Hoover Elite Printing Rubbing Off?

[rougemacintosh]

Hey guys, looking for some advice. I recently picked up a Hoover Elite 200(?) for next to nothing, but I haven't gotten around to restoring it for the simple fact that the printing on the hood appears to be coming off. It's all smeared, and if I touch it it'll smear even more. The hood desperately needs to be cleaned as it almost looks like there's paint splattered all over it. Is there any way I can reverse the lettering coming off or is it a lost cause? I've never seen something like this and have no idea what would have caused it. I can't find much info on this model so I doubt I'd be able to find another hood for it, so I'd hate to ruin this one. Hopefully someone has some insight!

Thanks,
-Kiyler.

 

[huskyvacs]

I might try detailing the existing smears off with rubbing alcohol and a q-tip and carefully working around the lettering, but I've never heard of this before. It looks like maybe they didn't bake the ink into the plastic and just printed it on top. You can try maybe painting on some clear sealant over the ink after washing the hood, as long as that does not smear as you are applying it.

Worst case scenario, you might see if anyone can reproduce the logo from a photograph with a design program and print it onto a clear vinyl sticker to replace the smeared logos.

I found a similar topic here that might be of interest: http://bbs.homeshopmachinist.net/threads/52556-Restoration-Reproduction-of-Old-Labels-amp-Decals

 

[madman]

I second the vinyl sticker idea. They actually sell clear inkjet printer full sheet labels. The surface is pretty flat, I'd stick it on a scanner bed and the scan would be a near-perfect representation that could be easily turned into an exact image.

Granted, that'll kinda lower the value of the machine, but uh, it's not exactly a museum piece as it is. Besides, I'm assuming you want to keep it?

If I had to guess, I'd say someone wiped down the hood with some kind of solvent, perhaps even just Windex. You could rub it a bit with your finger and see if it smears. If not, it'll probably stay just as it is for a long time - assuming you don't clean it with anything other than soap and water.