How can I restore my old Thinkpad finish?

[Thomas Olivaux]

Hello there,

I'm have a few Thinkpad from the '90s in my collection and all of them have exactly the same problem : the painting/finish, the "soft rubber" (I don't know how to call it), is always dirty and adhesive/tacky. I don't know how to clean thoses laptops very well, everything I try just not work.

Is there a magical way to restore the finish of our old Thinkpads? Or any good paint to respray them to remove the scratchs? Any tips?

See you,

Thomas

[brchan]

You could respray the lids, but I have yet to find a spray that is anywhere near the quality/durability as the original ones used by IBM/Lenovo for their thinkpads. Most just wear out quickly and look bad.

One thing I would recommend would be to use a Majic Eraser that you could find at a grocery store or CVS for a few bucks. It can work absolute wonders on light/medium scuffs and scratches. I used it on my T60 lid, which had moderate scratches, and it looks nearly brand new! The lid on my T23 was also HEAVILY scractched and sticky, but after a few passes with the eraser, most of the scratches are gone, and it looks much, much better. Some people use dish soap + water + cloth to clean the lid, but it only works for getting rid of dirt and some grime. Note that the majic eraser is slightly abrasive (mildly), which is why it works so well, but do not use it excessively, as it could eventually take off the coating.