Removing yellowing from Amigas with peroxide

[demolition]

Originally Posted by JonSick

When the original recipe calls for Peroxide, I take it they don't mean BBlonde?
http://retr0bright.wikispaces.com/Retr0Bright+Gel

So, from that, if I just bought a bottle of BBlonde, applied it and let it sit for a couple of hours in the sun, is that all I need to do?

BBlonde basically just contains diluted hydrogen peroxide with a thickener. Hydrogen peroxide alone is a transparent liquid like water, and the recipe uses Xanthan Gum to thicken it.
You should be able to use BBlonde as it is or you could add a little Vanish or similar to it like the recipe says, which should boost the effect.

[JonSick]

Right stuff. Amigas are prepped, got the camera charged, will get some shopping done and post back with results!

Thanks for the feedback guys

Hi. I am planing to retrobrite my Amiga too, when the weather gets a little better. I am planing to use some corn starch and 10% hydrogen peroxide, since I already got this in my house.

Also I have found some Vanish Oxi Action Pre-Treat Spray like this: http://www.vanish.co.uk/products/van...i-action-spray. Can this be used, or do I need to buy some Oxi Action powder?

How do you treat the keys from the keyboard. Do you paint them with the gel, or do you soak them in a mixture of hydrogen peroxide and Oxi Action leaving out the corn starch?

I think I'm the only person in the world who actually likes yellowing and would never 'Retrobright' anything, ever... I prefer that my equipment looks old... because it is! :-)

[lesta_smsc]

I feel the same... if my A600 was white as I first bought it, it would somehow not 'feel right' after so many years!

[demolition]

Originally Posted by jokkemokke

How do you treat the keys from the keyboard. Do you paint them with the gel, or do you soak them in a mixture of hydrogen peroxide and Oxi Action leaving out the corn starch?

I tried soaking the keys but the results were poor at best. You need quite a lot of peroxide to cover all the keys, and due to the oxygen buildup, they tend to float to the top and either tilt around or dry out on the top. I ended up 'painting' them with the gel, at it worked a lot better (and was cheaper).

Originally Posted by lokiloki

I think I'm the only person in the world who actually likes yellowing and would never 'Retrobright' anything, ever... I prefer that my equipment looks old... because it is! :-)

I don't like the yellowing at all the same way I don't like an Amiga that doesn't work due to leaking caps. The latter is also a product of the Amiga being old.

[lolof]

Shame on me :-(
I have a A4000D front plate with marble effect now.....
I used a peroxide cream with paraffin!! I just learned about it after to have this problem.
Is it possible to take away this marble effect ??
Thanks

[Mr B]

Just guessing, but do it again without a paraffin based cream?

[GadgetUK]

I used 12% h2o2 creme - that hair dressers use. Worked fine on 1200 and 500.

Please note the yellowing does come back, it's not a permanent fix. I've just done my second 1200 and compared to the one I did 6 months ago and the latest 1200 is white like my first was, now that 1st one I did is a bit creme but still looks great.

Edit: Also note, it has been in a room where curtains always shut (yes, vampire lol), and smoke free area etc. Not sure energy saving lights give out much if any UV, so I could imagine accelerated yellowing in a room with more natural light.

[Merlin]

Originally Posted by GadgetUK

Please note the yellowing does come back, it's not a permanent fix. I've just done my second 1200 and compared to the one I did 6 months ago and the latest 1200 is white like my first was, now that 1st one I did is a bit creme but still looks great.

Edit: Also note, it has been in a room where curtains always shut (yes, vampire lol), and smoke free area etc. Not sure energy saving lights give out much if any UV, so I could imagine accelerated yellowing in a room with more natural light.

If you had clear-coated it with a satin acrylic lacquer, it wouldn't have started to yellow again. The reaction is reversible which is why Retr0bright works, but you need to cut off the oxygen from the surface of the plastic to prevent further migration of flame retardant through the plastic. No oxygen, no yellowing.

[spanner]

And make sure you DO NOT have it in direct sunlight,mine went half yellow,one side yellow one side normal..

[Sandro]

Originally Posted by GadgetUK

I used 12% h2o2 creme - that hair dressers use. Worked fine on 1200 and 500.

Please note the yellowing does come back, it's not a permanent fix. I've just done my second 1200 and compared to the one I did 6 months ago and the latest 1200 is white like my first was, now that 1st one I did is a bit creme but still looks great.

Edit: Also note, it has been in a room where curtains always shut (yes, vampire lol), and smoke free area etc. Not sure energy saving lights give out much if any UV, so I could imagine accelerated yellowing in a room with more natural light.

yes the yellowing come back ( very quick)
...there is not a total solution
I done a retrobright to my A1200 but after 8 or 9 months was yellowed like before or even worst
I think the retrobright makes the plastic more vulnerable to yellowing,even if you keep the A1200 in the dark and far away from cigar' smoke...it will become yellow again

seems the oxygen in the air is enough corruptive to start the process again and faster
a solution could be protect the plastic with transparent lacquer,both sides back and top
This trick will protect the plastic by the oxygen but not by the light...so I don't know if will work 100%

[GadgetUK]

Yes, I've recently started covering these cases with a silicone wax. Basically it gives it a clean shiney finish but it can be cleaned off. This might stop oxygen getting to the surface.

[Retrofan]

Originally Posted by GadgetUK

Yes, I've recently started covering these cases with a silicone wax. Basically it gives it a clean shiney finish but it can be cleaned off. This might stop oxygen getting to the surface.

Any brand for that silecone wax, any link?

[Mr B]

Don't use any silicone products near anything you ever (may) want to paint.
Now, i hope not that many want to paint their Amigas, but it goes for clear coating as well. Silicone messes with the adhesion, and is near impossible to get rid of.

[xArtx]

Hi Amiga Community

You wouldn't believe it, I'm here on vintage radio business that has nothing to do with the Amiga.
I'm lead from a radio forum to a Retrobright (Retrobrite?) site, and then to here!

I'm kinda surprised because the formula is several ingredients,
and not a lot of them are going to be lying around unless you do a lot with your hair.

I tried Vanish commercial product, and nothing else!
Exactly the one pictured in the pink container on their site.

http://retr0bright.wikispaces.com/Retr0Bright+Gel

Airzone 1931:


As it was:


Day 1:


Cheers, Art.

[lesta_smsc]

So you used Vanish product to get this result!? Time to pop visit to supermarket me thinks lol

[xArtx]

Yes, so I'm thinking what's with the glycerine and arrowroot, and hydrogen peroxide product? D
It's apparently to make a gel to use less and make it cheaper.
The Vanish does contain some concentration of hydrogen peroxide by itself.
You do the math.

[Merlin]

The thickeners come into their own when you have large items such as computer cases and monitor housings. It would need a lot of liquid to totally immerse them, so a paintable gel was the way to go.

Vanish contains percarbonates and perborates and these are peroxide donors; add them to the TAED in Vanish and all you get is hydrogen peroxide in solution. The issue is with the detergents that also get added to 'Vanish' type products in that they create foam if used in high concentrations.

[xArtx]

I didn't dissolve the Vanish at all, used it straight out of the bottle.
I understand the problem with larger objects I suppose.
The apparent damage was already there.. I think it had UV exposure in it's lifetime,
and has a lot of tiny cracks on the area that was exposed in the radio.