Does anyone have a suggestion on how to clean and polish the Lionel (or other brand) aluminum passenger cars, like the ones that are made for the California Zephyr?
Thanks
RAY
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I have used Mothers Mag Wheel Polish with good results.
...keep the rails polished...
I don't know about cleaning those beautiful extruded aluminum passenger cars, but I NEVER touch them with my bare fingers. I always wear soft cotton gloves, which do not leave any finger prints.
I don't have one in my hands, but I would suspect that it has a clear coat on the metal. In that case, use dishwashing soap(sparingly) on a damp cloth or sponge, then another without soap to rinse. Dry with a microfiber or soft towel.
If there is no clear coat, then I have used grades of jeweler's rouge or a favorite of mine Happich Semichrome polish, usually found in motorcycle shops. The jeweler's rouge is a polish only, while the semichrome has some metal protectants in it. Here again, the words "use sparingly" are key, with a soft cloth by hand. One to apply, one to buff.
Take a look at the train. Can you tell if it is clear coated?
- I just looked at the ones I have (Santa Fe) and there is definitely a clear coat on them, it's not bare metal. A MILD soap is best because it will remove any oil/acid from handling with bare hands without damaging the finish.
I have mostly bare aluminum, and I have an awful time getting the black out of the grooves after polishing. I will try the Simichrome again - very expensive, as I recall.
Try this stuff.
You know what happens when you clean a collectible coin? If you don't know ask a coin collector.
Thanks for all the replies and suggestions.
My trains are for running and not preserving for a collection, so I don't look at these as an investment. I do, however, want to keep my collection in good running order.
I have a Lionel California Zephyr car that I recently acquired that is in nice condition, but could use a little cleaning up as I would like to run it with some of my other passenger cars.
I know many individuals handle their cars with kid gloves, which I think is great. Someone has to preserve history and keep many of the equipment in mint condition. I admire you for doing that.
But as I said, for me, I enjoy running trains and have fun "playing" with my toys.
RAY
I have used Nevr-Dull also with good results. I had a set of the Lionel Amtrak aluminum ribbed passenger cars and they are tough to clean after they get dusty. I also had decent luck with some warm water & soap with a very soft tooth brush to clean in the ribs of the bodies.
Jeff
Originally Posted by bob2:
I have mostly bare aluminum, and I have an awful time getting the black out of the grooves after polishing. I will try the Simichrome again - very expensive, as I recall.
bob2,
If you have the issue with the black, you used too much. It is difficult to buff it to a shine when you use too much. Also, don't give in to the temptation to use a wheel on it with a dremel. It will leave an uneven finish.
Very, very small amounts until you get sore fingers.
I had received a set of K-Line cars which had fingerprints. They simply would not come off...various combinations of soap and water, then cleaners, and finally someone mentioned using a aluminum polish. So I did a little research on the web and found that Mother's Wheel Polish seemed to be recommended by a lot of folks. So...off to the auto store I went and came home with the polish. First try, and most of the prints went away. Second try and they were gone! The key is to use it sparingly and buff only by hand...
Alan
