Removing Stains on Vinyl with Remove-Zit
As demonstrated by Dr. K.A. Thomas
Hello, Everyone.
Previously, I posted about possibly removing the black belt stain from an Andorian tunic. Here's the original post
Dave Mc recommended Remove-Zit for the tunic, as well as Oxyclean for the brown tunic-colored residue on the silver bodysuit caused by the belt's constriction over time. I know lots of folks (myself included) were a bit apprehensive about trying something drastic to remove the stain. However, I proceeded carefully (scientific method! LOL!) and I had GREAT results and wanted to share them so that other folks wouldn't be so nervous about the process. Think of it as an Andorian Tunic Stain Removal Tutorial. *laughs*
First, this product can be purchased from Twin Pines of Maine
WARNING- THE REMOVE-ZIT WILL REMOVE ORIGINAL PAINT FROM HEADS AND VINYL, SO PROTECT THOSE DIAMONDS AND PAINTED AREAS!
Any paint will come off very quickly with this stuff. It's good on removing unwanted marks on vinyl heads like bruce wayne blue stain, but if you touchit to any part of the paint job, you'll ruin it.
Twin Pines says this about safety and this material- The product contains organic peroxides. Inhalation is not an issue. the effect of skin contact is about the same as with Clearasil (10% benzoyl peroxide). Excessive and prolonged skin contact can dry the skin. Excessive and prolonged skin contact can have the same effect as continued exposure to hydrogen peroxide. When exposed to air the active materials dissipate. The product is then inert in a fashion similar to a skin cream.
My gut tells mere there's much more organic peroxide in Remove-Zit relative to Clearasil, since it takes a fraction of the time to work relative to Clearasil. I've used Clearasil on the blue stains on RC batman heads in the past and it takes days to work, versus hours for the Remove-Zit. I'd still recommend using only toothpicks to touch the Remove-Zit and keeping it away from food, drink, kids, pets, and also using it with good ventilation. Just my two cents, as I'm a SafetyNag.
1. Here is my Andorian. He came with lousy repro boots, an incorrect repro belt, and a replaced lower right leg. [I'm looking for a blue right leg, incidentally]. Here, I have cleaned him and tried to remove the bodysuit and tunic stains with detergent, etc. As you can see, I didn't have much luck.
2. I ordered Remove-Zit and decided to spot test it on the least conspicuous area of the tunic, shown here with a red arrow. It's a bit tough to see the black mark continuing because the tunic curls right there:
3. Remove-Zit is odd stuff. To me, it resembles the inside of a baked potato, but is really gummy to apply. It takes patience. I'm not sure how thickly to apply it, but I applied it pretty thickly. I checked it periodically and after about 1.5 to 2 hours or so, I noticed a slight brown color tinge to the Remove-Zit. I finally "pushed" the Remove-Zit around to check the stain and it was gone after approximately 3 to 3.5 hours. I then scraped off the Remove-Zit. As you can see, the stain is gone and even the stain from the underside of the tunic (the fabric-backed side) is removed.
I should note that Remove-Zit smells a lot. I had a fan on the whole time and was careful not to touch it. I collected the material I scraped off after stain removal and put it in a glass jar with a lid and labelled it. I will take it to my local hazardous waste center for disposal. I emailed Twin Pines for a material safety data sheet on the stuff and they don't have one, but I recommend erring on the side of caution. Don't use it around kids, pets, food, drink, etc. Okay...end of lecture.
4. After my "test results", I decided to do the whole belt stain. I very carefully applied the Remove-Zit around the silver diamonds on the tunic, so that they wouldn't be harmed in any way.
In the photo below, you can see the "process". The black area to the far left was done a bit later. I tried to do the stained area in different segments so that I could position the tunic as needed. So...I did the right hand "curly part" that would be on the back of the figure, then the front part which lies most flat, then lastly the left hand "curly part" that would be on the back of the figure.
5. Here's the amazing result! This is after I removed all the Remove-Zit, removed its residue with nail polish remover (Remove-Zit is not water soluble), and washed the tunic in All detergent gently in the sink.
6. I also used Oxyclean on the stain on the bodysuit. I applied the Oxyclean first as a paste on the area, then soaked it for a bit in warm water. Frankly, I was a bit nervous, as I had in the past used Oxyclean on a knight bodysuit and found that it took some of the silver sparkle finish off. This came out okay, though, with no damage. I was hesitant to leave it too long, so the stain is still there, but much lighter:
7. Here is my spiffed up Andorian! I hunted down one original boot and am searching for a second. I will get a better repro belt soon, as I don't think I'd be lucky enough to find an original. Here's a far shot of the figure:
8. Lastly, here is a close up view, so you can better see the tunic color:
