I hardly think I applied too much pressure – I endeavoured to rub as gently as I could – though I cannot entirely rule out this possibility. At any rate, disheartened by such an outcome, I abandoned the idea of removing prints altogether, lest I ruin other perfectly fine pieces.

At the end of January, I purchased some klickies which were – let’s say, not so clean. In particular, on an old janitor torso there was a blue mark which would not go away with soap; so I decided to resort to alcohol. I grabbed the alcohol bottle, poured some on a cotton pad and rubbed the torso with it. To my utmost surprise, the mark was not the only thing to disappear – the print was beginning to fade too. I kept it up and succeeded in completely removing the torso print without the slightest semblance of damage to the part.

In the following weeks, I continued to employ this method on a variety of parts: as of now, I have successfully cleaned torsos, arms, legs, headwear, and vests. I have not yet had the need to remove facial hair, but I presume it wouldn’t be any different.

The only somewhat significant issue I’ve found might arise from the fact that parts which undergo this treatment end up being somewhat shinier. I’m not positive I could manage to capture it in a photo, so I’ll try to describe it in words. One of the parts I used as a testbed was a misprinted bulletproof vest. I only erased the bottom silver part, leaving the “POLICE” writing intact. Upon close inspection, the middle and top portion (which I did not erase) has somewhat of a grainier texture and is slightly more opaque than the part I erased; the latter looks smooth and even somewhat more intense in colour. This effect is only noticeable on parts which have the grainier texture I’m striving to describe; some torsos (old and new alike) do, but this is mostly the case (from my limited experience with the parts I tend to handle most) with the blue and grey bulletproof vests.

For the sake of full disclosure, I feel the need to say that, depending on the print, it might take a while to erase it – especially if there are multiple overlapping colours. Some appear to be harder to remove than others (silver, for instance). In spite of that, at the time of writing, the method I described is the only one I feel comfortable with, and wanted to share in case anyone fancied to try something different.
Title: Re: Cleaning torsos the Tahra-way
Post by: tahra on April 15, 2020, 19:04:30
Thank you, PlaymoCollector... I tried alcohool long ago, but with little result (common one) - which kind did you use? 

Maybe mine was "old", or I didn't take long enough?  It would be a MUCH better solution than the eraser.

These days I use also WET sandpaper and then the magic cotton to restore the shine somewhat..

Still no solution for uneven surfaces - the jackets from HTTYD, and more important, the SHEEP.

Title: Re: Cleaning torsos the Tahra-way
Post by: PMatt on April 17, 2020, 16:20:37
To me it seems run-of-the-mill denatured alcohol, but maybe someone better versed in chemistry can make out more from the label?

(https://i.imgur.com/L0LFnQn.jpg)

I am afraid I have no uneven surfaces to test on; but after looking at pictures of HTTYD sheep, I think that with cotton swabs and some elbow grease one might succeed...
Title: Re: Cleaning torsos the Tahra-way
Post by: Indianna on April 18, 2020, 15:44:51
Possibly the difference in effectiveness is due to the type of alcohol used.  Playmocollector's photo shows denatured alcohol (which contains methanol) which is the type one would find at a hardware store in contrast to isopropyl alcohol which is the kind you would buy at the drugstore. 

Here's an explanation I found on the web at: sciencing.com (https://sciencing.com/methanol-isopropyl-alcohol-same-thing-5652093.html)

Methanol Structure
Methanol consists of a methyl group (a carbon with three hydrogens attached) connected to a hydroxyl group. The formula is CH3OH.

Methanol Properties
Methanol functions as a solvent in laboratories. Manufacturers add it to ethanol to create denatured alcohol, undrinkable by design, for use as a fuel or cleanser. Ingesting even a tiny amount of methanol can cause permanent blindness or death, according to NIH Medline.

Isopropyl Alcohol Structure

Isopropyl alcohol, also known as isopropanol, consists of an isopropyl group–this can be described as two methyl groups attached to a carbon–bonded to a hydroxyl (OH) group. The formula for isopropyl alcohol is C3H7OH.

Isopropyl Alcohol Properties
Isopropyl alcohol, frequently used as a solvent and a disinfectant, has less severe toxicity than methanol, but can also cause poisoning. It catches fire very easily.
Title: Re: Cleaning torsos the Tahra-way
Post by: PMatt on April 18, 2020, 19:01:08
Possibly the difference in effectiveness is due to the type of alcohol used.  Playmocollector's photo shows denatured alcohol (which contains methanol) which is the type one would find at a hardware store in contrast to isopropyl alcohol which is the kind you would buy at the drugstore. 

You sure live up to your Playmo Detective title, Indianna!  :clap:
Title: Re: Cleaning torsos the Tahra-way
Post by: tahra on April 19, 2020, 09:35:37
Possibly the difference in effectiveness is due to the type of alcohol used.  Playmocollector's photo shows denatured alcohol (which contains methanol) which is the type one would find at a hardware store in contrast to isopropyl alcohol which is the kind you would buy at the drugstore. 

Ah... I used the common one, like the one from a pharmacy (or supermarket)... I will need to look into that.

Thanks ;)