Cleaning Original Tinplate Trains

[Hoffman]

Hello!

This forum has been such a great resource in the past - thought I'd come back again for some advice about how to clean original tinplate trains - particularly the paint.  Is there a tried-and-true method to bring a bit of shine to these old paint surfaces without damaging them?

I have tons of old trains I am getting ready to sell - and I think a cleaning and shining would definitely help.

Thank you!

Paul

[rrswede]

I am not aware of a "tried and true" method.

Almost 100% of my rolling stock is prewar tinplate dating from the early '20's to 1940. I am not a collector, as such, just have accumulated a lot of prewar items.

My experience is that paint adhesion on early tinplate is all over the map. Flacking of paint in small or large areas of various cars, as the result of disturbing it, has been experienced numerous times.

My best advice is to carefully look at each car you deem to need cleaning. If the paint looks to be secured to the metal, I would simply wipe the car with a soft, damp cloth followed right away by a second, soft, dry, cloth. Having said that, however, on late prewar tinplate items, I have placed a drop of Dawn dish detergent on a dampened soft cloth, gently wiped the surfaces, followed this with a dampened soft cloth to hopefully remove the soap residue and then gently dried the surface with another soft, dry cloth. Weather you clean with water or some other cleaner, a good practice is to test for paint adhesion or adverse reaction to the cleaner in a small, unnoticeable area. I have never used an automotive paint cleaner or applied any wax product to enhance appearance.

swede

[pennytrains]

back aboard!

Dish detergent is good.  Ivory liquid hand soap is also very gentle.  I use it mixed at about 1 part soap to 50 parts water to clean my CPAP equipment.  Since CPAP masks and devices amplify even the smallest odor about 1,000% I can say there's only a very minimal amount of "soapy" smell so I'd say that means a minimum amount of residue.