Removing yellowing from Amigas with peroxide

[power]

I had a yellowed PSOne controller that I thought I could sacrifice to try out this light brightening, what can I say - it worked well.

Left it out in the sun for several days and it's almost back to white.

[Argo]

Originally Posted by Puggsy

By the way for anyone thinking this method is worth doing, read this thread:
https://www.reddit.com/r/retrobattle...gsunbrighting/

Next time some YouTube personality wants to sell you snake oil they found laying around, don't buy it.

By that logic, don't RetroBright

[theq]

Originally Posted by power

Left it out in the sun for several days and it's almost back to white.

My biggest concerns are if it is getting more brittle and for how long the whiteness lasts.

[Turrican_3]

https://twitter.com/Turrican3_IT/sta...87416219078656

^^ treatment with peroxide 40 vol (this is NOT 40%!!!), before and after


https://twitter.com/Turrican3_IT/sta...29102204043264

^^ treatment with sunbrighting for about 4 weeks, average of 4 hours a day, before (photo is actually a bit old, but I tried to take a shot as closely as possible) and after


I guess it's all about long term behavious/side effects... we'll see!

[Methanoid]

Personally after experiencing blush on an Atari STE I would only now go for submersion techniques when retrobriting or the slower Ozone method... for a universal coverage. Creme is too easy to get wrong (folds in clingfilm etc)

[Ferry]

Originally Posted by Mrz

unless you store the computer in a sealed box in vacuum ,the yellow in these plastics will return again

Not necessarily: a layer of matt varnish with UV protection can be applied to seal the recovered part from ambient oxygen and ultraviolet rays, thus minimising the possibility of yellowing again.

Saluditos,

Ferrán.

[demolition]

Originally Posted by Ferry

Not necessarily: a layer of matt varnish with UV protection can be applied to seal the recovered part from ambient oxygen and ultraviolet rays, thus minimising the possibility of yellowing again.

Quite the contrary - this was tested and even if it is sealed and protected from UV light, it will still reyellow. Even if you store the item in a dark place and protects it from all light, it still reyellows so light is clearly not the main problem here. The difference is that painting is pretty much a one-way street so you cannot retreat it and have to either sand it down or paint it if you want that.

Read #909 and #910.

[Mrz]

the layer of varnish or clear paint also oxidizes with the air, such paint tend to yellow as well as plastics
once you paint the plastics : there is no way back as demolition said
removing that thin layer of paint may become impossible

painting the plastic is a big mistake

the yellowing process in these plastics is a mix of heat+uv light+oxygen and other chemicals in the earth atmosphere,
those old white plastics are pure crap and very very unstable, there is no cure for them

meanwhile you can purchase a 35 years old Spectrum 48k or Spectrum 128k , you clean them using water and a clean cloth and they look as if they were new

[bolding]

I am personally having great success with this hair product: Wella Welloxon Perfect 12% 40 Vol 1000ml


It's pretty simple and I follow the following procedure every time with great results:

1. Wash each part with soap to ensure all grease is removed
2. Rinse off with water
3. Dry each part of - I don't want any water left
4. Apply the hair product in a nice layer - ensure all parts are covered
5. Wrap the parts in plastic wrap
6. Leave outside - even cloudy weather works fine as long as you avoid rain
7. Turn the parts around now and then to make sure all parts are exposed to UV
8. Remove the wrapping and pensel some more hair product on - this is to remove any bubbles or whatever that the plastic wrap may have caused.
9. Leave our for another hour or so
10. Get the parts back in side and rinse off
11. Done!

[GadgetUK]

Following on from the sunbright stuff, I tested on my 65XE and can see the yellowing noticeably going away just from 3 or 4 days of sunlight. I got my A500 out of storage (which had been retrobrited (didn't go well on that old A500 but I kept it anyway). It re-yellowed (a lot!) after being stored in a dark box for 4 or 5 years. Yet other things I've had out and exposed haven't re-yellowed (eg. Amiga 1200 I did about 6 or so years ago now).



I've also seen the same thing happen with other things I've retrobrited and put into dark storage. It seems to me that in some cases the yellowing occurs because of LACK of UV not the inverse. This is probably why sunbrighting seems to work.


It also explains why so many of these systems went yellow to start with -ie. no one ever considered that for the most part these things wouldnt be getting much UVA or UVB, yet the theory was it was UV causing the yellowing. I think in many cases its the opposite - not enough UV, only artificial light. Anyway, that's just my theory based on the things I've retrobrited.

[dJOS]

Originally Posted by GadgetUK

Following on from the sunbright stuff, I tested on my 65XE and can see the yellowing noticeably going away just from 3 or 4 days of sunlight. I got my A500 out of storage (which had been retrobrited (didn't go well on that old A500 but I kept it anyway). It re-yellowed (a lot!) after being stored in a dark box for 4 or 5 years. Yet other things I've had out and exposed haven't re-yellowed (eg. Amiga 1200 I did about 6 or so years ago now).



I've also seen the same thing happen with other things I've retrobrited and put into dark storage. It seems to me that in some cases the yellowing occurs because of LACK of UV not the inverse. This is probably why sunbrighting seems to work.


It also explains why so many of these systems went yellow to start with -ie. no one ever considered that for the most part these things wouldnt be getting much UVA or UVB, yet the theory was it was UV causing the yellowing. I think in many cases its the opposite - not enough UV, only artificial light. Anyway, that's just my theory based on the things I've retrobrited.

I'm pretty sure the yellowing is heat-related. eg I had 3 Amiga 500's in packing material, in sealed cardboard boxes in storage (so huge industrial shed - likely got well above 60c in there) during a 40c heatwave for 3 weeks. They weren't yellow going in but they were insanely yellowed afterward - as a result, I made the insurance company reimburse me for their value as I considered that damaged while in storage (plus they physically damaged a heap of items by being careless).

[Liqourice]

Just for the heck of it I put the front cover of my A4000 out in the sun on my balcony, it was out there for a week. If anything it actually got yellower so that didn't work at all.

[majick]

I recently put the upper and lower cases of my A500, which was yellowed to the point that I was kind of repulsed by it when I pulled it out of the box, into two days of sun + water + plain old drugstore H2O2 (3%, I think). There are a couple of slightly stubborn spots that didn't clear up completely but the whole thing looks fabulous by comparison -- something I'm proud to own and show off. The keyboard was in terrible condition as well and I tried doing sun and low concentration peroxide, but it didn't improve.

Instead I put the keys into a steel pot on the stove at very low flame, with water and 40vol hair stuff. I spent the day agitating them by hand to keep the bubbles off, and got FANTASTIC results but the big enter key sank to the bottom and got a bit more heat treatment than the others. It came out closer to the white keys than the grey keys.

When summer comes around again I'll do another immersion on the case, but I'm happy to report that the "sun bucket" technique produced more than satisfactory results for me.

[power]

Originally Posted by Liqourice

Just for the heck of it I put the front cover of my A4000 out in the sun on my balcony, it was out there for a week. If anything it actually got yellower so that didn't work at all.

that's so weird i don't think anyone has reported more yellowing from just sun exposure.

[Liqourice]

Originally Posted by power

that's so weird i don't think anyone has reported more yellowing from just sun exposure.

It's not easy to say really. From the start it was a bit gradient. It was a lot yellower on the top part and less on the bottom. Most of the yellowness was on the inside though.

After being out in the sun for a week it was an even yellowness all over the outside but I can't really say it's more or less yellow. What I feel is that the less yellow parts have gotten as yellow as the more yellow parts.

I took pics of it before and after but that doesn't really say much either because the lighting might have been different between photo sessions so the result is a bit unconclusive.

Not that I care all that much about it. It's yellow. It's old. I don't need it to look brand new.

Strangely enough my old A500 that's now 32 years old has no yellowing whatsoever. It's been boxed for 20 years but before that it was in use all the time so for 12 years it was exposed without turning yellow at all.

[DavidQ]

I'm not keen on the idea of brightening/whitening/bleaching old computers to make them look like new. I am reminded of the advice they give on the Antiques Roadshow that polishing antique bronzes and removing their patina devalues them. I wonder if it is (or will be) the same for old computers?

Anyway, I like my old machines to look like they've been around the block a few times because they go quite nicely with my rapidly ageing appearance.

[Bren McGuire]

Thank you! I thought I was the only one that actually likes the yellowing on my Amiga, it's a sign of how long it has been with me.
Retrobrighting is not forever, cumbersome, and this "sunbrighting" "method" just sounds daft and proved to make plastics more brittle.

Originally Posted by DavidQ

I'm not keen on the idea of brightening/whitening/bleaching old computers to make them look like new. I am reminded of the advice they give on the Antiques Roadshow that polishing antique bronzes and removing their patina devalues them. I wonder if it is (or will be) the same for old computers?

Anyway, I like my old machines to look like they've been around the block a few times because they go quite nicely with my rapidly ageing appearance.

[DavidQ]

Originally Posted by Bren McGuire

Thank you! I thought I was the only one that actually likes the yellowing on my Amiga, it's a sign of how long it has been with me.
Retrobrighting is not forever, cumbersome, and this "sunbrighting" "method" just sounds daft and proved to make plastics more brittle.

Maybe we'll start a new trend for authentically aged computers with the moniker of 'not too bright' (which funnily enough is also what they used to write on my school reports).

[avukatka]

Originally Posted by Yoto

Ok, you can try bleach i guess, but wont it remove the letter stamping on keyboard keys?

I did it. The result is just perfect.

[retrofriends]

I understand and appreciate the argument against retrobrighting, but for me I like to relive the past with restoration, looking the way they used to look. For those interested in retrobrighting, I suggest substituting the sun for a UV lamp. They are about $30USD on Amazon. This is the one I got:
https://amzn.to/2Q3IYSN
(not sure of availability or pricing outside the US)

I tried it in the sun, and it was a pain. So why wait for summer? Why risk leaving your stuff outside? Why buy tons of liquid peroxide, or cover with a gel/cellophane mess?

Put your item in the bathtub or wherever, hang the UV light over it, slap on some peroxide gel, and that's it. Gel will evaporate much slower inside, so no cellophane. You just have to reapply/move the gel around every 1-2 hours. Fumes are minimal, there is no fume warning on the peroxide label, but turn on bathroom exhaust fan if you're worried. I had a VIC-20 that was almost orange and it came out factory color. I have done this same procedure to about a dozen items, with 100% success. I did a video several months ago:

[ Show youtube player ]

As far as the retrobright procedure lasting long term, I think you increase the chance with clear UV protective spray. It is designed for the purpose. Will it ever yellow again? Probably, but maybe it will take another 20-30 years. The first one I did was early 2019. So far so good. I will report back in this thread if I notice anything.