How to Make Stained Plastic Look White Again
Learn: How to whiten your yellowed plastic gadgets
Note: This article was commencement published on nine April 2018 and information technology's republished now because about of us are staying at home and accept time to do these kinds of things. All-time of luck in restoring your old gadgets!
Brand yellowed plastic gadgets white again!
A couple of weeks agone, I received a 20-plus years old Apple Extended Keyboard (AEK). Meticulously, I stripped the keyboard to dust downward the PCB within, and to clean the two halves of the casing and the keycaps. Despite getting a super-make clean keyboard subsequently all that hard piece of work, I was unsatisfied with what laid before my eyes. What was incorrect? Well, with the exception of the keys, the casing of the keyboard (along with the space bar) had yellowed considerably.
Now, this is zero surprising; we all have plastics that had yellowed with age. Keyboards, mice, printers, gaming consoles - you lot proper name information technology. And no matter how you scrub it, yous just tin can't become back its original color.
Determined to render my AEK to its former glory (and color), I searched the Internet for a method to 'de-xanthous' plastics. It turned out that in that location'south really a way to undo the harm, and the respond has been out there for more than three years. It'due south called Retr0Bright. To shorten the chemistry lesson, essentially, the industrious folks behind the Retr0Bright project had discovered that it'southward the bromine - often used every bit flame retardant in plastics - that's causing the yellowing. And the keys to reverse the procedure are hydrogen peroxide and ultraviolet (UV) calorie-free.
For those adventurous plenty, the Retr0Bright wiki has recipes for making the RetroBright gel. Why gel? Because hydrogen peroxide isn't exactly cheap. For example, a 50ml bottle of hydrogen peroxide solution (12% strength) costs S$4.ninety. Imagine the corporeality you lot'd demand, and how much it'd cost you lot if you want to de-yellow a large item, like a PC casing.
Then again, if just making the Retr0Bright gel is equally like shooting fish in a barrel as pie. If you've never heard of hydrogen peroxide before this, it's unlikely that yous'd know what is xanthan gum or glycerine, two other ingredients for making the gel. In addition, getting the mixture exactly right sounds hard.
While looking for a ready-made peroxide gel, I chanced upon a post in the English language Amiga Board, where a fellow member recounted his success with an off-the-shelf foam peroxide product. Many others had too reported success, so I decided to give it a try. In short, aye, it really works.
And here's how you tin practice it too:
1.) Get the Jerome Russell Bblonde Cream Peroxide
The magic potion that you need is the Jerome Russell Bblonde cream peroxide (40 Vol 12%) that's originally intended for bleaching pilus. A 75ml bottle costs US$1.50 on Amazon, excluding shipping. I reckon a lower strength (6% or 9%) volition work just equally well, except that information technology volition accept you lot a longer time.
Locally, this looks to exist a similar product, simply I've non tried it - so use it at your own gamble.
ii.) Coat your yellowed plastic gadget and wrap it
In a nutshell, all you need to practice is to coat the plastic (cleaned and dried, of class) evenly with the foam peroxide. Avert having the cream coming in contact with your skin or eyes, as it can cause burns. Equally such, I strongly recommend that you use gloves.
And while you're at the handy man store, selection up a brush and some cling wrap too. The idea is to wrap the coated plastic parts, and then that the foam peroxide doesn't dry upwardly too fast. I've more than tips towards the end of this article.
3.) Lord's day it, or use polish it with a UV lamp
UV light plays an of import office in the whitening procedure. So, don't go and lock the treated parts in your cupboard. At that place's no lack of UV calorie-free in sunny Singapore - all I did was to leave them on a tabular array by the window. Alternatively, put the parts under a UV lamp. Remember to bank check the progress regularly.
This sunning process can take as brusk equally a few hours to as long as a few days, depending on how severe the yellowing is. Once the plastic has regained the color that you wanted, wash the parts thoroughly, and ensure that no rest foam remains.
Caveats (and some tips)
First and foremost, there's no guarantee that this cream peroxide method will work on all yellowed plastics. And so, think it through long and hard earlier attempting this on your vintage, only-one-left-in-the-world gadget.
If you do try information technology, remember to never allow the foam peroxide dry upward, peculiarly under the hot sun. It will cause an ugly bleaching upshot that unfortunately isn't reversible (and I've learned this the difficult way). This is why I now leave the parts on a table abreast the window. I would besides cheque on them and turn them regularly, and then that all the sides are exposed to the sunlight. Remember, what's required is the UV low-cal, and not the heat. If it'south impractical for you to keep checking on the progress, consider using a UV lamp.
Update: A reader (see comment below) suggested not covering the surface area being treated with a plastic sheet, equally this may result in the streaking result. Thanks for the tip!
Last simply non least, the Retr0Bright wiki has a folio that talks about other problems and pitfalls - it's a must read for anyone who is thinking of having a go at restoring their yellowed gadgets.
Note: This article was first published on 1st July 2012, but republished several times thereafter for its relevance.
Source: https://www.hardwarezone.com.sg/feature-learn-how-whiten-your-yellowed-plastic-gadgets
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