Removing yellowing from Amigas with peroxide

[demolition]

Just Vanish on its own. Notice the name 'oxy action' which is indicating that it works like hydrogen peroxide to whiten plastics by releasing oxygen molecules.

[dJOS]

Originally Posted by franeti

Vanish + liquid peroxide at the same time?


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It already has peroxide in it and it works great!

[dJOS]

Originally Posted by demolition

Just Vanish on its own. Notice the name 'oxy action' which is indicating that it works like hydrogen peroxide to whiten plastics by releasing oxygen molecules.

Nope, this one has hydrogen peroxide as an active ingredient.

[demolition]

Originally Posted by dJOS

Nope, this one has hydrogen peroxide as an active ingredient.

Yes, I know? I didn't write that it didn't have H2O2 in it..

[dJOS]

Originally Posted by demolition

Yes, I know? I didn't write that it didn't have H2O2 in it..

You said "works like hydrogen peroxide" which suggests it doesn't contain it, however it actually has it in it plus the oxy etc.

[demolition]

Originally Posted by dJOS

You said "works like hydrogen peroxide" which suggests it doesn't contain it, however it actually has it in it plus the oxy etc.

Maybe it can be understood like that, but whether it contains it or not is actually not that relevant. What matters here is how it works which is why I wrote it like that.

The 'oxy' = hydrogen peroxide plus a booster that makes it more effective at low temperatures so it might also work better for our purpose than pure hydrogen peroxide.

[dJOS]

Originally Posted by demolition

Maybe it can be understood like that, but whether it contains it or not is actually not that relevant. What matters here is how it works which is why I wrote it like that.

The 'oxy' = hydrogen peroxide plus a booster that makes it more effective at low temperatures so it might also work better for our purpose than pure hydrogen peroxide.

Fair enough, English is my native language and even for me it's possible to take my statements multiple ways (just ask my wife!).

[guybrush]

I would like to give you a feedback about what I did try.

I had a pretty old Macintosh SE and an Apple 2 that were totally ruined by the sun; so I did get this product at the local beauty store:

http://www.sallybeauty.com/salonc-ca...efault,pd.html

It is fundamentally 40% hydrogen peroxyde, used for hair de-coloration, and being already in a creamy state, means you can use it directly. for 5 USD can't beat it really.

Now, what I did was to use gloves to spread the cream around, then with a brush I did make a layer that was mostly uniform. After that, wrapped it in saran wrap to keep the cream from drying too fast, and put it outside in the direct sunlight; turning the case around every 2 hours or so.

The result was snow white all over; although there were spots that were too white; so be careful if you see that the case yellowing is not uniform.

Was it worth it? Honestly I could take a white spray can and obtain better results; although the chance to ruin everything, if you are not well versed in the art of using spray can; did discourage me

[A4000Bear]

Originally Posted by demolition

Maybe it can be understood like that, but whether it contains it or not is actually not that relevant. What matters here is how it works which is why I wrote it like that.

The 'oxy' = hydrogen peroxide plus a booster that makes it more effective at low temperatures so it might also work better for our purpose than pure hydrogen peroxide.

Actually you are both correct. Vanish laundry booster comes in two varieties. A gel or a powder. The gel contains hydrogen peroxide, the powder contains sodium percarbonate. When water is added, the sodium percarbonate becomes hydrogen peroxide.

My preferred technique is to use the powder version, mixing it with warm water in a plastic tray, and then completely submerging the item. Place in the sun. This gives a far more even result, only the most damaged plastics show any sign of unevenness or chalkiness, and even then it's mild. I had an A500 keyboard that was a vivid cheese yellow, and I was able to get it back to it's normal colour. The darker coloured function keys showed a barely perceptible chalkiness. If you didn't specifically look for it, you wouldn't have noticed it.

[demolition]

How do you find that it is easiest to treat a keyboard? If they are all loose, they want to float which is not optimal. You could keep them attached to the stems, but then the springs should be removed or they will start rusting really quickly..

[Supamax]

Originally Posted by demolition

How do you find that it is easiest to treat a keyboard? If they are all loose, they want to float which is not optimal. You could keep them attached to the stems, but then the springs should be removed or they will start rusting really quickly..

I suppose it would be optimal to realize some sort of base with "poles" on which you insert all the keys, so that they stay vertical and submerged (the base has to be heavy enough to keep the keys below the liquid level).

[dJOS]

Originally Posted by demolition

How do you find that it is easiest to treat a keyboard? If they are all loose, they want to float which is not optimal. You could keep them attached to the stems, but then the springs should be removed or they will start rusting really quickly..

The easy method for keys is to put them all into a large glass jar and then fill it up completely with the vanish gel. Because the process is heat activated, the keys don't need to be facing the sun, just for all the liquid to heat up - that said I do rotate the jar every half an hour to ensure even heating. This works great for me.

[Supamax]

Originally Posted by dJOS

[...] Because the process is heat activated, the keys don't need to be facing the sun, just for all the liquid to heat up [...]

Are you sure?
If sunlight wasn't needed, it would be sufficient to put keys + liquid in a pot and heat on a kitchen burner (very low flame) or in an oven...

[dJOS]

Originally Posted by Supamax

Are you sure?
If sunlight wasn't needed, it would be sufficient to put keys + liquid in a pot and heat on a kitchen burner (very low flame) or in an oven...

And that works too, just don't go over 60c for a few hours or you'll melt your keys.


[ Show youtube player ]

[Supamax]

But... I always thought/read that the Sun light was an essential part of the process.
Not the Sun heat but the UV rays it emits...
Some guys used UV lamps, too.

[dJOS]

Originally Posted by Supamax

But... I always thought/read that the Sun light was an essential part of the process.
Not the Sun heat but the UV rays it emits...
Some guys used UV lamps, too.

Yeah me too, but I think the UV was just generating surface heat and activating the process.

Some more experiments here:
[ Show youtube player ]

[Supamax]

Originally Posted by dJOS

Some more experiments here:
[ Show youtube player ]

VERY interesting.

Actually, the Peroxide+Heat method seems the best .

[dJOS]

Originally Posted by Supamax

VERY interesting.

Actually, the Peroxide+Heat method seems the best .

Indeed, I'll be using it in future.

[RiotRetroGaming]

I get no problems using my method:

[ Show youtube player ]

[turrican9]

My conclusion on retrobrighting Amiga stuff for the last couple of years is that it will re-yellow quite fast. It's not really worth the hassle.