Thanks to Dennis for finding this. Very interesting read. We may be able to reverse the yellowing of our phones. At least on the ABS plastics.
http://retr0bright.wikispaces.com/ (dead link 6/5/2018 )
Alternate Sites
http://www.retr0bright.com/
http://www.retr0bright.com/make.html
https://youtu.be/ZqWpUMjJffE
https://happymacs.wordpress.com/2016/09/07/yellowing-retr0bright-and-sally-beauty-supply/
https://www.classic-computers.org.nz/blog/2013-01-15-retr0bright-only-temporary.htm
http://www.instructables.com/id/Retr0bright-how-to-turn-a-yellow-Gameboy-white-aga/
https://www.jackenhack.com/retr0bright-will-it-last/
https://www.thefuturewas8bit.com/retr0bright
B, can you advise on when they started using ABS? I have a seriously yellowed, originally white Trimline from the 70's that could use some "retrobright" action.
Ralph
Ralph, the use of ABS plastic began to phase in during early 1959. Soft plastic examples have been known to show up as late as 1964 however. As Paul Fassbender mentioned, they didn't just throw a switch and begin making them with ABS (hard plastic) all at once. Material was used until it was depleted. Certainly Trimline sets would be hard plastic.
The process they describe, is not unlike that used for whitening teeth....
It very well might work, but I wouldn't expect results like they show, The Commodore case looks artificially darkened, I have a 64 that been in a very warm area, stored for the better part of the last 10 years, and it barely discolored at all.
D/P
I'd love to try this out, but it's an expensive prospect. Amazon has 12% peroxide solution (drug store peroxide won't work) for $13.27 for a 12 oz bottle. A gallon would cost $106. The solution apparently only lasts four days. I suppose it would be worth it if you had a large collection of yellowed phones, and could get them all done during a four day marathon, though.
Thanks for posting this-I'd love to give it a try.
Regarding the higher concentrations: you can generally keep them around a lot longer if they're stored in the refrigerator. We keep 30% on hand here, and a bottle will generally stay close to that for 1-2 months.
One brand of pool disinfectant contains a relatively high concentration of peroxide-I don't recall the brand off hand, but it may also be a viable solution that should be available locally(or at least will be in the next week or two). With the Amazon product, I suspect that you'd probably have to pay more in Hazmat fees to get it to you than you'd pay for the item itself.
Also, just as a word of warning: 3% peroxide is relatively safe. Anything much above it is really, really nasty stuff to handle. In other words-wear gloves. You don't want it in contact with your skin.
Heres the gel recipe formula
http://retr0bright.wikispaces.com/Retr0Bright+Gel
I am going to try this on a white phone that looks almost ivory from yellowing. I am also going to "force" the wifey to take digital pics for me and hopefully we can see some results.
Dan, a member of the ATCA posted info and pics claiming success in this method of removing yellow. I was running short of time and just briefly skimmed over what he had to say. But it sounds like if the procedure is followed to the "T" it is successful.
Thanks, I got two WE500's (1959's) from craigs list , one soft, one hard, both white (now yellow). I will try it on the hard plastic one first. It would be extremely helpful on whoever won that Mediterranean Blue one you just pointed out.
Well, As you know I have no digital photography skills, but I am going to report my experience with this hydrogen peroxide experiment. IT REALLY WORKS GREAT!!!!!
Ingredients
1. Sodium Carbonate
The cheapest form of this is not the "oxy" detergents at the stores, but rather
Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda. Krogers, 3lb 7 oz box-around $4
2. Hydrogen Peroxide 20% -called wella Color Charm volume 20 (means 20 % h2o2)
Sallys Beauty supply house- I quart $5.00(get the clear liquid NOT the cream)
3. The hard one -Arrow Root Starch/Flour . Very expensive. 20 oz bag (smallest I could find--$7 at a local natural food store. I bet corn starch @ the Kroger for .99 cents may work, but I followed the formula precisely.
I started with the 10% formula (1/3 cup 20% peroxide, 1/3 cup water), but all subsequent applications I used 1/3 cup peroxide (abbrev. H2O2) , than divided the other 1/3 cup into 1/2 of it water (H20), 1/2 H2O2. (ends up being 15% concertration-which has worked better.
Mix the 15% mix with two heaping tablespoons arrowroot in microwave 15 secs, stirring every 15 secs. After about 45 secs total, it will get very thick, like shaving gel consistancy.This is the thickness you want.
Add heaping 1/2 teaspoon Arm and hammer "oxy"to the hot H2O2 gel and it will froth and bubble up nicely.
The Phones Cleaned up.(oxygenated)
1.WE500 Light Blue ( slightly yellowed but not turquoise yet)
2. WE500 1962 White, badly yellowed
3. White princess 1966 -almost dark tan, lift the handset and where the cradle sat it is white
4. 1959 Soft plastic tenite white WE500. Yellowed a lot, not as bad as #2
I took the caps off and took the dial plates off and the housings off. This mixture will treat two housings, two handsets and caps .Paint the phones with a brush. THICK almost like frosting a cake.I did not have the patience of the retrobrite guy, who had a thinner mix and reapplyed it every hour after it dried. The thick mix stays wet for HOURS.
Set the phones under a 100 watt regular (not fluorescent ) bulb. Leave alone for six hours. After three or four, it looks like they aren't doing so well but once six is up, rinse off the phones in warm water (or wipe the handsets off with a warm wet wash rag since you can't immerse them. I taped off the insides of the handset with masking tape to prevent gel from going inside.)
THE RESULTS
1. WE light blue worked well, needed two applications, six hours each.
2. White 1962 hard plastic. Worked, but needed three applications to finally approach the whiteness of the inside of the caps and housing.
3. Soft plastic 1959. I was affraid of the soft one, being more valuable, but the results were great. I did two applications to get her beautiful. Whitened a little easier that the thermoplastic.
4. Princess--the biggest bear yet, on it's fourth round, but it will get there.
Summary.
I am finally just doing them before bedtime now for 6 to 8 hours, it doesn't matter timewise after six hours , I believe.. Wipe them off when you wake up. Put a nice wax on them after you are done.
This sure beats sanding. Wash your hands a lot (or wear gloves), but you won't get burns or peeling. (they use 6% H2O2 on teeth bleaching, so it isn't that caustic).
If Someone with photography skills could do this, you will see what I mean!
Very interesting, Dan! How did you figure all the chemistry out? I hope to see this in the Technical Library once someone can do the same experiments and add some decent photos. Truly amazing if some of the fading and discolorations can be treated with chemistry instead of sanding. Hey Heath, are you gathering Dans' list of ingredients soon? ;)
here's a picture of an ericophon that is very similar to the princess I am trying to oxygenate:
http://tinyurl.com/cgkncr
Quote from: Dan on March 28, 2009, 12:35:33 PM
here's a picture of an ericophon that is very similar to the princess I am trying to oxygenate:
http://tinyurl.com/cgkncr
YIKES! That will need some work. Those open white patches are strange. Maybe the seller removed stickers? Though, my experience with stickers has never been good, nor that easy to remove.
Well, I switched the formula to Salon care 40 volume clear sold at sally's beauty supply. After three overnight applications, I had a DARK yellow (WE white500) looking like my refrigerator. The 40% hydrogen peroxide cleans them quicker and faster, so I would recommend this.
Actually, it looks just like this phone from finlover
http://tinyurl.com/dydbm9
here's a former before picture (not my actual phone but just like it
http://tinyurl.com/cl5jzq
follow the previous directions to a T, using the 40% will shock you. My next try will be a moss green with yellowing.
If your phone shows that kind of difference, then WOW! :o
No lie (especially on easter)
Just to be sure I understand, this stuff doesn't hurt the printing under and around the dial wheel - the dots, the numbers, the letters? I assume you have to disassemble the dial, and treat only the plastic parts.
Bill
Correct sir, Actually, you can use masking tape and tape that area off (I've done it both ways). No damage to the letters. Even uneven discoloration balances out to a glorious white.
I think "finlover" , the ebay seller must be doing this because it is hard to find a white phone like he has unless it is NOS (which he doesn't claim to have here) . He had a moss green listed a while back that had a 'bluer - blue-like" hue in it that I have never seen before (unless, once again, it had no yellowing from peroxide cleaning).
before picture (ebay listing prewhitening)
(http://i617.photobucket.com/albums/tt253/dvortv/badilyyellowedphone.jpg)
after picture (40% H2O2)
(http://i617.photobucket.com/albums/tt253/dvortv/whitephone001-1.jpg)
I only cleaned the cords( not whitened them yet, but they don't do as well.)
I'm going to have to round up those ingredients and get to work on the pile of yellowed telephones that I have here. That looks fantastic!
Now that I finally can post digital pictures, I'll be glad to assist you and anyone who wants 'picture" help. get the 40% clear peroxide, don't fool with the 20%'
It really is quite exciting isn't it?
It really is Dan. Where does one fine the 40% peroxide?
Sallys beauty supply house--they are all over - a chain store--look in the yellow pages under "beauty". Specifically, get "Salon Care 40 volume clear developer." A quart will run you 4.99
The arrow root maybe harder to find, but I have a feeling "cornstarch" will work equally well, you just need this to thicken the heated peroxide.
Thanks Dan, I will follow your formula and give it a shot.
If your phone is as yellow as mine you will need three 6 hour applications. Flip over the housing to guide you and then you will know you have reached the "true white" when the back of the housing matches the front.
Works equally well on thermoplastic and tenite too...
In that "after" photo of the white phone, has it been polished in that photo?
Nope, but I squirted it with the turtle wax F21 ( I call it armoral for telephones). I really should have waxed it first, but it really didn't need it.
Thanks for the photos.
I wouldn't have believed such results were possible unless I read it here.
Will it work with coloured plastic?
I haven't had a real yellowed (significantly) colored one yet, however, I am going to try it today on a Moss green 500. I'll post the pictures when it is done. I would think it would work also.
I used my 1974 housing replaced Moss Green WE 500 as a guinea pig. The housing was 40% peroxide, the handset 20%
Before with yellowing
http://tinyurl.com/c99a3a
After
http://tinyurl.com/d4cssx
I learned a hard lesson here! The 20% worked great, while the 40 was too strong. So it will work with colored sets, but BE CONSERVATIVE, and start with a lower concentration. The handset looks great, the housing looks frosted
Ouch!
Looks like peroxide solutions on coloured plastic is not such a great idea perhaps.
I would say with 20% or less it would be ok, try 10% if you want to be supersafe.
Hmmm, so what I have gathered you can use up to 40% on white phones but stick to 20% percent on colored phones. I wonder if you could polish that out a bit? Or maybe wet sand the case using 1000 grit. Then smooth it out using polish? Might take a couple of hours but at this point might be worth it.
It will come out, but it's a 1974 garden variety one. I'll put it in my pile of things to do.... Thanks for the tips Tony.
Dan, this "after" link isn't working.
http://tinyurl.com/d4cssx
Is there any chance you could repost the after photo here?
Dennis
It looks like someone in the family has deleted some of my pictures. I'll get you a new picture up tomorrow.
I've been contemplating attempting this process my self using a liquid bath approach rather than an applied gel. Sam Hallas on his website documenting his collection of UK phones documents his experiences in great detail using both the gel application and different liquid bath techniques:- see the Retr0bright Experiment (http://www.samhallas.co.uk/collection/retr0bright.htm). He describes the chemistry in good detail and shows some pretty good before and after shots.
In particular, I'm keen to try this on my beige (originally gray) Lebanese 500 look-a-like, but am concerned about the printed metal insert in the dial plate. Also wondering if browned clear plastic as used on finger wheels would clear up too.
I can't comment on the case bleaching techniques as I've never tried them, but the yellowing of the dial card windows can be completely cleaned off by any plastic polish. I clean mine with Brasso, and they come out like new.
Does anyone have the info from the link in Original post?
Link is now dead!
Better to post the info here at least copy for that reason.
Quote from: markosjal on June 05, 2018, 12:24:00 PM
Does anyone have the info from the link in Original post?
Link is now dead!
Better to post the info here at least copy for that reason.
GLOBAL MODERATOR POST (http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=20151.msg206412#msg206412)
http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=745.msg8712#msg8712
This is the link for an extremely discoloured yellow/tan (ABS) gpo phone that I recently restored back to Ivory (with before and after pics):
http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?PHPSESSID=bb4773256bde51c061dcc971ab7663fb&topic=20579.msg210386#msg210386