21 Aug
2015
21 Aug
'15
7:15 p.m.
Going to be de-yellowing a //e Platinum this weekend. Check out this
picture of the top cover. You can see the non-yellowed part on bottom.
Big difference! I'll post "after" pictures.
http://snarc.net/yellowing.jpg
21 Aug
21 Aug
10:54 p.m.
So, how does one de-yellow something? I have a VT-100 and some other
gear that could use that process.
JRJ
On 8/21/2015 1:15 PM, Evan Koblentz wrote:
Going to be de-yellowing a //e Platinum this weekend.
Check out this
picture of the top cover. You can see the non-yellowed part on bottom.
Big difference! I'll post "after" pictures.
http://snarc.net/yellowing.jpg
11:28 p.m.
So, how does one de-yellow something? I have a VT-100
and some other
gear that could use that process.
Google for "Retr0brite".
MARCH is having a repair workshop this weekend at our museum in NJ.
We're going to use a product called "BBlonde" which is made for women's
hair but apparently works pretty well on yellowed plastic.
22 Aug
22 Aug
12:06 a.m.
MARCH is having a repair workshop this weekend at our
museum in NJ.
We're going to use a product called "BBlonde" which is made for
women's
hair but apparently works pretty well on yellowed plastic.
Evan,
Is this something you need to mix like Retrobright? Or is it ready to go out
of the bottle? Also any long term experience with it? From discussion on VCF
it seems as Retrobright fails after some time passes (i.e. re-yellowing
occurs). I'd be interested in hearing/seeing the results.
-Ali
12:09 a.m.
On Aug 21, 2015, at 6:06 PM, Ali wrote:
Is this something you need to mix like Retrobright? Or
is it ready to go out
of the bottle? Also any long term experience with it? From discussion on VCF
it seems as Retrobright fails after some time passes (i.e. re-yellowing
occurs). I'd be interested in hearing/seeing the results.
Another option (albeit slow acting, pro/con) is using straight 3% hydrogen peroxide + UV
like you get at the drug store. I used this method on a few of my Commodore 128D pieces
that were yellowed. It does act very slow, but that might not be such a bad thing
considering people have had issues with blotchiness with stronger treatments.
12:25 a.m.
Another option (albeit slow acting, pro/con) is using
straight 3%
hydrogen peroxide + UV like you get at the drug store. I used this
method on a few of my Commodore 128D pieces that were yellowed. It does
act very slow, but that might not be such a bad thing considering
people have had issues with blotchiness with stronger treatment
How much slower? Days vs. hours? Also what happens when you leave it on
overnight? Or do you use a UV light? Thanks.
-Ali
1:37 p.m.
-----Original Message-----
From: cctalk [mailto:cctalk-bounces at classiccmp.org] On Behalf Of Jules
Richardson
Sent: 22 August 2015 13:25
To: General at classiccmp.org; Discussion at classiccmp.org:On-Topic and Off-
Topic Posts <cctalk at classiccmp.org>
Subject: Re: De-yellowing
On 08/21/2015 05:28 PM, Evan Koblentz wrote:
I've never tried the stuff - but is it a permanent fix, or does the
yellowing
So, how does one de-yellow something? I have a
VT-100 and some other
gear that could use that process.
Google for "Retr0brite". gradually come back?
All the techniques discussed so far involve using a "bleach" of some kind
and possibly UV light. Some use other materials so you have a gell which
makes it easier to apply.
From what I have read yellowing usually/often/always
re-occurs..
Dave
1:50 p.m.
On Sat, 22 Aug 2015, Dave G4UGM wrote:
On Sat, 22 Aug 2015, Jules Richardson wrote:
Hydrogen Peroxide, not bleach.
On 08/21/2015 05:28 PM, Evan Koblentz wrote:
I've never tried the stuff - but is it a permanent fix, or does the
yellowing gradually come back?
All the techniques discussed so far involve using a "bleach" of some
kind and possibly UV light. Some use other materials so you have a gell
which makes it easier to apply.
From what I have read yellowing usually/often/always re-occurs.. So, how
does one de-yellow something? I have a VT-100 and some other
gear that could use that process.
Google for "Retr0brite". 
7:04 p.m.
On 22/08/2015 13:50, Tothwolf wrote:
Hydrogen peroxide *is* a bleach, as any chemist can tell you. Never
heard of "peroxide blonde"?
--
Pete
Pete Turnbull
On Sat, 22 Aug 2015, Dave G4UGM wrote:
All the
techniques discussed so far involve using a "bleach" of some
kind and possibly UV light. Some use other materials so you have a
gell which makes it easier to apply.
From what I have read yellowing usually/often/always re-occurs..
Hydrogen Peroxide, not bleach.
7:13 p.m.
-----Original Message-----
From: cctalk [mailto:cctalk-bounces at classiccmp.org] On Behalf Of Pete
Turnbull
Sent: 22 August 2015 19:05
To: General at classiccmp.org; Discussion at classiccmp.org:On-Topic and Off-
Topic Posts <cctalk at classiccmp.org>
Subject: Re: De-yellowing
On 22/08/2015 13:50, Tothwolf wrote:
Hydrogen peroxide *is* a bleach, as any chemist can tell you. Never heard
of
On Sat, 22 Aug 2015, Dave G4UGM wrote:
All the
techniques discussed so far involve using a "bleach" of some
kind and possibly UV light. Some use other materials so you have a
gell which makes it easier to apply.
From what I have read yellowing usually/often/always re-occurs..
Hydrogen Peroxide, not bleach. "peroxide blonde"?
I should probably have said a ""peroxide based bleaching agent" as most
folks assume "bleach" means "chlorine based bleach" which is not what
is
being used here.
However there are several variations on this theme and several slightly
different chemicals have been used as the bleach...
--
Pete
Pete Turnbull
Dave Wade
9:45 p.m.
On Sat, 22 Aug 2015, Dave G4UGM wrote:
On Sat, 22 Aug 2015, Pete Turnbull wrote:
Exactly what I meant. Most will assume chlorine based bleach when someone
mentions the term "bleach".
On 22/08/2015 13:50, Tothwolf wrote:
I should probably have said a ""peroxide based bleaching agent" as most
folks assume "bleach" means "chlorine based bleach" which is not what
is
being used here.
However there are several variations on this theme and several slightly
different chemicals have been used as the bleach... On Sat, 22 Aug 2015, Dave G4UGM wrote:
Hydrogen peroxide *is* a bleach, as any chemist can tell you. Never
heard of "peroxide blonde"? All the techniques discussed so far involve using
a "bleach" of some
kind and possibly UV light. Some use other materials so you have a
gell which makes it easier to apply.
From what I have read yellowing usually/often/always re-occurs..
Hydrogen Peroxide, not bleach. 
7:45 p.m.
On 08/22/2015 11:04 AM, Pete Turnbull wrote:
Hydrogen peroxide *is* a bleach, as any chemist can
tell you. Never
heard of "peroxide blonde"?
Has anyone tried ditching the peroxide and simply gone to using a
solution of sodium percarbonate (e.g. "Oxyclean")? Cheap and pretty
shelf-stable in the powder form.
Not that I care about yellow plastic. It's all going to crumble eventually.
--Chuck
8:02 p.m.
<https://web.archive.org/web/20090219204908/http://retr0bright.wikispaces.com/>
All, the original page seems to be off line currently for retr0bright.
Also, more current copies seem to be forbidden to be archived via robots.txt.
Here is an older copy of the page that was available in the Wayback Machine.
enjoy,
Jerry
8:11 p.m.
Has anyone tried ditching the peroxide and simply gone
to using a solution
of sodium percarbonate (e.g. "Oxyclean")?
Cheap and pretty shelf-stable in the powder form
Yes, I have Chuck.
http://www.classic-computers.org.nz/blog/2011-01-21-deyellowing-with-oxy-on…
Sometimes it doesn't turn out well though...
http://www.classic-computers.org.nz/blog/2011-04-11-lisa-keys-retrobrightin…
With my own retr0briting I've found off-white cream cases come up well, but
anything that is grey can easily "bloom" if over exposed.
In my experience deyellowing is only temporary
http://www.classic-computers.org.nz/blog/2013-01-15-retr0bright-only-tempor…
It does make the cases look good for a while though. (:
Terry (Tez)
8:37 p.m.
On 08/22/2015 12:11 PM, Terry Stewart wrote:
In my experience deyellowing is only temporary
http://www.classic-computers.org.nz/blog/2013-01-15-retr0bright-only-tempor…
It does make the cases look good for a while though. (:
I can believe that the effect is only temporary--the action simply
cannot go any deeper than a few microns. All of which goes to show that
if you want a more permanent color, there's always paint. I have
equipment that's made from high-density polyurethane foam (no special
dies or forms needed for injection molding) finished with a coat of
paint that's more than 30 years old. It looks as good as the day it was
delivered.
--Chuck
24 Aug
24 Aug
5:53 a.m.
I can believe that the effect is only temporary--the
action simply
cannot go any deeper than a few microns. All of which goes to show
that if you want a more permanent color, there's always paint. I have
equipment that's made from high-density polyurethane foam (no special
dies or forms needed for injection molding) finished with a coat of
paint that's more than 30 years old. It looks as good as the day it
was delivered.
Chuck,
I can tell you from personal experience that repainting does not work well. One, matching
the color is nearly impossible. You can get pretty darn close but not exact. Two, the
paint quality is never as good. Three, the feel is different - this one is hard to
explain: it just doesn't feel smooth and slick but rough and scratchy. I have tried
different brands of paint, gloss, non-gloss, sealant, etc to no avail. I can make it look
good especially from a few feet away but in practice you can easily tell it has been
painted.
Just my two cents.
-Ali
6:23 a.m.
On 08/23/2015 09:53 PM, Ali wrote:
I can tell you from personal experience that
repainting does not work
well. One, matching the color is nearly impossible. You can get
pretty darn close but not exact. Two, the paint quality is never as
good. Three, the feel is different - this one is hard to explain: it
just doesn't feel smooth and slick but rough and scratchy. I have
tried different brands of paint, gloss, non-gloss, sealant, etc to no
avail. I can make it look good especially from a few feet away but in
practice you can easily tell it has been painted.
Just my two cents.
Hi Ali,
If you're talking about rattle-can painting, I can believe that.
But there's painting using professional spray gear, as well as
powder-coating. Rattle-can was never intended as anything but an "any
idiot can do it" proposition.
If that weren't the case, we'd all be painting our cars using a spray can.
Regardless, if I read the conservation lists correctly, plastic is
eventually doomed. No one seems to know how to stabilize it.
I recall an Apple color monitor that sat on a table and, without being
powered on or otherwise disturbed, would shed a bit of itself every now
and then...
Just my own .02,
Chuck
7:47 a.m.
I've successfully "retrobrited" old TV safety screens and a few NES
console. What I used was 12% hydrogen peroxide from the beauty supply shop,
along with sodium percarbonate, glycerin to keep it wet and xanthan gum to
stabilize it to a paint on gel. Then all you do is paint it on, cover it
with Saran Wrap and put it out in the sun.
One of the TVs I did, I still have it and the yellow didn't return. I don't
know about the NESs because I flip them
Fun chemistry!
On Mon, Aug 24, 2015 at 1:23 AM, Chuck Guzis <cclist at sydex.com> wrote:
On 08/23/2015 09:53 PM, Ali wrote:
I can tell you from personal experience that repainting does not work
well. One, matching the color is nearly
impossible. You can get
pretty darn close but not exact. Two, the paint quality is never as
good. Three, the feel is different - this one is hard to explain: it
just doesn't feel smooth and slick but rough and scratchy. I have
tried different brands of paint, gloss, non-gloss, sealant, etc to no
avail. I can make it look good especially from a few feet away but in
practice you can easily tell it has been painted.
Just my two cents.
Hi Ali,
If you're talking about rattle-can painting, I can believe that.
But there's painting using professional spray gear, as well as
powder-coating. Rattle-can was never intended as anything but an "any
idiot can do it" proposition.
If that weren't the case, we'd all be painting our cars using a spray can.
Regardless, if I read the conservation lists correctly, plastic is
eventually doomed. No one seems to know how to stabilize it.
I recall an Apple color monitor that sat on a table and, without being
powered on or otherwise disturbed, would shed a bit of itself every now and
then...
Just my own .02,
Chuck
7:37 p.m.
If you're talking about rattle-can painting, I can
believe that.
But there's painting using professional spray gear, as well as powder-
coating. Rattle-can was never intended as anything but an "any idiot
can do it" proposition.
Hi Chuck,
Actually I was talking about professional spray gear in a vented hood. I agree spray can
is definitely a non-starter but so is powder coating for most people. My point was in the
general hobbyist community most of us have access to spray cans or at best a spray gun. A
few of us may have access to an oven (through a body shop for example) and very high end
paint but then the cost begins to go up exponentially. Even then there is texture to worry
about and color matching. Given these limitations painting a case is really not feasible
for most of us. Retrobright while imperfect is good for the occasional times when you want
to show off your gear (sort of like waxing and buffing the chrome on the old car to a
super shine before taking it to an auto show). Paint offers a bit of a better look but
with its own tradeoffs.
We ma all just have to live with yellow gear ;).
-Ali
8 p.m.
Actually I was talking about professional spray gear
in a vented hood. I agree spray can is definitely a non-starter but so is powder coating
for most people. My point was in the general hobbyist community most of us have access to
spray cans or at best a spray gun. A few of us may have access to an oven (through a body
shop for example) and very high end paint but then the cost begins to go up exponentially.
Even then there is texture to worry about and color matching. Given these limitations
painting a case is really not feasible for most of us.
A low end single-action Badger or Paasche airbrush set is pretty inexpensive.
--
Will
8:31 p.m.
On 08/24/2015 11:37 AM, Ali wrote:
I was working on a Sharp brand tabletop copier. I was surprised to find
that the thing was "painted" with a very fine (almost like fine sand)
texture. So there are surprises.
I'm not into the de-yellowing thing myself. There's no evidence that
de-yellowing improves the durability of objects. A museum curator
preparing an exhibit might well use a water-based acrylic that can
easily be washed off.
As the old real-estate line goes, "You'll never notice with the shades
drawn and the lights out".
--Chuck
8:34 p.m.
I'm not into the de-yellowing thing myself.
There's no evidence that
de-yellowing improves the durability of objects. A museum curator
Precisely my view, as I said a couple of days ago. If there is some
way to 'stabilise' the plastic so it doesn't go brittle or just fall apart
on its own then I would consider trying it. But not a cosmetic colour
change that will not make my VT100 or whatever last any longer.
preparing an exhibit might well use a water-based
acrylic that can
easily be washed off.
Which would be, I think, totally useless for an object which is going to be
handled and used, like most classic computers here.
-tony
8:37 p.m.
I'm not into the de-yellowing thing myself.
There's no evidence that
de-yellowing improves the durability of objects. A museum curator preparing
an exhibit might well use a water-based acrylic that can easily be washed
off.
That is what the Air and Space Museum has done for a while - a very
thin wax coat covers the original, untouched finish, and a new paint
job is applied onto the wax. Apparently it is easy to strip off, thus
a reversible portion of a restoration, but I think the paint is not
durable at all (which is why you should not touch things in museums
unless given permission).
I am not a fan of the Retrobrite process, although I have never tried
it out. In my mind it just seems wrong.
--
Will
25 Aug
25 Aug
12:28 a.m.
I recently restored several VT100 that were extremely yellowed as well
as filthy dirty.
I put the plastics in my bathtub and sprayed them heavily with "Krud
Kutter", intending only to remove the dirt. To my surprise, much of
the yellowing came off too. It didn't return them to their pristine
original color but significantly reduced the yellowing as a tea colored
runoff pooled in the bottom of the tub.
https://www.rustoleum.com/product-catalog/consumer-brands/krud-kutter/clean…
I rinsed with clear water and hit them again with a soaking of the Krud
Kutter and more "tea" came off. After a third try, no more tea and so
I quit. They look really good now and I shined up the brown plastic
areas with some "Armor All" which gives it a nice shine.
I did four VT100 this way with the same results on all of them.
I don't think any of this was harsh to the plastics and so I will use
it again on other yellowed stuff.
Chris
--
Chris Elmquist
12:41 a.m.
On Aug 24, 2015, at 7:28 PM, Chris Elmquist <chrise
at pobox.com> wrote:
I recently restored several VT100 that were extremely yellowed as well
as filthy dirty.
I put the plastics in my bathtub and sprayed them heavily with "Krud
Kutter", intending only to remove the dirt. To my surprise, much of
the yellowing came off too.
Sometimes yellow is color change of the plastic, and sometimes it's just crud. Our
current home was rather yellow inside when we moved in. After I sprayed everything with
windex and wiped it all down, it was back to white. The yellow was simply a large amount
of tobacco residue from the chain smoking late owner.
paul
12:52 a.m.
On Monday (08/24/2015 at 07:41PM -0400), Paul Koning wrote:
oh yes-- I'm very aware of the yellow you get from tobacco smoke and this
was not that. There was no residue inside the units or any associated
sticky or tar evidence either.
You could also tell where there was more yellowing due to orientation of
the units-- as if they were facing a window or flourescent lights, etc.
Chris
--
Chris Elmquist
On Aug 24, 2015, at 7:28 PM, Chris Elmquist
<chrise at pobox.com> wrote:
I recently restored several VT100 that were extremely yellowed as well
as filthy dirty.
I put the plastics in my bathtub and sprayed them heavily with "Krud
Kutter", intending only to remove the dirt. To my surprise, much of
the yellowing came off too.
Sometimes yellow is color change of the plastic, and sometimes it's just crud. Our
current home was rather yellow inside when we moved in. After I sprayed everything with
windex and wiped it all down, it was back to white. The yellow was simply a large amount
of tobacco residue from the chain smoking late owner.
12:43 a.m.
I recently restored several VT100 that were extremely
yellowed as well
as filthy dirty.
I put the plastics in my bathtub and sprayed them heavily with "Krud
Kutter", intending only to remove the dirt. To my surprise, much of
the yellowing came off too. It didn't return them to their pristine
original color but significantly reduced the yellowing as a tea colored
runoff pooled in the bottom of the tub.
Chris,
Do you have pictures? I wonder if one of the main ingredients maybe H2O2.
Also how long ago did you do this? There may not have been enough time for a
return to the yellow color.
-Ali
12:56 a.m.
On Monday (08/24/2015 at 04:43PM -0700), Ali wrote:
I don't have any pictures-- no before/after sort of thing as I am
usually done with these projects before I think about taking pictures.
I'm not big on that.
I did this a little over a year ago and they look the same today as
they did when I finished putting them back together. Not that this is
any evidence of how they will look in 30 more years but there's a good
chance I will be done with them by then any way...
Chris
--
Chris Elmquist
I recently
restored several VT100 that were extremely yellowed as well
as filthy dirty.
I put the plastics in my bathtub and sprayed them heavily with "Krud
Kutter", intending only to remove the dirt. To my surprise, much of
the yellowing came off too. It didn't return them to their pristine
original color but significantly reduced the yellowing as a tea colored
runoff pooled in the bottom of the tub.
Chris,
Do you have pictures? I wonder if one of the main ingredients maybe H2O2.
Also how long ago did you do this? There may not have been enough time for a
return to the yellow color. 
1:23 a.m.
Sometimes the yellow coming off is just the degraded plastic. Even a mild
cleaning just removes the surface layer of degraded plastic.
-----Original Message-----
From: Chris Elmquist
Sent: Monday, August 24, 2015 7:56 PM
To: General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts
Subject: Re: De-yellowing
On Monday (08/24/2015 at 04:43PM -0700), Ali wrote:
I don't have any pictures-- no before/after sort of thing as I am
usually done with these projects before I think about taking pictures.
I'm not big on that.
I did this a little over a year ago and they look the same today as
they did when I finished putting them back together. Not that this is
any evidence of how they will look in 30 more years but there's a good
chance I will be done with them by then any way...
Chris
--
Chris Elmquist
---
This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software.
https://www.avast.com/antivirus
I recently
restored several VT100 that were extremely yellowed as well
as filthy dirty.
I put the plastics in my bathtub and sprayed them heavily with "Krud
Kutter", intending only to remove the dirt. To my surprise, much of
the yellowing came off too. It didn't return them to their pristine
original color but significantly reduced the yellowing as a tea colored
runoff pooled in the bottom of the tub.
Chris,
Do you have pictures? I wonder if one of the main ingredients maybe H2O2.
Also how long ago did you do this? There may not have been enough time for
a
return to the yellow color.
22 Aug
22 Aug
1:48 p.m.
On Sat, 22 Aug 2015, Jules Richardson wrote:
On 08/21/2015 05:28 PM, Evan Koblentz wrote:
I've never tried the stuff - but is it a permanent fix, or does the
yellowing gradually come back?
It almost always seems to comes back to some extent. De-yellowing
treatments only work on the outermost surface of the plastic, and there
are still plenty of free bromides just under the treated surface which
will migrate outward. The re-yellowing (which may or may not be much less
than the original yellowing) also occurs much faster than the original
yellowing. Unless you can somehow eliminate all the free bromides from the
plastic, de-yellowing treatments such as Retr0brite are just a temporary
cosmetic fix.
So, how
does one de-yellow something? I have a VT-100 and some other
gear that could use that process.
Google for "Retr0brite". 
2:12 p.m.
On 08/22/2015 07:48 AM, Tothwolf wrote:
On Sat, 22 Aug 2015, Jules Richardson wrote:
I thought that might be the case, but thought I might be mistaken given how
many people seem to rave about how wonderful this stuff is.
Within a museum context, where showing original factory condition is
probably a desirable thing, have there been any studies to ensure that
retrobright (or other treatments) don't cause any damage to the plastics
(e.g. making the surface less resistant to scratches, or the plastic more
brittle, say)?
Personally I quite like the patina of a yellowed machine anyway - being
able to see how it sat in a room, or where stickers used to be and such;
it's a minor thing, but sometimes it does tell a little bit of a story.
Maybe in 20 years if I ever sell any of my collection I might consider it,
but for now they may as well stay yellow :)
cheers
Jules
On 08/21/2015 05:28 PM, Evan Koblentz wrote:
I've never tried the stuff - but is it a permanent fix, or does the
yellowing gradually come back?
It almost always seems to comes back to some extent. De-yellowing
treatments only work on the outermost surface of the plastic, and there are
still plenty of free bromides just under the treated surface which will
migrate outward. The re-yellowing (which may or may not be much less than
the original yellowing) also occurs much faster than the original
yellowing. Unless you can somehow eliminate all the free bromides from the
plastic, de-yellowing treatments such as Retr0brite are just a temporary
cosmetic fix. So, how
does one de-yellow something? I have a VT-100 and some other
gear that could use that process.
Google for "Retr0brite".
2:37 p.m.
On Sat, 22 Aug 2015, Jules Richardson wrote:
On 08/22/2015 07:48 AM, Tothwolf wrote:
It does give something a nice temporary cosmetic fix, but in most cases it
just doesn't last. As little as a year later something can be completely
yellow again. It probably has a lot to do with the specific amount of
bromide and other stuff in the plastic.
On Sat, 22 Aug 2015, Jules Richardson wrote:
I thought that might be the case, but thought I might be mistaken given
how many people seem to rave about how wonderful this stuff is. On 08/21/2015 05:28 PM, Evan Koblentz wrote:
It almost always seems to comes back to some extent. De-yellowing
treatments only work on the outermost surface of the plastic, and there
are still plenty of free bromides just under the treated surface which
will migrate outward. The re-yellowing (which may or may not be much
less than the original yellowing) also occurs much faster than the
original yellowing. Unless you can somehow eliminate all the free
bromides from the plastic, de-yellowing treatments such as Retr0brite
are just a temporary cosmetic fix. Google for "Retr0brite".
I've never tried the stuff - but is it a permanent fix, or does the
yellowing gradually come back? Within a museum context, where showing original
factory condition is
probably a desirable thing, have there been any studies to ensure that
retrobright (or other treatments) don't cause any damage to the plastics
(e.g. making the surface less resistant to scratches, or the plastic
more brittle, say)?
Long term UV exposure isn't exactly good for plastics, but I can't see
lower concentrations of Hydrogen Peroxide doing any damage. Heavy UV
exposure tends to make a lot of thermoplastics very brittle.
Personally I quite like the patina of a yellowed
machine anyway - being
able to see how it sat in a room, or where stickers used to be and such;
it's a minor thing, but sometimes it does tell a little bit of a story.
Maybe in 20 years if I ever sell any of my collection I might consider
it, but for now they may as well stay yellow :)
I had my yellowed TRS-80 Model 100 out yesterday to finally remove its
internal NiCd battery (I caught it just in time, there was a tiny amount
of discoloration of the solder mask at one end, which is probably the
copper trace tarnishing, but the solder mask was still firmly adhered to
the copper). It would be nice if the machine weren't yellowed, but the
yellowing doesn't stop me from using it.
My model 100 has mostly lived in a box since I bought it (keeps the dust
out of the keyboard when I'm not tinkering with it) and it has a very even
yellowing to the light colored plastic (I don't think it has worsened any
since I got it). I just haven't been able to justify the time and the cost
of the materials to "retr0brite" it since I know the yellowing would
reoccur, even with it stored in a box.
Maybe someone will eventually come up with a way to bring those free
bromides out to the surface where the Hydrogen Peroxide will take care of
them.
I wouldn't think it would make much of a difference, but has anyone tried
putting a plastic part under vacuum to see if that helps?
2:53 p.m.
Within a museum context, where showing original factory condition is
probably a desirable thing, have there been any studies to ensure that
retrobright (or other treatments) don't cause any damage to the plastics
(e.g. making the surface less resistant to scratches, or the plastic more
brittle, say)?
As somebody who doesn't care too much about the appearance or colour
of the machines in my collection, the only reason I would try to de-yellow
something is if it prevented further deterioration of the plastic (not the colour,
but the fact that some plastics turn very brittle with age, for example).
I do not believe retrobrite does this (does it?)
I don't know of a treatment that does, is there one?
Personally I quite like the patina of a yellowed machine anyway - being
able to see how it sat in a room, or where stickers used to be and such;
it's a minor thing, but sometimes it does tell a little bit of a story.
Maybe in 20 years if I ever sell any of my collection I might consider it,
but for now they may as well stay yellow :)
I'm leaving mine alone (and not just because I am lazy). It would appear you
can use retrobrite at any time, but you can't undo the effects of it. So I'll
keep my machines as they are (unless there is some treatment to
prolong the life of the plastic), if some future owner wants to deyellow them
after I am in a pine box, they can.
-tony
3191
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3195
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35 comments
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