Anyone had any luck with "retr0bright"?
chri...@gmail.com
I'm sure a few folks have seen it, as it was posted on a2central:
http://retr0bright.wikispaces.com/
I've tried this in a few ways with some of my old yellowed IIGS and //
e platinum cases, to no avail - at least with the ingredients I've
found at most stores here in the US.
The first pitfall I think is the fact that the highest concentration
H2O2 i've been able to find is 3% - your typical drugstore variety,
which probably isn't strong enough.
Second (and the only really other ingredient besides UV light) is the
"Oxy" laundry booster. The only thing I've been able to find
searching multiple stores has been the ubiquitous "OxiClean" laundry
booster, which apparently is Sodium Perchlorate, not TAED as stated on
the wiki.
As you might have guessed, after two tries in varying concentrations,
my worst cases are as yellow as ever.
Has anyone had any luck doing this with easily obtained ingredients?
zwsd...@gmail.com
> The first pitfall I think is the fact that the highest concentration
> H2O2 i've been able to find is 3% - your typical drugstore variety,
I think this is your biggest problem. H2O2 is getting harder to obtain
in high concentration because only terrorists would want it *eye
roll*.
Personally I would rather live with the authentic patina on my
computer hardware than deal with the streaks and faded text of
retr0brite use.
Rich
Well, Chris, I'll let you know in a couple of days; I'm about to try it
today! (Sunday)
I found the higher concentration H2O2 in a beauty supply store. It was
relatively inexpensive for 12% stuff... $2.50 for a quart and $10.00 for
a gallon.
Now, I think I've got OxiClean, too, so I may not have the right stuff
(in many ways) either.
I'm also wrestling with the UV source. I've got a sun lamp and I've
also got a flourescent 'black' lamp. I'm going to try both.
As I say, I'll let you know what happens. I've got a really bad mouse
and a really bad keyboard to try.
() ()
Rich ('-')
chri...@gmail.com
the local beauty place today actually said I need a cosmetology
license! They're really getting picky about this stuff..
I've also got the fluorescent black lamp, but from what I read, the
good ol' sun seems to work best.
I've got a //e platinum that's more of a //e walnut as far as the case
goes, and uneven at that. I can understand some "patina" but some of
my stuff is really hurtin'.
On Mar 29, 7:17 am, Rich <Rich11...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Rich ('-')- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -
Steven Hirsch
> Please let us know!! I haven't had any luck finding any better H2O2,
> the local beauty place today actually said I need a cosmetology
> license! They're really getting picky about this stuff..
I guess those terr-ists use H2O2. You're either with us or against us, I
guess. :-).
Rich
OK, to tell the story right up front...
It works! And it works WELL!
Here is the key location for information:
http://retr0bright.wikispaces.com/
It is messy, and it takes time, and it is work...
but the results are unbelieveable.
I had a really bad mouse, keyboard and a couple of other things to
experiment with. After I was done, the outside was the same color as
the inside.
The key ingredients are the Hydrogen Peroxide and the Oxy Brightener
(and the UV light). Everything else is just to keep it from drying out
or to make it stick on horizontal surfaces.
I've still got a lot of work to do to learn how to work on large pieces
(monitor) efficiently; how to keep the solution from drying out during
the six hours of exposure and many other issues, but the bottom line is,
IT WORKS!
chri...@gmail.com
supermarket) and a Fluorescent UV/Blacklight?
If so, i've got everything but the 12%. So the "OxiClean" stuff in
the tub you can get at Target or what not works?
What did you use for the "gelling agent"? I tried Corn Starch, which
once heated applied quiet nicely - but I still didn't get the effect;
I'm guessing it was my weak 3% H202.
-Chris
Michael J. Mahon
> So, Rich -- You used the 12% peroxide, OxiClean (as found at the
> supermarket) and a Fluorescent UV/Blacklight?
>
> If so, i've got everything but the 12%. So the "OxiClean" stuff in
> the tub you can get at Target or what not works?
I'd also like clarification of "Oxy" (never saw it) "OxyClean" (widely
available), or ??? I don't know what TAED is, but the active
ingredient in OxyClean is sodium perCARBONATE, not perCHLORATE (which
is definitely an ingredient that can be used to make explosives. ;-)
> What did you use for the "gelling agent"? I tried Corn Starch, which
> once heated applied quiet nicely - but I still didn't get the effect;
> I'm guessing it was my weak 3% H202.
That's definitely a problem--you need at least 10% hydrogen peroxide.
Regardless of potential uses, many chemicals can be ordered in moderate
quantities over the Internet. H2O2 would certainly require a shipping
method other than the USPS, though.
-michael
NadaNet and AppleCrate II: parallel computing for Apple II computers!
Home page: http://home.comcast.net/~mjmahon
"The wastebasket is our most important design
tool--and it's seriously underused."
Linards Ticmanis
> I'd also like clarification of "Oxy" (never saw it) "OxyClean" (widely
> available), or ??? I don't know what TAED is, but the active
> ingredient in OxyClean is sodium perCARBONATE, not perCHLORATE (which
> is definitely an ingredient that can be used to make explosives. ;-)
TAED =
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetraacetylethylenediamine
--
Linards Ticmanis
Michael J. Mahon
Thanks, Linards.
I actually looked this up and posted it just minutes after my
original post, but it doesn't seem to be here... ;-(
In any case, it'[s clear that OxyClean is not TAED, unless it's
an unlisted active ingredient.
Linards Ticmanis
> an unlisted active ingredient.
I assume that the latter is the case. From the description, I assume
that the TAED molecule is destroyed and recreated cyclically during the
oxygen-release reaction. Which would mean that only a small amount has
to exist to create the desired effect. Probably using too much of it
would actually deplete the peroxide much too quickly. And as far as I
know below a certain percentage you don't have to list ingredients in
detergents.
Note: I'm not a chemist, so this is just an assumption.
--
Linards Ticmanis
MdntTrain
Has anyone found a TAED containing household substance? The
retrobright site shows the original "Merlin" reciple using a UK
product called Vanish OxiAction Multi, but the other recipes seem to
depict the regular Oxi type laundry products we have in the US. Not
sure what's up with this.
Coming from another angle, what do you all think of this approach?
-------------------------------------------------
The ANALYTICAL ENGINE
Newsletter of the Computer History Association of California
ISSN 1071-6351
Volume 2, Number 1, July 1994
Kip Crosby, Managing Editor
Jude Thilman, Telecommunications Editor
<< snip >>
ONE FROM THE EDITORS: HELP FIGHT PLASTIC ROT
Small computers and terminals of the 1970s and early 1980s
typically have hard plastic cases, gray to gray-beige in color.
Over a period of years this plastic has often turned a garish
yellow-brown and become very brittle. This has happened to a
lot
of Hewlett-Packard computers -- including our own HP 86 and HP
125 -- but Karen Lewis at HP Archives says it also appears on
many Apple II's and III's.
Protecting the computer case from UV light will arrest this
degradation, but we're interested in reversing it! We've asked
several authorities and, so far, only learned that xylene-based
copier cleaner will restore the original appearance of the
plastic surface. But xylene is nasty to electronic components
and painted finishes, it's quite toxic, and something tells us
this isn't a permanent repair anyway.
To the best of our knowledge, this is a minor epidemic and will
have much worse effects in ten to twenty years if not explored
now. If any ENGINE reader has pertinent background in the
chemistry of plastics, we -- and quite a few others in the
curators' and restorers' community -- will be grateful for
advice.
-------------------------------------------------