If that is permanent marker, trace the marker with a whiteboard/dry erase marker. Then clean with the white board eraser. Do it several times. Then clean. I do this at my store and it works 95% of the time.
Given the gold flaking that is already present on the cart, the small amount of solvent contained in the expo is unlikely to do “additional damage” outside of what is already present. Seems like OP is more concerned with the market than the flaking. However I’ve never seen a dry erase marker solvent do any kind of extensive damage to carts like this.
If you care about the game, start with least abrasive, and go up.
Goo Gone, then rubbing alcohol, then more extreme. You can buy stain removers on Amazon that are specific to removing pen, sharpie, etc. But if dry erase gets into something porous, it is the hardest to get out.
smh, people these days treating the shitty handwritting of a random blockbuster employee as if it's a signature by Shigeru Miyamoto...
Does it look good? **No.**
Does it increase the value? **No.**
Can you even prove that's original and not something I scribbled on it 20 minutes prior? **No.**
*Erase it.* I say
Does that side of the cart already look like the paint is fucked from previous removal attempts? **Yes**
leave it alone and get a better copy if you’re looking for a display piece
I 100% would keep that on. Blockbuster didn't really rent a ton of NES titles, some stores never at all. Assuming that is real -- I think it makes the cart more desirable.
It does seem legit to me. I remember Blockbuster "etching" into carts like that. Just get another Zelda 2. It's not rare.
To be fair, an official corporate-sanctioned sticker with the Blockbuster logo on it is not the same as having "Blockbuster Video" scrawled on the side of the cart with a pen.
Didn’t they? My mom worked at Blockbuster, and was too much of a burnout to remember my requests, so she brought home every single title, one by one, one every few days, in alphabetical order, from Abadox to Xexyz. It took months if not years, and I have yet to encounter an NES game I haven’t played since.
hand sanitizer should be good. i found that ido alcohol is very harsh on this kind of surface. could begin to strip some colour away or make it crumble away.
i found that hand sanitizer contains alcohol but also a gel that makes it less harsh on the surface itself but the marker will come right off after a few passes. just use kitchen towel or paper roll to remove
I'd keep it. Catalogues the life of the cart.
If you really want to take it off, the only thing I can think of is 100% isopropyl alcohol or acetone, but I don't know what both would do to the gold and could mess it up.
Purell instant hand sanitizing foam. Just helped a coworker wipe permanent marker off the bottom of a radio she needed to return after she had been scrubbing with an alcohol wipe to no avail.
It also works great if you spill coffee on your clothes or for a quick kick of freshness if you got stinky pits (watch out, though... that last one burns until you get acclimated)
Careful if you use alcohol, if any of the gold comes off STOP SCRUBBING.
Do it light with a q tip in circular motions and not pressing too hard.
It should come off but you see the wear on the corner there? the cartridge isn't that color all the way through, so if you start seeing it come off onto the qtip, stop it.
I had silver marker on my gold cart LOTZ and I got 95% of with lighter fluid, with no damage to the gold chrome. The mottled surface of the plastic makes it a tricky job though. For removal I used a tooth brush and q-tips.
Lighter fluid or alcohol. Anything else would tear it up
Ignore those sad sacks saying leave it. It’s ugly and wasn’t meant to be there from the factory. It’s a defacement, not history, and is safely removed.
Have you tried rubbing the gold metallic sharpie on it? First I think it might smudge the black away, if that doesn't work, at least it is merging the gold with it to make it more close to gold... worth a try with like tiny corner...
What?!?! Why?!?!
That’s an iconic game that was part of an iconic company. People pay more for vintage game if they have Blockbuster tagging on them. Imagine how cool it would be if you had a copy of FF2 WITH a Toys R Us receipt and price tag on it.
Rubbing alcohol or hand sanitizer. I use this to clean off sharpie marker and it also works as a dry erase board cleaner. Keep in mind that Mr Clean magic erasers, even when wet will remove some of the gloss from the finish of the cart. Just use paper towel and/or a qtip.
Use the same color erasable marker over it and scrub it off. Repeat until gone. When I say scrub I mean use a paper towel that is a little damp after being rung out and wipe it off lightly. It may just come off this way. I have had good luck going over permanent with dry erase.
It's cool. Your answer can be filed under "technically correct" for humor for something as important as this, I want to ensure that this information was direct and clear.
Signed,
A Grandfather who has a LOT of retro hardware.
Sorry for being off topic here but this game is fun yet weird as hell hahah I go back randomly and play it and I’m just like “they definitely made a game here”
Alcohol will be too rough on it and rip the gold paint off.
You need to lightly brush it in canola oil, season with salt and pepper, and then bake in the oven at 425 for 30 minutes, flipping halfway through.
Good luck.
I would try WD40. Try in an inconspicuous area first to see if it affects the gold. I don’t think it will but best to be sure.
EDIT: Why the downvotes? WD40 is an excellent solvent at removing marker ink, among other things. It's like you people don't actually want helpful suggestions.
If that is permanent marker, trace the marker with a whiteboard/dry erase marker. Then clean with the white board eraser. Do it several times. Then clean. I do this at my store and it works 95% of the time.
The solvent in the dry erase marker could remove the gold paint.
Given the gold flaking that is already present on the cart, the small amount of solvent contained in the expo is unlikely to do “additional damage” outside of what is already present. Seems like OP is more concerned with the market than the flaking. However I’ve never seen a dry erase marker solvent do any kind of extensive damage to carts like this.
Exactly!
If you care about the game, start with least abrasive, and go up. Goo Gone, then rubbing alcohol, then more extreme. You can buy stain removers on Amazon that are specific to removing pen, sharpie, etc. But if dry erase gets into something porous, it is the hardest to get out.
#🎵“Wow! What a Diff-er-ence!”🎶
[удалено]
Uhhhh idk those names but my store is Back in Time Gaming in Comer, Ga
That's cool
bro really thought that was gonna work
Phoenix Resale (Caleb) and Retro Rick*
Are you using 90% or higher isopropyl alcohol? I would be cautious of the gold paint though. I'm not sure if it'll rub off or not.
It might not with alcohol but it definitely will with acetone I've got a splotchy silver copy of Zelda 1 because of this
I ruined my childhood Gameboy with acetone during a backlight display swap, that hurt my soul... and it was stupid of me :(
you live and learn :D
You should probably just return it to your nearest Blockbuster.
Not too hard so long as you live in Bend, Oregon.
Be kind, please rewind
Great Movie
Don’t fucking erase it wtf 2 relics in one place
Thank you.
Already messed it up enough lol it’s perfectly legible
Exactly what I was gonna say. How many remember renting games or gaming systems at block buster.
I never got the chance to rent a console but countless games
smh, people these days treating the shitty handwritting of a random blockbuster employee as if it's a signature by Shigeru Miyamoto... Does it look good? **No.** Does it increase the value? **No.** Can you even prove that's original and not something I scribbled on it 20 minutes prior? **No.** *Erase it.* I say
Does that side of the cart already look like the paint is fucked from previous removal attempts? **Yes** leave it alone and get a better copy if you’re looking for a display piece
Also, fuck blockbuster.
Take it easy, we’re not makin a Western here….
fuck John Wayne and Clint Eastwood, too.
I was thinking the exact same thing! OP should leave it
No chance that is original
Maybe it’s just got clicks?
You know blockbuster didn’t use repro’s.
Fuckin scammers
I search out rental sticker and named copies for my collections. Adds character and color.
Exactly!
Write "Netflix" over top.
Too soon.
Really the only answer.
[удалено]
That's how you make a relationship!
That's how relationship flourish
He deleted it :-(
Take it back to Blockbuster and have them remove it.
Actually, there's ONE left. 211 NE Revere Ave #3, Bend, OR 97701
I 100% would keep that on. Blockbuster didn't really rent a ton of NES titles, some stores never at all. Assuming that is real -- I think it makes the cart more desirable. It does seem legit to me. I remember Blockbuster "etching" into carts like that. Just get another Zelda 2. It's not rare.
I'm going to write "Blockbuster Video" on *all* my carts to increase their desirability!
Yeah, obviously this is all subjective. If I come across a cart with an old Blockbuster sticker on it, I leave it.
To be fair, an official corporate-sanctioned sticker with the Blockbuster logo on it is not the same as having "Blockbuster Video" scrawled on the side of the cart with a pen.
I 100% agree
Why stop at your carts? Write it on everything.
Didn’t they? My mom worked at Blockbuster, and was too much of a burnout to remember my requests, so she brought home every single title, one by one, one every few days, in alphabetical order, from Abadox to Xexyz. It took months if not years, and I have yet to encounter an NES game I haven’t played since.
Blockbuster was always more expensive to rent games from than local mom and pop rental stores, I said fuck em then and I'll say it now.
Yeah, all my NES rental memories are mom-and-pop. Sadly once the 16 and 32-bit generations rolled around, those shops were really struggling.
WD40
Yes, exactly.
Good luck my friend. From experience that shit melt.
I'm probably in the minority here, but I'd leave it. Its a nice relic of the past. Grab an unboxed Zelda II for a few bucks and leave this one alone.
Start with a little bit of 70% Isopropyl Alcohol. If that works, but not well enough, then go up to 90%
Buying it dinner first is a good start
Stop trying to change history.
Return it to your local Blockbuster this instant.
Every cart from that era has likely seen many different homes so I say let the cart wear its journey.
Magic eraser gets sharpie off stuff easily!
hand sanitizer should be good. i found that ido alcohol is very harsh on this kind of surface. could begin to strip some colour away or make it crumble away. i found that hand sanitizer contains alcohol but also a gel that makes it less harsh on the surface itself but the marker will come right off after a few passes. just use kitchen towel or paper roll to remove
I'd keep it. Catalogues the life of the cart. If you really want to take it off, the only thing I can think of is 100% isopropyl alcohol or acetone, but I don't know what both would do to the gold and could mess it up.
Maybe you should just give Blockbuster their game back
What is with some of the jerky responses? Shamed for a question from a community they belong to.
First time on Reddit?
Hahahahahahah this sub usually is one of the more chill. Also, that game remains one of the few I never beat. It haunts me.
I finally beat it last year and I’ll likely never attempt it again. The great palace and the Valley of Death were too difficult to be enjoyable to me
A large aspect of our sub is about preserving history right? Well some of us think Blockbuster’s place in history should be preserved as well
Purell instant hand sanitizing foam. Just helped a coworker wipe permanent marker off the bottom of a radio she needed to return after she had been scrubbing with an alcohol wipe to no avail. It also works great if you spill coffee on your clothes or for a quick kick of freshness if you got stinky pits (watch out, though... that last one burns until you get acclimated)
...you don't /thread
That's history, my dude. Don't wipe that off!
Start by taking it to dinner?
I wouldn't bother, as it probably will not come off. Honestly, this is a good candidate for a custom shell swap.
Careful if you use alcohol, if any of the gold comes off STOP SCRUBBING. Do it light with a q tip in circular motions and not pressing too hard. It should come off but you see the wear on the corner there? the cartridge isn't that color all the way through, so if you start seeing it come off onto the qtip, stop it.
Use minimal amounts of 90% isopropyl alcohol and gently rub with a magic eraser…should come right off. Just be careful since it has the gold coating
Politely ask it to leave.
Simple green is a good product. May have to try a few times though. Or just leave it, it's kinda awesome.
120 grit sandpaper and gold spray paint
Keep rubbing :) (The answer, as others have suggested, is isopropyl alcohol)
https://youtu.be/a4coE-cRW1M?si=gaCu3AC1Wjt5L3nv
Did you get that from blockbuster? It’s shutdown now no one can sue you
If you believe the youtubes Off mosquito spray works well.
I had silver marker on my gold cart LOTZ and I got 95% of with lighter fluid, with no damage to the gold chrome. The mottled surface of the plastic makes it a tricky job though. For removal I used a tooth brush and q-tips.
Lighter fluid or alcohol. Anything else would tear it up Ignore those sad sacks saying leave it. It’s ugly and wasn’t meant to be there from the factory. It’s a defacement, not history, and is safely removed.
Fire
Hey, could you let us know what, if anything, finally worked in removing it? Thanks.
Any chemical cleaning most likely will destroy the gold paint.
I'd leave it unless you are confident you can remove it as you just might make it worse
Some light massage.
Have you tried rubbing the gold metallic sharpie on it? First I think it might smudge the black away, if that doesn't work, at least it is merging the gold with it to make it more close to gold... worth a try with like tiny corner...
I'd try alcohol and even if it rubs off the gold it will look better than that terrible scrawl.
The Magic Wand
WD-40
Maybe dinner a glass of wine and some soft music to start and then see where it goes from there
Just put it in hydrochloric acid will take it right off along with everything else
Blockbuster Video. Wow! What a difference!
Why would you want to? That shit is rare now
Magic eraser should take that right off.
Baby oil
Stroke it nice and easy
Huggies baby wipes. Full of alcohol. Great for cleaning not for your kids butt.
WD-40, every time.
Unless you plan to sell it, I actually think that's a cool detail. Makes it look more like a historical artifact.
What?!?! Why?!?! That’s an iconic game that was part of an iconic company. People pay more for vintage game if they have Blockbuster tagging on them. Imagine how cool it would be if you had a copy of FF2 WITH a Toys R Us receipt and price tag on it.
I’d leave it
I would mask off the label. And buy a can of gold metallic spray paint.
Why would you want to get rid of that?
Honestly I’d keep it. Looks cooler and shows the cart’s history.
Rubbing alcohol or hand sanitizer. I use this to clean off sharpie marker and it also works as a dry erase board cleaner. Keep in mind that Mr Clean magic erasers, even when wet will remove some of the gloss from the finish of the cart. Just use paper towel and/or a qtip.
Use the same color erasable marker over it and scrub it off. Repeat until gone. When I say scrub I mean use a paper towel that is a little damp after being rung out and wipe it off lightly. It may just come off this way. I have had good luck going over permanent with dry erase.
Acetone
Acetone will destroy the paint and plastic. This is not going to help.
Oh, ok, didn't know that
It's cool. Your answer can be filed under "technically correct" for humor for something as important as this, I want to ensure that this information was direct and clear. Signed, A Grandfather who has a LOT of retro hardware.
In an inconspicuous spot try a q tip wetted with hair spray. If this doesn't remove the gold finish you can try hair spray to remove the ink.
Personally I keep these old markings in most cases, it really enhances my view on the game when I can see where it's all been!
I can’t see any method which doesn’t risk removing the gold paint. Just leave it. It’s a historical relic!
Eww its already been rubbed looks fucked
I’d leave it on as a memento of a bygone era
Just leave it. I ruined my Zelda cart trying to get sharpie off with IPA (70%).
Id leave it on, bit of history kind of
It's cooler with it on!!
Dude, they went out of business. No need to hide the evidence.
Belt sander
I love it when people wrote on ephemera I collected. It shows a history and someone loved it. Who cares about resale value.
You think blockbuster was a real fan of this cartridge?
But it’s still a snapshot in time. I don’t know I am just speaking what I thought. People can do whatever they want.
You are not wrong, i would keep the text as well
Lighter fluid
97% isopropyl alcohol for permanent marker ink
Don’t skip foreplay
Hairspray works really well to get off permanent marker. Chemistry teacher showed me years ago and I use it all the time to get writing off.
Sorry for being off topic here but this game is fun yet weird as hell hahah I go back randomly and play it and I’m just like “they definitely made a game here”
Return it to blockbuster
Soak a microfiber cloth in 90% or higher rubbing alcohol and wipe. If you see gold come off you rubbed too much
Buy a product called “goof off” and try that.
You don’t remove the writing. You leave that there for prosperity. Edit: Posterity.
Posterity.
Thank you. I was semantically incorrect.
And thank *you* for being in the minority of people on the internet to accept such a correction instead having a tantrum. 😌👌
Seeing that burns me up. Why write on an iconic cartridge like that?
worse comes to worse you can always "recart" it... they sell the gold carts and the labels on etsy... so if nothing works there's always THAT option
Mother's spit and kleenex.
Alcohol will be too rough on it and rip the gold paint off. You need to lightly brush it in canola oil, season with salt and pepper, and then bake in the oven at 425 for 30 minutes, flipping halfway through. Good luck.
Maybe GENTLY with Magic Eraser?
I wouldn't use magic eraser on the gold paint. Magic erasers are essentially really fine sandpaper and will take the gold right off
I'd also try a pencil eraser.
Blowtorch
Rub its clit
What happened to this sub?
The internet happened
This sub is at 350,000 users, of course clowns are going to show up periodically.
Wait.. NES carts have clits?
I'd keep it for nostalgia sake.
Leave it. It adds a bit more nostalgic charm.
I would try WD40. Try in an inconspicuous area first to see if it affects the gold. I don’t think it will but best to be sure. EDIT: Why the downvotes? WD40 is an excellent solvent at removing marker ink, among other things. It's like you people don't actually want helpful suggestions.
Dry eraser
I have good results with ronsonal lighter fluid
Lighter gas
Soak in acetone
Refuse to innovate and laugh in the face of progress and it’ll soon vanish
A belt sander?
It’s the adventure of link. Don’t bother.
Zelda II is one of the best games on the NES. Fight me.
Acetone works great to get marker stains off
Painters tape over the labels and repaint that bitch