How should I clean my Miller dinos?

[dpepinmarquette]

I have a small collection of Miller dinosaurs and I need some advice about the best way to clean them up. They are so fragile and they are made out of that wonderfully weird waxy plastic that looks like it'll melt if you looked at it the wrong way.   I think that I had read somewhere that they are made out of polyethylene, is that correct?  Any information would be greatly appreciated.

[Lanthanotus]

I can't say anything about their chemical composition, if they are indeed made from polyethylene, some ordinary cleaning alcohol could be used. However, most soilings can be cleaned with warm water (the longer submerged, the easier the cleaning), a bit of dish soap and a soft brush. Stains from paint, sun exposition etc. are quite harder to remove - if removable at all.

[Doug Watson]

I only clean mine with soap and water and a soft brush. When I repair them I use a blend of polyethylene and wax so I believe they are polyethylene based. I would be hesitant to use any solvents since there are also paints on many of them that might wash away.

[dpepinmarquette]

I kind of figured i should use just mild soap and water but just wanted to make sure.  I would be so sad if I ruined one of these guys.  They are my favorites and i doubt I could replace them easily.

Has anyone heard of someone working on a book about the history of the J.H. Miller company?  I had read about it somewhere but now I can't remember where .  I know personally I have found very little info on this company online and I would be interested in learning more.

[Doug Watson]

I kind of figured i should use just mild soap and water but just wanted to make sure.  I would be so sad if I ruined one of these guys.  They are my favorites and i doubt I could replace them easily.

Has anyone heard of someone working on a book about the history of the J.H. Miller company?  I had read about it somewhere but now I can't remember where .  I know personally I have found very little info on this company online and I would be interested in learning more.

I don't know about the book but there is a good article in the out of print Prehistoric Times magazine issue # 26. s.foulkes has some back issues for sale in a thread here on the DTF he may have # 26 if you don't already have it.

[dpepinmarquette]

I kind of figured i should use just mild soap and water but just wanted to make sure.  I would be so sad if I ruined one of these guys.  They are my favorites and i doubt I could replace them easily.

Has anyone heard of someone working on a book about the history of the J.H. Miller company?  I had read about it somewhere but now I can't remember where .  I know personally I have found very little info on this company online and I would be interested in learning more.

I don't know about the book but there is a good article in the out of print Prehistoric Times magazine issue # 26. s.foulkes has some back issues for sale in a thread here on the DTF he may have # 26 if you don't already have it.

Yeah I don't have any issues of Prehistoric Times yet but I plan to try and get some back issues.  It looks like a great magazine. Thanks for pointing me towards the specific issue

[dpepinmarquette]

I went ahead and cleaned them with warm water, mild soap, and a soft toothbrush.  They all came out looking good except one had a dark spot that I ended getting rid of by using a tiny amount of alcohol on a qtip.  Thanks Lanthanotus and Doug Watson

[BlueKrono]

I kind of figured i should use just mild soap and water but just wanted to make sure.  I would be so sad if I ruined one of these guys.  They are my favorites and i doubt I could replace them easily.

Has anyone heard of someone working on a book about the history of the J.H. Miller company?  I had read about it somewhere but now I can't remember where .  I know personally I have found very little info on this company online and I would be interested in learning more.

I don't know about the book but there is a good article in the out of print Prehistoric Times magazine issue # 26. s.foulkes has some back issues for sale in a thread here on the DTF he may have # 26 if you don't already have it.

FYI, he doesn't have any pre-#30.

[Doug Watson]

I don't know about the book but there is a good article in the out of print Prehistoric Times magazine issue # 26. s.foulkes has some back issues for sale in a thread here on the DTF he may have # 26 if you don't already have it.


FYI, he doesn't have any pre-#30.

When all else fails ebay  http://www.ebay.com/itm/Prehistoric-Times-1995-26-FN-VF-7-0-/361725812628?hash=item543889df94:g:TyUAAOSwknJX1nGg

[BlueKrono]

Score! Not a bad price on it either. Don't worry Dpepin, I won't snag it.