Cleaning smoke residue from old plastic

[Gareth Magennis]

Hi,

I have a Roland TR909 here where the cream plastic casing has yellowed,
probably due to smoking in the studio.
What is the best stuff to clean this off with?
This is now a valuable antique and damaging it in any way is not an option.



Cheers,


Gareth.

[N_Cook]

Gareth Magennis <sound....@btconnect.com> wrote in message
news:Avudnbazn5TPXcfM...@bt.com...

I use oven cleaner aerosol , not preheating of course, as the instructions
say. Check for compatibility first on a back surface ,especially for
fastness printing/plating/clear plastic inserts etc. Its great for Al fascia
and Al knobs as well. Wash down with water afterwards and wear gloves.

[amdx]

Take some time and do a search for THE method.

Never mind I did it for you.

Here is the nuts! (even though that seems wrong, in this context I think
the grammar is correct)

http://retr0bright.wikispaces.com/

It's pretty involved but it looks like it does a GREAT job.
Mikek

[amdx]

It seems after reading the whole page, you need to go further to get
the actual recipe.
Mikek

[amdx]

I found this recipe in this thread.
http://www.amibay.com/showthread.php?t=1480

There was a lot of research on this project.
Follow up on the method it also uses UV light, some just us the sun.


We have been asked for a preferred recipe for Retr0bright, so here it is:-

1 pint (568ml) Hydrogen Peroxide, 10 to 12% Strength (this is bought
over the counter at 12% strength or you can dilute the 35% grade)

1 Heaped Tablespoonful (approx. 45 grammes or 1/2 an ounce) of Xanthan Gum

1 Teaspoonful of Glycerine

Once this has been mixed together, to activate it, you add:-

1/4 teaspoonful (about 4 grammes) of an 'Oxy' based laundry booster,
e.g. Oxiclean, Vanish, etc.

[Jeff Liebermann]

On Tue, 2 Apr 2013 12:25:52 +0100, "Gareth Magennis"
<sound....@btconnect.com> wrote:

>I have a Roland TR909 here where the cream plastic casing has yellowed,
>probably due to smoking in the studio.

If it really was smoking, you should be able to remove the tobacco tar
with just 90% rubbing alcohol or any household cleaner (409). However,
I doubt that this is the cause.

If it's yellowed due to deterioration of the fire retardant plastic,
you'll need to bleach it back to normal. As others have posted:
<http://retr0bright.wikispaces.com>
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qITGPepIe18>
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Retr0bright>
I've done this several times with varying levels of success. The
trick to prevent destruction is to dilute the food grade hydrogen
peroxide from the stock 35% to no more than 15%. Even at 15%, there's
a risk of bleaching the plastic white, instead of recovering its
original beige color. Practice and the usual chemical safety
precautions are advised.

>What is the best stuff to clean this off with?

Everyone has their own favorite mix and ingredients for Retr0brite. I
don't have enough experience to be able to proclaim a winner, yet.

>This is now a valuable antique and damaging it in any way is not an option.

A drum machine as an antique?
<http://www.vintagesynth.com/roland/909.php>
Well, ok.

--
Jeff Liebermann je...@cruzio.com
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558

[N_Cook]

N_Cook <div...@tcp.co.uk> wrote in message
news:kjefom$a9v$1...@dont-email.me...

The oven cleaner I use has only had one bad reaction, to some chalk/mineral
filled plastic that broke down the surface, dozens others have been no
reaction, I just tried modern plastics marked PS (=polystyrene ?) and ABS .
Unfortunately the smoke yellow surface comes up white (if white originaly)
so loose that "patina" of age, much to the surprise of owners.

[gregz]

I would try first, just oxiclean and soap. Oxiclean makes it's own
peroxide.

Greg

[Jeff Liebermann]

On Tue, 2 Apr 2013 17:36:29 +0000 (UTC), gregz <ze...@comcast.net>
wrote:

>I would try first, just oxiclean and soap. Oxiclean makes it's own
>peroxide.

It won't work. You need UV exposure to get rid of the bromine. Also,
I don't think the resultant H2O2 concentration will be sufficient. My
guess(tm) is that it takes between 9% and 15% to get results. Too
little and nothing happens. Too much and you bleach the plastic
white.

You also can't do anything while the plastic is immersed under water.
If you fail to use a thickener or gel agent, pulling the plastic out
of the solution will just cause the solution to drip away. You might
be able to get away with that by repeatedly rinsing the plastic in
solution, while exposing it to UV, but that could easily turn into a
PITA. The common compromise is to use cellophane wrap over the gelled
mixture on the part, to keep it from dripping, while still passing UV.
That works ok for flat parts, but doesn't quite work with complex
shapes.

Also, if you start with the recommended 15% hydrogen peroxide
concentration, and you dump in too much Oxiclean (sodium
percarbonate), you could easily end up with too high a hydrogen
peroxide concentration, which will bleach the plastic white. This
happened to me before I learned to pay attention to the concentration.
Incidentally, you cannot use a PH meter to guess the H2O2
concentration.

[Gareth Magennis]

"Gareth Magennis" <sound....@btconnect.com> wrote in message
news:Avudnbazn5TPXcfM...@bt.com...

Thanks for the replies, might have to think about practicing on something
else first though.


Gareth.

[Ian Field]

"Gareth Magennis" <sound....@btconnect.com> wrote in message
news:Avudnbazn5TPXcfM...@bt.com...

When I used to repair monitors, I used neat bleach & a stiff brush to clean
cigarette yellowed cases.

Some people recommend odor absorbing kittie-litter to sanitise equipment
that smells of smoking.

[Jules Richardson]

On Wed, 03 Apr 2013 18:09:30 +0100, Ian Field wrote:

> "Gareth Magennis" <sound....@btconnect.com> wrote in message
> news:Avudnbazn5TPXcfM...@bt.com...
>> Hi,
>>
>> I have a Roland TR909 here where the cream plastic casing has yellowed,
>> probably due to smoking in the studio.
>> What is the best stuff to clean this off with?
>> This is now a valuable antique and damaging it in any way is not an
>> option.
>
>
> When I used to repair monitors, I used neat bleach & a stiff brush to
> clean cigarette yellowed cases.

Yeah, that's worked for me, too. That or jif (or cif or bif or whatever
they're calling it this week).

I've not tried the retrobright stuff before (it's been on the to-do list
for a few years :-) on plastic that's suffered UV damage, but I believe
that there can be problems with non-uniform restoration of the surface
leading to a patchy/mottled effect, which personally I think I might find
more irritating than a yellow-but-uniform colour.

cheers

Jules

[whit3rd]

On Tuesday, April 2, 2013 4:36:07 AM UTC-7, N_Cook wrote:
> Gareth Magennis <sound....@btconnect.com> wrote in message
>
> news:Avudnbazn5TPXcfM...@bt.com...

> > I have a Roland TR909 here where the cream plastic casing has yellowed,
> > probably due to smoking in the studio.
>
> > What is the best stuff to clean this off with?

> I use oven cleaner aerosol , not preheating of course, as the instructions
> say.

Yep, a little lye (sodium hydroxide) in any cleaning solution works too.
I've taken translucent-case iMac computers from smoke-gummy to like-new
appearance with about a teaspoon of lye in a gallon of soapy water.

If it's yellow for ANOTHER reason, do a web-search for "Retr0Bright" .

[Ian Field]

"whit3rd" <whi...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:a06cc5b7-8824-4c55...@googlegroups.com...

> On Tuesday, April 2, 2013 4:36:07 AM UTC-7, N_Cook wrote:
>> Gareth Magennis <sound....@btconnect.com> wrote in message
>>
>> news:Avudnbazn5TPXcfM...@bt.com...
>
>> > I have a Roland TR909 here where the cream plastic casing has yellowed,
>> > probably due to smoking in the studio.
>>
>> > What is the best stuff to clean this off with?
>
>> I use oven cleaner aerosol , not preheating of course, as the
>> instructions
>> say.
>
> Yep, a little lye (sodium hydroxide) in any cleaning solution works too.
> I've taken translucent-case iMac computers from smoke-gummy to like-new
> appearance with about a teaspoon of lye in a gallon of soapy water.

We call that; "caustic soda", if you're not careful it attacks some
plastics - but probably not so much in the concentration you suggest.

I used to use it in an ultrasonic cleaner to clean fouled spark-plugs -
until I noticed it was taking the glaze off the insulators!!!