Cleaning an RPTV screen (crayon!) (1 Viewer)

[Paul Gere]

Was at a dinner party last night and a neighbor asked how he might remove crayon from his RPTV's screen.

I had no clue what to suggest that wouldn't risk further damaging the screen. Told him if anyone knew how, that person would be here.

Anybody got firsthand experience with getting crayon or similar off an RPTV screen?

Thanks - and my friend thanks you as well!

-Paul

 

[STLMIKE]

Tears, maybe?

 

[Jack Briggs]

Distilled water, mild detergent, and an optical-grade soft cloth. Apply the solution directly to the cloth and then wipe the screen in vertical strokes; apply pressure as needed. Prohibit child from approaching RPTV for fear of serious penalties.

 

[Garrett Lundy]

In lieu of a "soft cloth" you could use the hide of the child that put the crayon on the screen in the first place.

 

[Steve Berger]

Some of the cleaning kits used a corduroy material on a wood block that you pulled down the ribbed surface of the screen with a dilute isopropyl alcohol solution. The directional fibers could pull debris out of the grooves. Wax from the crayon in those grooves will be very difficult to remove without scratching the screen. Any chemical strong enough to affect wax would probably damage the screen too.

Scraping is probably the only way to clean out the grooves. On older sets the grooves are wide enough that the edge of a credit card or laminated ID card was about the right width , newer sets have much smaller grooves so that might not work. A fingernail might work . Prime consideration for a tool would be something softer than the plastic of the screen and narrower than the groove (which is actually a V shaped depression). Great care is needed to follow the line of the groove (a linear scratch might be invisible) because crossing grooves will be visible . Just like an LP record where a worn groove creates a slight distortion of sound but a crossing scratch produces severe pops and skips.

Good luck and as long as you can get most of it out the evidence will be most noticeable when the TV is off and not while running.

 

[Kevin Nolan]

Was the extra/anti glare screen on over the linticular (sp?) screen?
Kev

 

[Robert_Dufresne]

I would try some GOO-GONE

 

[Larry Talbot]

What I want to know is, what the hell was your neighbor doing writing on his screen with a crayon in the first place?

 

[STLMIKE]

Didn't a kid do the writing?

 

[Paul Gere]

Yes, a 3+ year-old.

This kind of stuff happens with kids, as any parent here will attest.

Thanks to all for the tips!

Happy Holidays!

 

[Larry Talbot]

Sorry guys, my post was in jest. I knew that the owner would never have drawn on his RPTV with a crayon himself (or herself, for that matter.)
This does remind me of another true story, though. The University of Iowa, in Iowa City, has a little movie theater where they show foreign and independent films. While I was living in Iowa City, a visiting math professor used the theater to give a lecture. Thinking the screen behind him was used for writing on, he did just that, scribbling some notes for the class along the bottom. The writing would not come off the screen. Last I heard, the film society was arguing with the math department about recovering the cost of the screen, but this was years ago and I don't know whatever happened to that.

 

[Greg Bax]

I don't know what the screens are made of but I thought I might mention this anyway. If you could hold a peace of cloth over the area and use, I don't know if I would use and iron, but maybe a hair dryer to melt the crayon. I believe crayon has a low melting point and I have heard this is the recommended way to get it out of carpet. Just a thought take, it for what it's worth.