News on Retrobrite / Retr0brite (?)

[Michael Mann]

Have there been any developments lately on the Retrobrite / Retr0brite process? The last time I tried it, it was bleach from the beauty supply store and something to make it less runny. That, plus a day under some reptile lights (high UV-a/b) yielded some reasonably whiter plastic. But it's messy and take a long time and definitely YMMV, including possibly splotchy results and faded silk-screened lettering.

Has anything happened in this arena in the last year or two?

What about that youtube video where the guy uses chlorine fumes (?) and dips in the plastic and it seems to turn instantly white? Has anyone figured that out, how it works (chemically) and/or how to do it at home?

Thanks.

[James Davis]

Hi Mike,

I found a couple of references for you:

http://retr0bright.com/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Retr0bright

James Davis

[STYNX]

I use potato starch with 30% H2O2 (peroxide). The starch has to be mixed carefully into the peroxide manually since using an electric mixer will seemingly destroy the starch bonds. You have to stir the powder until it dissolves and the liquid becomes opaque and pasty (turns white first and then more and more transparent). If it got too thick, you can add a bit more peroxide until you have the desired consistence. This paste is a lot more potent than the 8-12% bleach you get for hair. It will degrade after 3-4h into a watery liquid. About 30min in bright sunlight will be enough to lighten medium yellowed plastics. Use transparent plastic wrap for protection of drying out. I had good results repeating this proceed 3-4 times with short 30min - 1h periods. I did not get spotty or cloudy coloring. BUT this high strength version of the hair-bleach will destroy the color of printed graphics and text. Remove the Apple-Logo from your device or it will lose a lot of the colors (especially red and yellow). The 30% peroxide can be bought in 5L canisters as "oxidatior solution" for Koi/fish-ponds ("söchting oxydator" in Germany).

-Jonas

[Kevin Dady]

On Thursday, June 1, 2017 at 2:54:49 PM UTC-5, Michael Mann wrote:
> Have there been any developments lately on the Retrobrite / Retr0brite process? The last time I tried it, it was bleach from the beauty supply store and something to make it less runny.

I never bothered with any of that and never had any issues

I use what I call the "dollar store" mix, that is plain old cheap as crap peroxide mixed with oxy clean, submerge parts stick in sunlight for a day

most of the streaks and blotches are a combination of way too strong chemicals being mixed into a slurry and uneven distribution, the weak mix I mentioned above takes more time, but whatever

[Alexander K]

On Jun 1, 2017, Michael Mann wrote
(in article<14ffbf2c-859f-4bc5...@googlegroups.com>):

This cream works well for me and is not runny, easily sourced locally. Just
cream and a few hours of sunshine makes beige magic :)

http://www.sallybeauty.com/creme-
developer/SLNCAR63,default,pd.html?list=Search_Results#q=40+Volume+Creme&start
=1

-alex-

[D Finnigan]

Michael Mann wrote:
> Have there been any developments lately on the Retrobrite / Retr0brite
> process?

[...]

>
> Has anything happened in this arena in the last year or two?

I'm interested in hearing from people who did this 2+ years ago. Does it
stick? Or does the plastic go back to being yellow again after a couple
years?


--
]DF$
Apple II 40th Anniversary User's Guide:
http://macgui.com/newa2guide/

[James Davis]

Hi all,

Just wondering if anyone has tried good old soap/detergent and water?

Or Whitening toothpaste?

They remove dead/brown bacteria that settle on everything!

And then, repainting, if necessary?

Just a joke,

James Davis

[groink_hi]

On Friday, June 2, 2017 at 2:17:17 PM UTC-10, D Finnigan wrote:
> I'm interested in hearing from people who did this 2+ years ago. Does it
> stick? Or does the plastic go back to being yellow again after a couple
> years?
>
>
> --
> ]DF$
> Apple II 40th Anniversary User's Guide:
> http://macgui.com/newa2guide/

Retr0brite does NOT get rid of the retardant in the plastic. That is there to stay forever. It is the retardant that is causing the yellowing in the first place. And, the retr0brite only reverses the process, not eliminate what caused the yellowing in the first place. So, it is a solid YES that, unless you take extreme care of the equipment, the plastic will in fact start yellowing again.

[Kevin Dady]

as groink_hi said, it doesnt remove the cause of the yellowing

The first system I did was a //c which was mustard yellow, went back to pretty much like new, and after 5 years when I finally sold it, it had settled back to a dull beige

[Steve Nickolas]

<unpopularopinionpuffin.jpg>

I actually like the yellowing, it's like a patina.

-uso.

[D Finnigan]

Steve Nickolas wrote:
>
> <unpopularopinionpuffin.jpg>
>
> I actually like the yellowing, it's like a patina.
>

I agree. In small doses it's not a big deal and is hardly noticeable. My
platinum Apple IIe has yellowed a bit and you can't really tell on its own
unless you look under the lip of the lid where it hooks under the top part
of the case.

[Michael Mann]

Hey all,

Do we have any chemists or wanna-be chemists in the bunch? I'm intrigued by the instant-retrobrite video that uses the chlorine gas: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9J4yF3OpYZQ.

How does it work? What's the chemistry behind it? Is it possible to do at home? Where do you get chlorine gas? Should it be done in a small and closed, non-vented closet?

[James Davis]

HI MIKE,

NO, CHLORINE GAS IS VERY, VERY, VERY, VERY, VERY DEADLY POISONOUS !!!!!

IT WILL KILL YOU VERY, VERY, VERY, VERY, VERY PAINFULLY AND QUICKLY !!!!!

Your friend,

James Davis

[Nootrac90]

On the Apple II Enthusiasts group of Facebook, Javier A. Rivera does quite a bit of retrobrite work.

Dana

[Michael Mann]

So you're saying, "wear gloves and try not to breathe too deeply?" Ok, roger that. :-)

[Michael J. Mahon]

It's not difficult to generate a small amount of chlorine in a closed,
vented container kept outside for good ventilation.

Folks who know enough chemistry to do it also know how to fashion a fume
cabinet...

--
-michael - NadaNet 3.1 and AppleCrate II: http://michaeljmahon.com

[James Davis]

Hi Mike,

No, I am not saying that! I'm saying "DON'T DO IT" at all! Just because you saw somebody do it on YouTube does not mean that it was real. Those bubbles could have been plain old air. Some terrorist is trying his damnedest to get people to unwittingly kill themselves.

Your friend,

James Davis

[groink_hi]

On Sunday, June 4, 2017 at 10:10:13 PM UTC-10, James Davis wrote:
>Some terrorist is trying his damnedest to get people to unwittingly kill themselves.

.... and in other news around the world, terrorists killed a group of Commodore 64 enthusiasts by poisoning them with chloride gas. The government is now blaming the deaths on a YouTube video.

[Kevin Dady]

I would imagine its the same as using chlorine bleach, somewhere on the retrobrite site it talks about the differences

but in a nutshell and from personal experience, bleach gets in to the plastic leaving the surface microscopically pitted