Need Some Romeo Help

[BriP]

Scratches are tough...problem with the finishes on these frames is that, in my experience, attempting to eliminate scratches with buffing or something like that (as one does with paint on a car) just creates more scratches. There are other metal heads on here I know with alot more refurb experience than I in that department who probably have some tricks; as for just cleaning (and I'm amazed what a difference cleaning makes): soft terry cloth/towel, warm water, Softsoap (I would advise against heavier cleaning agents like Dawn), a pile of cotton swabs. I disassemble the frame (unless you're comfortable following BriP's instructions on re-assembling earstems, I wouldn't take those apart unless you have to) and lay out the parts; take the screws and your torx wrench and grab the threaded portion of the screws with the cloth (wet with soap) tightly and turn the screw witht he wrench...this clears the gunk and dirt from the screws; gently clean all rubber with soap and water. Lie all these out to dry on paper towels. Next attack the frame with the cloth and gobs of soap, rubbing with decent pressure and rinsing frequently-make sure you get some fibers of the cloth down into the grooves of the orbitals and focus on the points where the frame pieces meet..this is where a lot of dirt catches. Finally take the cotton swabs and run them along the grooves, the earstem holes where the t shocks go and especially the holes where the bottom gaskets fit (those were really nasty on this last pair of mine). Finally take each piece of the frame and dry with a soft terry cloth towel or microfiber and the same with the rubber pieces and screws...you can use compressed air or just a fine stream of your breath to clear water from tight crevices, screw heads, grooves etc. When you're done, depending on how dirty the frame was to begin with, you'll notice more or less difference. My experience is most of these used frames have been through hell and are not treated with the collectors touch that most on here do.

And even if you have some light scratches...well, I had one pair of X Metal Juliets for a time that were vintage....2002ish from the serials and had some light scratches on them---I accepted those as part of the character of the frame and still feel that the newer X Metal finishes are too smooth and "polished"...I think the older frames have that raw, almost unfinished industrial look and I like that.

awesome advice! I'm not afraid to disassemble it so I will clean em up like you suggested. would regular hand soap work rather than dishwashing soap?

yeah if youre just doing a regular cleaning, dont bother taking off earstems. I would only recommend it on a really filthy Penny, as sand that gets into the spring hinges cause alot of premature wear and tear. but regular hinges (romeo, juliet, mars XX etc..) dont bother.