retr0brite not so right?

----- Original Message ----- From: "Richard" <legalize at xmission.com> To: "General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts" <cctalk at classiccmp.org> Sent: Thursday, July 29, 2010 6:57 PM Subject: Re: retr0brite not so right? That boat has sailed, you cannot get it back to its original condition by chemical reaction, the surface plastic has been damaged. You can make it look nicer for a while (long enough to sell it), but it is not in its "new" state. Go buy a rare 1700's copper penny and clean off the corrosion then try to resell it and see what you get. Computer collecting down the road will be like any other valuable collectable item. There will be experts grading it on original parts, OS and file dates, physical condition, etc. If you have a slightly yellowed rare machine that is stock LEAVE IT THAT WAY, or at least save all the old components so that it can be put back to stock. I don't care too much about collectability or making something look new. I do clean systems I get in with soap and water because I don't like dust, dead bugs, hair, or food (keyboards especially) in my machines. A mild soap wash will also remove cigarette smoke and a little bit of yellowing but will not do any real damage to the plastic (unless it is so brittle that it snaps on touch like my Apple Powermac 9500 and 8500!). Taking systems apart also reveals problems that need to be dealt with and previous owners damage. So as long as the thing works and doesn't smell like *$%& I can live with it. If another shell comes along that is better then the one I have and is cheap I would probably swap them out.