Cleaning airplane models

[vrb115]

my father in law gave me WW2 models I love them but they are all yellow from smoking in the same room for 30+ years is there anyway i can get that nasty as$ yellow off of them ? thanks in advance

 

[texflyguy]

bleach water =)?

 

[njcapt]

bleach water =)?

NO!

Try a really dilute solution of Murphy's Oil Soap and water. Use something soft like cheese cloth or a towel. Don't scrub.

 

[RadioClash]

Are tallking about the decals or the whole model has yellowed? Are they plastic models? You might want to go to www.finescalemodeler.com and look in their forums for ways to clean them. It has been my experience that decals over time will yellow unless you have airbrushed a clear coat on them such as Future floor polish or something from Gunze, Testors, Tamiya, etc.

Having said that if the model was not sprayed with a type of clearcoat then you run the risk of taking the decals off when you clean them.

Check the forums at FineScale and I am sure that you will get plenty of answers there.

 

[texflyguy]

haha obviously i am not the leading expert on this.

 

[vrb115]

they are all painted wood models with nasty nicotine yellow on them I can't imagine what his lungs look like

 

[propsarebest]

If they are wood, and that old, i'd bet its coverd in nitrocellouse, the same thing they finshed guitars with back then. It naturally yellows over time, and the only way to get rid of it is to strip it.

 

[snowman]

soak in diesel fuel, add lighter fluid, grab blowtorch... grab another beer after the flames have died down....
Bwahahahahaha... my brother didn't think it was too funny....