I was fortunate enough to be the receipient of an aqua blue(?) WE500 won here on this forum. As I had removed much of the discoloration from the housing with the oxyclean and bleach method the results were not stunning but an improvement.
Now though you could more obviously see the yellowed handset cord.
I took a chance last week and well I gave the cord a rather risky Oxyclean and bleach (less bleach) caustic chemical treatment method.
I now have it 95% of its original color! The only remaining discoloration is up near the handset and I suspect this was cigar or cigarette smoke discoloration, from smoking while talking
I wish I had taken before pictures but I did not.
Just wanted tgo add it as an FYI
John - Thanks for the continued sharing of your restoration processes! I have a light gray 500 where the cord is darkened some also. I'm guessing your peroxide treatment would work well on most light colors, and I'll have to try it on the light gray.
I wonder how permanent the improvement will be. I did a full peroxide treatment a few years back on a really-nice white ABS 500 that had significantly yellowed. I took it back out of the storage box a couple years later and realized the bright white had darkened somewhat again. It was still much better than as-found, but a more creamy hue was noticeable.
When I clean my cords, I use Finish dishwasher gel. I use very hot water with the gel and soak the cord as long as it takes to clean it.
Quote from: markosjal on August 10, 2018, 09:19:30 PM
Vol 40 developer - peroxide?
Film developer?
with peroxide?
Hair creme developer with peroxide, available at Sally Beauty Supply and other dealers in hair products.
Regular Member Post (http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=20151.msg206412#msg206412)
Quote from: RotarDad on August 10, 2018, 06:06:42 PM
John - Thanks for the continued sharing of your restoration processes! I have a light gray 500 where the cord is darkened some also. I'm guessing your peroxide treatment would work well on most light colors, and I'll have to try it on the light gray.
I wonder how permanent the improvement will be. I did a full peroxide treatment a few years back on a really-nice white ABS 500 that had significantly yellowed. I took it back out of the storage box a couple years later and realized the bright white had darkened somewhat again. It was still much better than as-found, but a more creamy hue was noticeable.
The white housing becan to absorb purple so the reflected color was yellow, the plastic stopped reflecting all light (white) and began to absorb the complementary color of yellow, purple. More on this below.
The first thing is to make sure the cord is evenly clean because any dirt will keep anything from affecting the surface as it is on the clean cord. When I did the green cord to get it blue, it was a take a change to see what happens because bleach alone did nothing. I use my 10-10-80 acetone/MEK/denatured alcohol to clean surfaces. It does it completely and quickly using a cloth wet with the solvent mixture.
I did a pink WE 500 a few years ago using peroxide while in storage in a box in my dry, cool basement, the pink began to darken in less than 3 months. That is what caused me to switch to chemical sanding to just remove the chemically altered surface rather than try to undo the physical chemistry changes with more physical chemistry changes, bleach and/or peroxide. One the discolored layer is gone, the original plastic will begin to darken but at a decade rate in harsh conditions. I was very disappointed to see that pink housing turn salmon in such a short time.
The color change is due to altering the molecular bonding at the highest Pi level of the complex plastic molecules. Once the Pi bonding is altered by a chemical change, I find it hard to accept that another chemical will permanently change it back. I think the chemical treatment further changes the damaged bond into what seems to be a fix but is really a temporary band aide. The discolored layer is quite thin and hard and once removed, the original color from the original molecular Pi bonding is seen.
Cords are not ABS plastic and seem to be affected differently by bleach and/or peroxide. And, yes, by definition, peroxide and bleach "lighten" whatever so it probably is valid to say those chemicals work on light colored plastics. How long will the cord stay blue? Time will tell.
This is how color is formed in plastic impacted by sun or full spectrum light. The blue cords changed by instead of absorbing orange, they Pi bonds were damages and the cords began to absorb more red changing the appearance, the color of the cords from blue to green. That's why those orchid AE-40s changed from orchid to blue, the plastic changed and while it absorbed yellow when orchid, the Pi bonds were changed by UV light or oxygen in the air and the plastic began to absorb more orange making the housing move from an orchid color to a blue color. Seen color is the complement of what colors the object absorbs, black absorbs all light, white absorbs no light - all light is reflected.
(http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=12009.0;attach=157053;image)
That's why I have moved to the thought that the only way to get back to the original color is to remove the discolored, damaged plastic for a long term fix.
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Yes, hair salon peroxide. The Creme stuff is really nice in that is is thick and sticky on the cord surface. And being a well balanced peroxide product, it last a long time versus a bottle of peroxide liquid which will decompose with a week of opening the bottle. This was posted by me in a topic cited by HarrySmith above (http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=17038.msg175932#msg175932) about what volume means, thanks Harry, saved me the search time.
QuoteThe Clairol Pure White Developer 30 Volume has a shelf life of 3 years. Volume refers to the percentage of peroxide in the creme solution. You find 20, 30 and 40 volume developers and they are increasing concentrations of peroxide. 20vol is 6% peroxide, 30 vol is 9% peroxide and 40 vol is 12%. This comes from a hair salon site. They explain it with respect to lightening hair, or in other words, the Volume number to them describes how many 'levels' of lightening that will be achieved with the developer: 20vol is around 2 levels of lightness; 30vol is around 3-4 levels of lightness; and 40vol is around 6 levels of lightness.