I intend to post a series on how I've fixed various of my little Lego cars.
But for anybody wanting to do the same, I thought it might be useful to list in one post all the stuff I've used to do so. More details will follow in future posts, plus the odd very specific tool.
One important point to make first: everything you do to your Lego is your own responsibility. Be prepared to accept that things don't work out or get worse instead of better. If in doubt, leave well enough alone.
I'll be describing what worked for me, but I've ruined a few things as well. Other than that, do read the safety precautions on everything you use, and do follow those when you use it.
Acetone
I use this as an adhesive, for sticking plastic to plastic. It's especially good for replacement axle mounts (above), because rotating a metal axle will free it when it happened to get stuck as well (as opposed to superglue where your axle will no longer budge without damage). The surplus evaporates which I find handy as well.
Acetone melts plastic, so it's best to not use it for anything else. Certainly not cleaning, for you'll immediately damage the plastic surface with the first wipe.
Having said that, I've repaired a crack with tiny shavings of plastic picked up with a brush dipped in acetone and then quickly pushed into place with a toothpick. Very hit and miss and touch and go and it could've just as easily gone wrong. Whatever you do, it's best not to apply acetone on exterior surfaces - it will do much more harm than good.
Last point is that I don't mix plastic types - I'll repair cellulose acetate with cellulose acetate and ABS with ABS. One of the very few exceptions are my replacement axle mounts because I use parts cut from warped cellulose acetate window frames.
Boiling water
Not a good idea. It instantly softens and distorts plastic. I ruined a white cargo bed that way (I was trying to straighten it in a purpose-made clamp but should have known better).
However, I have managed to push a dent out of the bonnet of a little Ford Taunus by dipping it in near-boiling water and then pressing hard with a small teaspoon from the inside.
Compound wax
This is normally used by car body shops to smooth out and brighten up paintwork. It's mildly abrasive. Works well for polishing away the smallest scratches from plastic. My tin is several decades old and a bit dry but still works fine. Use clean soft cloths (dust rag type), nothing synthetic. Follow up with copper polish.
Copper polish
For cleaning and shining up plastic. Use clean soft cloths (dust rag type), nothing synthetic. Dried polish looks whitish, and can be removed from details and creases with a toothpick or (even better) the sharp point of a diagonally-broken matchstick.
Methylated spirit (methanol)
Do not use.
I've initially left parts of Esso trucks to soak in methylated spirit to remove the remains of damaged transfers (decals), because those were originally applied with it (not water). What I didn't immediately notice is that meths actually -shrinks- plastic (see above).
I've also tried to loosen Esso transfers from a couple of broken trailers. The not-so-good ones on the initial test started to buckle in less than five minutes and were salvaged. The really good complete transfers on the other trailer didn't shift at all until they started breaking up in flakes a couple of hours later. The trailer itself was ruined by this time.
Nitrogen Peroxide
Used to bleach discoloured white Lego parts. No use on transparent pieces; will discolour blue plastic. Bleaches any printing on the bricks. I've found a litre of a 12% solution online that has so far lasted me more than a year.
Superglue
According to the text on the bottle it glues fingers and eyelids together in seconds. Dunno about the eyelids but it is indeed extremely good at glueing fingers.
It's also very good at glueing fingers to any other surface, with the risk of leaving fingerprint gluemarks all over it. So drop what you're doing the instant you get the stuff on your fingers to avoid damage to your toy (on your fingers you can let it dry and peel it off with hot soapy water).
I use superglue to stick broken parts together again, esp in places not immediately visible (VW axle mounts f ex). I apply it with a toothpick dipped in a drop of superglue on some disposable surface. Because if there's too much it will inevitably run to some place where you don't want it (not to mention turning into a white frosty surface on some transparent parts).
Any superglued parts that need further work I've learned to let dry completely for 24H before continuing.
Washing powder/liquid
Large quantities of soiled Lego go in the washing machine at no more than 40° C. Small parts go in one of those netted bags with a zip normally used for smaller items of clothing and nylon stockings.
Do not use your dishwasher, it is -way- too hot (it will also remove screenprinting from metal, as I once discovered after I'd put the carousel of my Wurlitzer in it...)
Used for cleaning because it dissolves grease and dirt and contains no abrasives. Use with a nailbrush that has -natural- bristles. Not nylon bristles, which may scratch the plastic surface (ditto for old toothbrushes). Let parts soak in warm water with a larger dose of the stuff to loosen up the dirt first.
Ink (still visible on the green plate above) can be removed with scouring liquid, left to soak for a while and then rubbed with your finger.
White spirit
Not useful except for thinning enamel paint before use and cleaning brushes afterwards.
Paint removal
I've used brake fluid in the past on polystyrene model kit parts. This is very dangerous stuff indeed and best not used at all. I've never tried it on cellulose acetate but I've tested it on ABS (which is what Lego is made from since 1963). Brake fluid eats ABS as if it was made for it - it starts dissolving ABS fairly rapidly.
Undiluted Dettol works well and is a lot safer too (the original brown Dettol). It's thick enough that it can be locally applied with a thin paint brush or cotton swab. I've used it on both cellulose acetate and ABS with no apparent ill effects if brushed on locally and not left on too long. I later discovered Dettol will soften and warp ABS after prolonged contact over several days. UPDATE: even later I discovered Dettol will bleach the pigments in ABS plastic if left immersed for more than an hour or so. Cellulose acetate does not seem to be affected at all by Dettol. To finish, Dettol also seriously smells up the kitchen, so keep a window open to ventilate. Keep it off your skin and out of your eyes, wash hands etc.
I'm currently trying out isopropanol, bought at the chemist's. This is one of the active ingredients of Dettol (the other being linseed oil) and gets favourable reviews from model kit builders. Plus it doesn't stink like Dettol does. Particular paint I wanted to remove didn't budge but then it wasn't model paint either I think.
In the end it all depends on the paint you want to remove. Ask the item's seller what it could be. Test as much as you can. Try painting a few drops of Dettol on an inside surface. And if Dettol doesn't shift it quickly then best leave it be, before you ruin the plastic.
Broken Lego parts
Very useful as a source for replacement plastic of the right type and colour. It also ensures that after you've finished, the car may be repaired but it's still 100% Lego!
Cutter
A small sharp one to cut bits of plastic (from broken bricks and other lego parts to have the right type and colour of plastic).
Flat screwdriver
Used to jimmy wheels off axles. There's more to it than just a screwdriver - I'll cover this in posts on my VW Beetles and Pickups.
Humbrol enamel (solvent-based)
They probably don't make this anymore, but I've got some left from decades ago that's very good for touching up paint on VW Beetles. Mix up and match paint in (overcast) daylight.
(Update: I was pleasantly surprised to find Humbrol is still solvent-based like it always was, though the wide range of colours I remember has been more than halved now.)
Masking tape
Handy to keep stuff in place while drying f ex.
Pliers
Couple of small ones can be useful. Watch out not to damage the plastic.
Large plumber's pliers are used to get wheels back on axles.
Steel wool
Used for cleaning up the metal wheels and axles incl traces of rust, preferably when the axle is loose from the chassis. Don't use on plastic.
Thumbnail
Your very own built-in tool. Very useful for opening up various little Lego cars.
Sandpaper
I'm using extremely fine wet-or-dry sandpaper to smooth scratched surfaces - 1500 and 2800 grit obtained from an automotive supplies store. Rinse the paper before use, any dirt on it will make scratches. The trick is to let the wet paper do the work, so hardly press at all and take your time. A bit of tissue paper dries the surface to see how far you've come.
Sanding plastic leaves a dull surface, which can be made to shine again with compound wax followed by copper polish.
I also use 400 grit to sand down replacement bits I'm shaping.
Toothpicks
Used to scrape out dirt from nooks and crannies without damaging the plastic. Also used as improvised tweezers, superglue applicators, protective pieces etc.
Don't use metal because it scratches plastic. A matchstick broken diagonally will have a nice fine point to get into even tighter spots.
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