Removing yellowing from Amigas with peroxide

[necronom]

Thanks Merlin.

Does anyone have experience with non-summer UV like we are getting at the moment in England, or is THIS UV light from Maplin any good?

Can anyone recommend an acrylic spray with UV protection that won't be noticeable on an Amiga? I don't know if Matt or Satin would be best, either, so if anyone has used one that worked well, please point me to a website.

[Merlin]

@ necronom

I've used both incandescent and energy saving bulbs from Maplin and they both work, albeit not as fast as real sunlight.

As for the UV protection, most modern auto clear acrylic lacquers contain UV protection. These work by converting the UV light to another harmless wavelength of light, the correct term being up- or downconverters dependent on the type of Stokes shift in the wavelength of light created.

An added bonus is that the lacquer seals out oxygen from the surface of the plastic, so any bromine free radicals can't attach to an oxygen atom, hence no more yellow. Cool, eh?

Get yourself down the local car spares shop or somewhere like Halfords to score an aerosol of clear acrylic lacquer.

[necronom]

Thanks again.

I might give THIS a go, if you've had success with it. I could then try the sun during the day, and use the bulb from about 6-10pm.

I'll give Halfords a try once I've done the scary bit with the Retr0bright.

[Merlin]

Yep, I used that one and then moved onto the energy saving version. I currently have a 24" UV fluorescent blacklight tube. If you check the C64 pictures that were taken every two hours in the Retr0bright Wiki Gallery, you will see the bulb that I got from Maplin. Tonyyeb has used the same ones with success.

The most important ingredient of all is patience.....

[Dagger]

I might give THIS a go, if you've had success with it. I could then try the sun during the day, and use the bulb from about 6-10pm.

I'll give Halfords a try once I've done the scary bit with the Retr0bright.

I bought one of those bulbs but it only lasted 2 weeks . Make sure the bulb holder is a good one has they get hot and start to melt.

[whiteb]

Hey fellow Retr0Briters, and more so Aussies, I think I have found a source of concentrated H202, labeled as "Food Grade Peroxide", at 35% (or at least it is advertised as such).

Even has a Disclaimer on the product page.

NOTE:
This product is only available for shipping within Australia
Due to the nature of this product, the packaging (1ltr) allows for vapour expansion. The container holds 500ml of product.

Ingredients: Food Grade 35% Hydrogen Peroxide (H2O2)

Now, for $57.50 for 500ml, they even *RECOMMEND* dilution.

CAUTION: This preparation MUST be diluted.

Suitable for Retr0Brite ?, Let me know if its okay to post the link (Because its 35%), I dont want to be told off for linking to a dangerous source

[Merlin]

Yup, that's the stuff. Now we can start to see some Aussie Retr0bright action!!

[whiteb]

Alrighty, considering we in Australia are now heading towards summer now, and we do get some killer sunny days (high UV Levels).

http://healthsolutionstechnology.com...=index&cPath=8

Thats the link to the 35% H202, they charge AU$11 for delivery. That is the cheapest I can find at this time.

Per volume, that is cheaper than buying it at 3% from the pharmacy, but at least you can dilute to your own requirements.

Now to find the Xanthum.., most of the Oxy stuff seems to contain Sodium Percarbonate instead of TAED.

[Merlin]

It contains TAED, they don't always mention it on the container. It needs TAED to convert the percarbonates in the Oxy to peroxides, but we really don't need that extra bit, as we are already using the proper peroxide directly.

[Retrofan]

Hi:
I've seen this thread months ago, but never though in taking a look.
In fact the first thing I searched and found was the Retrobright page and I've never have had any problem with my combination. What I use to retrobright it is a 12%, 40 vol Schwarzkopf "Igora Royal, Colorist's color & care developer". It's hydrogen peroxide at 12%, and I payed 10€ (or it was 5€?) for a 1000ml bottle in a heardresser. The good it has is that it's like a foam/cream, so I only add a couple of drops of the hydrogen peroxide of the pharmacy at 3% and finally like a coffe spoon of Active Oxigen of the ones for washing the laundry.
As I live in Lanzarote in the Canary Islands I have sun almost always. So, I use a brush to put it and from time to time I use it again. In about 3 hours I have the keyboard absolutly white.

So, 12% is more than enough, I tell you.
Ah, another thing: Never try to retrobright the Commodore 64 keys, they will fade away (no problemo with the Amiga).

[Merlin]

@ Retrofan

Thanks for that. Your A1200 looks brilliant in that photo, you must be really pleased with it.

The recipe I stick with now, as it works time and again without problems, is this:-

1 pint of 10% hydrogen peroxide solution
1 tesapoonful of glycerine

Mix together then add

1 level teaspoonful of Xanthan Gum

Mix for 15-20 seconds. Leave to rest for 30 seconds. Mix for a further 30 seconds and you should have a smooth glossy gel, like wallpaper paste, that can be easily brushed onto surfaces.

When you are aready to use it, add 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoonful of Oxy to a small amount of hot water, add it to the gel, then mix for 15 seconds and that's it.

[Retrofan]

Yes, and thanks. When I began to make it I started to look for glicerine and Xantam Gum, but I believe they only add them to get it more manageable, that doesn't evaporate fast and so, but as mine is a foam, I don't add nothing but the oxy, so to resume, I make the mix in 5 seconds.
Ah, in the photo you can see how it was before in a photo I printed over the Amiga.

I've bought two second hand keyboards very very cheap because of the yellowing (I've got two Amigas) and I feel great when after aplying it I get one like buying it new.

[Methanoid]

Can someone PLEASE offer a service to retrobrite up keyboards, cases etc. I stripped all my keys off A1200 but my efforts seemed to fail. Probably need a UV light.

If my A1200 looked great I'd be more inclined to invest in those nice accelerators Jens is making and a SF/FF

[Merlin]

I've done a few machines over at AmiBay for some of the members. PM me and we'll work something out, OK?

[RMK]

Hi,

I'm going to try this for the first time and am going with the recipe on the Wiki page.

1 pint (500ml) Hydrogen Peroxide, 10 to 15% strength (40 vol) (available from hairdressers' supplies, e.g. the 'Sally Beauty' franchise in the UK)
2 heaped tablespoonfuls of Xanthan Gum (available from health food shops or online)
1 level teaspoonful of Glycerine (available from pharmacies)
1/4 teaspoonful of "Oxy" laundry booster

Not sure if there is a better one as I haven't read all tehe posts in this thread. Two questions though:

1. Do I buy the Peroxide liquid or creme? I can only find the Creme in the correct strength at Sallys

2. Is it ok to mix this in a blender or whisk that will later be used for food (after cleaning?) If not, is it possible to mix it well enough by hand?

Thanks for the help. I hope to get the ingrediends tomorrow and try it out next week

[Merlin]

If you can only find the Creme, just use it as-is; you don't need anything else, as this is the stuff Retrofan is talking about.

A whisk should be fine. Mixing it by hand is a bit like making meringue in that it takes a bit of effort, but it can be done. It should be fine for food use after cleaning, as peroxide will actually sterilise it.

[RMK]

Brilliant, thanks for that. I'll let you know how I get on.

[Geon106]

Can you use just normal bleach you'd find in your kitchen? would that do the trick? use that mixed with some water and dip like your amiga case(obviously just the case! goes without saying) and leave to dry?

[Merlin]

NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!

The reason why you shouldn't is explained here:-

http://retr0bright.wikispaces.com/Using+Hypochlorite

This is a really bad idea, trust me... using bleach will only end badly....

[RMK]

Just use the peroxide. I did an old A1200 from the loft and it looks brand new now. This stuff is simply just epic.