Cleaning face plate ??

[Valvehead]

Im sure you have seen valuable old amps come in where some jackass has written things with a Sharpie on the face plate........

what are some things that work , to remove Sharpie writing off metal , but not damaging the factory print ??

[The Dude]

I'll usually start with WD40. It's less likely to take off the silk screening. It's also good for removing tape residue. I hate it when people stick duct tape on their gear!

[olddawg]

Denatured alcohol, mineral spirits, goo gone, bleach.. just test a small area.. but with markers I’ve found alcohol to work well. Paint is a whole different animal.

[Chuck H]

Alcohol for markers and plain ol mineral spirits for tape residue. It helps to wet old adhesive and let it soften, then hit it again. For paint you have to get more aggressive solvents and I've had some luck with Citri Strip type products not damaging factory finishes. But as mentioned, test an inconspicuous area first if you can.

[J M Fahey]

OLD silkscreening was usually some kind of oil/synthetic type paint, and any paint remover/stripper will remove it too.

I wouldnīt use anything more aggressive than medical grade alcohol (so you know itīs ethyl alcohol and not methyl which is stronger) and mineral oils (turpentine type)

Modern silkscreening uses dual component epoxy and is far stronger, but count on that from mid 70īs on.

[Chuck H]

Yes, older face plate graphics are done with ordinary long oil enamel paints. That's why I mentioned testing a spot. Citri Strip type products aren't the agressive methyl chloride type strippers. Much slower and less agressive. Some enamels aren't much affected by them. These products are even typically sold in plastic bottles. Being a painter I produce a lot of debris cleaning my hands and arms as well as the occasional tools I'll wash inside when the weather is cold. Sometimes I use Citri Strip to clean my tub and sink and I can attest to it being as mild a stripper as you'll find. That's why I named it. I would never suggest paint stripper of other types for amplifier graphics. And, again, test a small area on the back. Preferably one that sits behind the cabinet and isn't even visible when the amp is assembled.

[Valvehead]

thanks boys !

[SoulFetish]

I hesitate to bring this up because it's going to sound like I'm on commission, or some spam bot hacked my account. But, (and here it comes...) I have a long time friend and amp tech I know, who develped a amp cleaning/"restoration" spray that he turned me on to. He pitched it to me for cleaning and conditioning tolex, plastics, etc. and gave me a bottle to try when I told him I began working as a career tech.
I don't know what I was expecting, but you ever have someone come out of nowhere and surprise the hell out of you? I've used a bunch of different cleaning agents on tolex, knobs, grill cloth, etc, but this was hands down the best cleaning and polishing product I've ever used on an amp. The results were outstanding.
To me though, where this really shines is how it works on the faceplates of amps. I have no idea how it works, but it removes that nasty, dirty, rusty shit that builds up on all those chrome Fender DeVille chassis faceplates; but doesn't remove any of the silk-screening.
Anyway, I told you how this was going to sound, but it's like become like deOxit for me. If I run out of stock, it's not for long. I keep telling him he needs to pitch this to Stewmac.

edit: forgot to post a link. Again, my recommendation is based solely on my experience.
https://ampspray.com/