by Vladimir Vega 👾
◆ At some point in your life, you’ve surely come into contact at least once with old electronics or toys whose plastic parts have turned a disgusting dark yellow color, and you’ve wondered how that’s possible and what’s actually happening. The answer is that the plastic on those devices was long exposed to so-called UV or ultraviolet radiation, as well as being stored in dark, unventilated spaces <basements, attics, garages, etc.>, which leads to an unwanted chemical reaction on the surface of the plastic material, which often feels a bit sticky to the touch. This is a pretty common issue associated with old tech, in our case, old consoles and computers from the ’80s and ’90s whose cases are largely made of ABS plastic and which many people tend to store under improper conditions for years.
What you’re probably interested in is what you can do about this. Well, you can do a lot, but there is one somewhat disappointing catch: the solution isn’t permanent. Yes, the nasty yellowing can potentially return after a few years. Anyway, the thing I’m telling you about today is called “Retrobright,” and it’s a whitening process that has become quite popular in recent years among collectors and those who restore old stuff. My tutorial is slightly modified and based entirely on my own personal experience. Retrobright technique is actually quite simple and can be applied by anyone, here’s what you’ll need :
1. 6-8% Hydrogen Peroxide <for sun exposure>
2. 10-12% Hydrogen Peroxide <for use with UV light>
3. A slightly larger plastic container <preferably clear>
To start, wash the parts you want to whiten in warm water with dish soap. Stick to a regular dish sponge when scrubbing to avoid damaging the plastic. This is a crucial preparation step, because if you skip it, you risk the Retrobrite process not turning out well.
When you buy hydrogen peroxide, don’t use the creams, as the final result won’t be satisfactory. Hydrogen peroxide <1L bottle> is most commonly sold in strengths of 3% or 30%. For our purposes, we need a 30% bottle, which must be diluted with about 4L of distilled/deionized water <30% hydrogen peroxide contains 30g of H2O2 per 100ml> to get a concentration of about 6-8%, because the 30% solution is too corrosive to plastic and will cause damage. When you’re diluting the hydrogen peroxide, hold it a little away from you and be careful not to inhale it or get the fumes in your eyes. Also, wear protective gloves so it doesn’t get on your skin.
◆ RETROBRIGHT PROCESS ◆
◆ Take a plastic container and put the parts you want to whiten inside. It is crucial that you have fully taken your console <or whatever you are restoring> apart and are only working with the bare plastic parts. Pour the diluted hydrogen peroxide into the container and submerge the parts. Make sure there isn’t too much liquid, the level should be about 3–4cm above the plastic. Since plastic floats, you can use clear glass cups to weigh the parts down and keep them submerged. Just make sure to move the cups a little from time to time so the UV rays can reach everywhere evenly. Ok, now leave everything outside in the sun <make sure it’s a clear, sunny day> for 5–6 hours. This will trigger a chemical reaction that will bring our parts back to an almost factory-new state. Yes, you read that right, factory-new. When you’re all done, make sure to rinse the parts thoroughly with water.
Sometimes you need to repeat the whole process up to two times, depending on how much yellowing is left!
Yep, hydrogen peroxide, combined with sunlight, removed all the yellowing without damaging your plastic. But as I said before, this solution isn’t permanent because the plastic itself is already quite damaged, the chemicals have already penetrated deep into it over the years. On the other hand, as an alternative to the first method, you can use a 10-12% hydrogen peroxide solution <30% bottle is diluted with about 2.5L of distilled/deionized water> in combination with a high-power UV light, which you need to use in a dark room by placing it above your container and leaving it on overnight. Make sure the light illuminates all parts evenly. Optionally, you can place a small aquarium heater in the container to keep the liquid at 30–35°C for optimal Retrobright results <never let the temperature exceed 40°C>.
This way, the entire retrobrighting process is made much easier <allowing you to work in winter conditions>, and your final results are sometimes even better than they would be in the sun! You can also use a UV LED strip wrapped around your clear container. It’s also a good idea to additionally wrap the outside with aluminum foil <never put the foil inside the liquid !!> to reflect the UV rays.
IMPORTANT NOTE: When using Retrobright, you must be careful with plastics that were painted rather than molded in color, as hydrogen peroxide can completely ruin the paint. Always do your research first. In my experience, painted electronics are relatively rare, but caution is still required. The best way to check if a case is painted is to inspect the inside to see if the raw plastic is a different color. As a final check, you can take a needle and lightly scratch a hidden spot, if a different underlying color appears, the plastic is painted.
One response to “TIPS & TRICKS : Retrobright 101 <ARCHIVE>”
-
Welcome!
Leave a Reply