How can i make retr0brite last ?

[dougal]

Everything I have retr0brited has turned yellow again in anything between a few weeks to 2 months.

I've done a Gameboy, SNES and A600 successfully (looked amazing) and they have all turned yellow again.

I used a peroxide i think 30% vol and then used the lovely Malta sun which produced great results before turning yellow again.

How can I make it last without too much problem ?

 

[Killerchicken]

Sandpaper them...

Seriusly,
I sandpaperd my a500 and it looks like snowwhite snow (reflects a bit) an its smooth as glass ... beatiful to touch

 

[dougal]

Sandpaper them...

Seriusly,
I sandpaperd my a500 and it looks like snowwhite snow (reflects a bit) an its smooth as glass ... beatiful to touch

Sandpaper instead of retr0brite ? I don't really like the idea of that and will def not dream of doing it on the Gameboy and SNES as it will remove the lettering.

 

[Killerchicken]

Shuld be no problem whit the a600 tho. :roll:

 

[BluesBrothers]

You should contact Merlin here as he's Mr Retr0Brite but I believe from what he told me that the use of a clear spray lacquer sprayed from about 18 inches or so (I think - or further away than you would normally at any rate) does it as it sort of seals it without giving an unnaturally shiny finish

 

[dougal]

You should contact Merlin here as he's Mr Retr0Brite but I believe from what he told me that the use of a clear spray lacquer sprayed from about 18 inches or so (I think - or further away than you would normally at any rate) does it as it sort of seals it without giving an unnaturally shiny finish

Oh yes! I forgot about that. Would you happen to know what i should look for ?

 

[BluesBrothers]

You should contact Merlin here as he's Mr Retr0Brite but I believe from what he told me that the use of a clear spray lacquer sprayed from about 18 inches or so (I think - or further away than you would normally at any rate) does it as it sort of seals it without giving an unnaturally shiny finish

Oh yes! I forgot about that. Would you happen to know what i should look for ?

I've just pm'd Merlin on your behalf so no doubt he'll reply in due course. I could do to ask again myself anyway as I have a memory like a sieve. I think it's just a standard clear spray varnish/clear paint though.

 

[sneeker]

Satin Lacquer with uv protection, Might re-do my 500+ in summer as its going yellow again.

 

[dougal]

You should contact Merlin here as he's Mr Retr0Brite but I believe from what he told me that the use of a clear spray lacquer sprayed from about 18 inches or so (I think - or further away than you would normally at any rate) does it as it sort of seals it without giving an unnaturally shiny finish

Oh yes! I forgot about that. Would you happen to know what i should look for ?

I've just pm'd Merlin on your behalf so no doubt he'll reply in due course. I could do to ask again myself anyway as I have a memory like a sieve. I think it's just a standard clear spray varnish/clear paint though.

Cheers... Let us know what he said

I'm off tomorrow, so if its nice and sunny I may do my A600 as its looking like a special edition Pikachu edition A600

---------- Post added at 23:52 ---------- Previous post was at 23:51 ----------

Satin Lacquer with uv protection, Might re-do my 500+ in summer as its going yellow again.

Where do you buy it from ? Just up the road from me there is a paint shop and two hardware stores.

 

[demolition]

Has it been protected from sunlight since the retrobrighting?

I've done an A600 and an A1200 about 1½ year ago and while they are now a bit more yellow than they were right after the treatment, they are clearly still much better than before. I could definitely not see any difference after two months.

I used just 3% H2O2 and compensated for the low concentration by giving it more time in the sun. Maybe this meant that the treatment went a bit deeper into the plastic since it had more time to work, thus making it last better?

 

[dougal]

No sun. I kept them mostly in darkness.

 

[Merlin]

Hi all,

I covered this topic some time ago and all you need to know is here:-

https://www.amibay.com/showthread.php?t=44931

If you clear coat the parts with a satin-finish or matt-finish lacquer, you cut off the oxygen being able to reach the surface of the plastic, as they attract the bromine molecules of the flame retardant and they migrate through the plastic to the surface.

No oxygen = no attraction = no more yellowing.

Clear coating the parts also prevents any further oxidation of the ABS plastic polymer itself, as the clue is in the name oxidation. If there's no oxygen available, then no oxidation can occur.

Isn't science brilliant?

 

[dougal]

Hi all,

I covered this topic some time ago and all you need to know is here:-

https://www.amibay.com/showthread.php?t=44931

If you clear coat the parts with a satin-finish or matt-finish lacquer, you cut off the oxygen being able to reach the surface of the plastic, as they attract the bromine molecules of the flame retardant and they migrate through the plastic to the surface.

No oxygen = no attraction = no more yellowing.

Clear coating the parts also prevents any further oxidation of the ABS plastic polymer itself, as the clue is in the name oxidation. If there's no oxygen available, then no oxidation can occur.

Isn't science brilliant?

Thanks Merlin. Can this clear coat be bought from a hardware shop or paint shop ?

 

[Merlin]

Most car paint shops such as Halfords will stock an acrylic clear coat that's good for this. Car paint already has UV blockers in it nowadays too and that's a bonus.

 

[demolition]

Sandpaper them...

Seriusly,
I sandpaperd my a500 and it looks like snowwhite snow (reflects a bit) an its smooth as glass ... beatiful to touch

I tried to give one of my breadbin C64s a sandpaper treatment and it seemed to work great, although it would take forever to complete it + it is impossible to get into the grooves, so it won't look 100%. But it does seem that the yellowing is only present in a thin layer.

I saw a company who did dry ice blasting and wondered if that would be suitable treating yellowed plastics. Traditional sand blasting like you use for removing rust is obviously too aggressive on plastic, but dry ice blasting should be a lot more gentle to the surface since the dry ice pellets are quite soft. Has anyone tried any kind of blasting technique on yellowed plastic?

 

[BluesBrothers]

Interesting notion. I'd be interested to know if this makes the plastic brittle at all. We all know aging plastics get a bit brittle anyway but is this process going to accelerate that process.
My advice is I'd be trying on something none precious first and not your most beloved machine

 

[demolition]

Interesting notion. I'd be interested to know if this makes the plastic brittle at all. We all know aging plastics get a bit brittle anyway but is this process going to accelerate that process.
My advice is I'd be trying on something none precious first and not your most beloved machine

I can't see how it should make it brittle since it is mostly a mechanical process. And of course one should try it on something non important first. If it is too aggressive, it will be hard to treat it without leaving marks on the surface. It might be necessary to finish it off with sanding paper for a smooth surface.