Sega CDX rash

[Grandmaster]

i recently bought a sega cdx from a local store (only 2nd time ive seen one in the wild, but i think this is actually the same system i saw being sold at another store), it works ok and i was told it was tested. i tried the game you see in the picture (great game!) and it works fine. i had to clean the cartridge contacts but after that, it started up like its supposed to. need to try a cd game next.

anyways, so looking at the picture you can see the system itself has some weird kind of spots all over it. i dont know what it is exactly and i haven't been able to clean it off. all ive tried was water and alcohol, but this stuff doesnt seem to be going anywhere.

does anybody know what this plastic rash might be caused from? a spill on the system? out too much in the sun? and is there any way to remove it?

thanks for any help or suggestions!

 

[Xian Xi]

You can try lighter fluid, try it on a small spot that isn't noticeable.

 

[Nicky Biscuit]

Could be little Nicotine stains? I've seen it on windows before and it looks a little like it. Lighter fluid does normally work quite well for that.

 

[Hewitson]

You know what it looks like to me? Paint overspray.

 

[Fett]

If it were paint overspray you'd see specs on the white lettering/logos. I think it's just the plastic they used for the system, but I could be wrong. There's quite a glare in the photo so it's hard to tell.

Out of curiosity, how much did you pay for it? I completely forgot about this system until reading this post, but I have a friend that probably still has one, a Nomad too, lol.


*edit
You can see it on these too. As time passes plastic ages. Probably has something to do with chemical degradations. I've seen several SNESs turn yellow, even out of the sun.

 

[TikTekTak]

Jup I think Fett is right. Plastic ages in many different ways. Especially older consoles are prone to chemical reactions between air and plastic which can cause many different things. Those spots look exactly like such a aging process to me. Not much you can do about. I mean it's much better than that ugly yellowing some SNESes get. *yuck*

 

[Hewitson]

I disagree. The texture on the OP's unit looks considerably different to the others to my eyes.

 

[Grandmaster]

thanks everyone for your responses.

to update, i tried lighter fluid and it didnt work. i put a small amount on a paper towel and applied good amount of pressure when trying to clean it off. i dont think any more elbow grease would have helped.

here's a closer picture:

i believe the spots are more sinister than aging plastic because the clear cd window also shows signs of spotting.

 

[Xian Xi]

Might be something oil based then. Don't use goo gone because it can stain plastic since it's oil based, too.

You can try nail polish remover that has acetone but if used incorrectly it can melt some plastics. Just use it sparingly and test it first.

 

[monads]

When I had a Sega cdx the plastic looked the same with those spots. At first I thought it was from hairspray, like old school Aquanet. But then I figured it was normal and a result of the plastic used/manufactured.

 

[Neo Alec]

My CDX doesn't have that. It looks normal.

 

[Syn]

I owned 5 CDXs until recently and none of them looked that way.

 

[Grandmaster]

i thought it might be hairspray or something like that too, but since it won't come off, i dont know what it is anymore. nail polish remover with acetone didn't work either... i have an ugly duckling cdx, but it plays games fine. tried a cd game and it works, so whatever it is, it doesnt seem to be affecting system performance.

still wish i could shine it up though! thanks for all the help so far!

 

[Neo Alec]

Could be worse. As old consoles go, it's not so bad, and the damage is kind of evenly distributed. I bought my CDX used more than a decade ago and it has a big scuff mark on the lid that goes mostly unnoticed.

 

[WoodyXP]

That rash adds character, IMO.