Fun with Retr0bright

DragonmasterDan · 03/17/2013, 07:57 PM

I recently obtained a very inexpensive Famicom. Unfortunately it was quite, quite yellowed to a point where it was nearly brown. Determined to correct this and restore it to it's original beauty I set out to obtain the ingridients to make the legendary de-yellowing gel known as Retr0bright and here are the results.

This is after having basically washed up the Famicom but before having applied any Retr0bright.

Here it is after one approximately three hour treatment.

Here it is after a second roughly 11 hour treatment (two coats of Retr0brite were applied)

Third treatment completed. This was two coatings. Left it out in the sun approximately 11 hours.

Treatment #4 Completed

Treatment #5 completed.

And after treatment #6 which will be the final treatment

It's pretty close to looking good as new. Unfortunately I'm getting diminished returns with every subsequent treatment so I've finished with this Famicom for now. Anyone else have any good Retr0bright projects?

esteban · 03/17/2013, 11:50 PM

Are these old pics from Thanksgiving?

Tatsujin · 03/17/2013, 11:51 PM

A yummy FC you have there

DragonmasterDan · 03/18/2013, 07:30 AM

Quote from: esteban on 03/17/2013, 11:50 PMAre these old pics from Thanksgiving?

Yes, I celebrate like the Pilgrims and Native Americans did on the first thanksgiving. By retr0brighting a Famicom.

majors · 03/18/2013, 10:44 AM

I messed with some DIY Retr0bright on a Astro speaker panel. I did it in the winter and it was over cast so I never had the power of the sun. I plan to try again in the summer. Your results give me hope.

From what I have read, after you clean up the yellow, it will revert back in 5-6 years, oxidation I guess.

Arkhan Asylum · 03/18/2013, 10:51 AM

You would have only had to make one treatment if you just submerge the entire thing in 40vol clear developer.

it also would have been a lot more uniform in it's results.

Making all that goopy nonsense is a waste of time. If you have no access to sunlight, use a bulb made for reptiles. I'd go with a tropical one (5.0 UVB). They make highly reflective domes for these bulbs that you can use to blast the magical sunrays all over the plastic.

~8hrs of lightbulb = ~30mins of sunlight.

DragonmasterDan · 03/18/2013, 10:53 AM

Quote from: guest on 03/18/2013, 10:51 AMYou would have only had to make one treatment if you just submerge the entire thing in 40vol clear developer.

it also would have been a lot more uniform in it's results.

Making all that goopy nonsense is a waste of time. If you have no access to sunlight, use a bulb made for reptiles. I'd go with a tropical one (5.0 UVB). They make highly reflective domes for these bulbs that you can use to blast the magical sunrays all over the plastic.

~8hrs of lightbulb = ~30mins of sunlight.

I would have submerged but I wanted to and did keep the stickers on my famicom.

turboswimbz · 03/18/2013, 10:57 AM

Quote from: majors on 03/18/2013, 10:44 AMI messed with some DIY Retr0bright on a Astro speaker panel. I did it in the winter and it was over cast so I never had the power of the sun. I plan to try again in the summer. Your results give me hope.

From what I have read, after you clean up the yellow, it will revert back in 5-6 years, oxidation I guess.

Depends on the plastic. In most cases, it is a lot longer. I've been working with plastics a lot n my grad program . Simple treatments with armor all or other plastic protecter and keeping it out of sunlight can prolong the oxidation quite a while. To prevent it altogher just apply some sort of clear coat.

Arkhan Asylum · 03/18/2013, 11:41 AM

Quote from: DragonmasterDan on 03/18/2013, 10:53 AMI would have submerged but I wanted to and did keep the stickers on my famicom.

You could have removed them, got a uniform bleaching, and then re-stuck them on with some adhesive.

DragonmasterDan · 03/18/2013, 11:53 AM

Quote from: guest on 03/18/2013, 11:41 AMYou could have removed them, got a uniform bleaching, and then re-stuck them on with some adhesive.

Ehh, wasn't going to risk damaging the stickers in removal or reapplication. I have a bottom half of a yellowed Super Famicom I may do the submersion technique with.

However, that Famicom was so yellow it was practically brown. I think it would have required a few submersions to get to where it is. It was BAD.

Arkhan Asylum · 03/18/2013, 05:46 PM

Quote from: DragonmasterDan on 03/18/2013, 11:53 AM
Quote from: Psycho Arkhan on 03/18/2013, 11:41 AMYou could have removed them, got a uniform bleaching, and then re-stuck them on with some adhesive.
Ehh, wasn't going to risk damaging the stickers in removal or reapplication. I have a bottom half of a yellowed Super Famicom I may do the submersion technique with.

However, that Famicom was so yellow it was practically brown. I think it would have required a few submersions to get to where it is. It was BAD.

I doubt it. Those stickers are easy to slide off. You just put a little goo-gone around the edges and jiggle it around til they slide off. They're goofy clear plastic.

If you do the submersion technique correctly, it takes 1 submersion. This is because you can see when the thing is done. Don't take it out from under the light until it's the color you want it.

I used to do marathon C64 bleachings out in my driveway with a fishtank.

esteban · 03/19/2013, 10:27 PM

NOTE: I have taken my pristine Famicom and used it as a spitoon for my chewing tobacco (a bad habit, I know--I'll kick the habit before my kids are too old).

Anyway, all that nicotine-infused-spittle has affected my Famicom:

Any suggestions on what I can do with my Famicom?

Deletion · 03/19/2013, 10:58 PM

I had intentions of trying Retr0bright, but went with Arkhan's simpler recipe when whitening a PCE last year. Details on the setup and results are here.

Arkhan Asylum · 03/20/2013, 11:48 AM

Yeah. It works a lot better, based off my experience. Retrobrite usually ends up with non-uniform results, and it is honestly a giant pain in the ass to mix all the goop together and put it on.

DragonmasterDan · 03/21/2013, 02:13 PM

F*** the liquid method.

Arkhan Asylum · 03/21/2013, 02:25 PM

Don't forget to tell everyone that you submerged it in liquid on a <40 degree day, which won't help, most likely.

Also, IIRC, that gray plastic is not even safe to mix with peroxide.

I submerged an SNES and it worked fine but it doesn't have that gray cap piece.

Liquid method works fine, dude.

You'd have had the same fate with the creamy method too. It just would have taken way longer for you to realize you screwed up...

SignOfZeta · 03/21/2013, 05:16 PM

Quote from: DragonmasterDan on 03/21/2013, 02:13 PMF*** the liquid method.

Do you have a better picture than that? Its hard to tell what happened. Is it just the grey laminate piece that's bad?

Arkhan Asylum · 03/21/2013, 05:20 PM

If you look realllllllly close at the hastily taken for the internet to behold photo, you can see that the rest of it is fine, and it just didn't finish getting bleached.

That gray piece shouldn't have been in contact with no peroxides.

DragonmasterDan · 03/21/2013, 10:45 PM

Quote from: SignOfZeta on 03/21/2013, 05:16 PMDo you have a better picture than that? Its hard to tell what happened. Is it just the grey laminate piece that's bad?

Arkhan Asylum · 03/22/2013, 11:03 AM

Did you clean the thing off before submerging it? It honestly looks like 20 years of fingerprint oil got in the way of it working right.

Also, did you dismantle the thing before submerging, or did you put the entire thing in peroxide, motherboard and all.

DragonmasterDan · 03/22/2013, 01:47 PM

Quote from: guest on 03/22/2013, 11:03 AMDid you clean the thing off before submerging it? It honestly looks like 20 years of fingerprint oil got in the way of it working right.

Also, did you dismantle the thing before submerging, or did you put the entire thing in peroxide, motherboard and all.

It was cleaned before submerging it, and it was just the shell. I obviously wouldn't do that with the board in it.

Arkhan Asylum · 03/22/2013, 02:02 PM

what did you clean it with? Details are helpful so we can all know why this stuff happened, seeing as you may be the first one to experience it.

DragonmasterDan · 03/22/2013, 02:04 PM

Quote from: guest on 03/22/2013, 02:02 PMwhat did you clean it with? Details are helpful so we can all know why this stuff happened, seeing as you may be the first one to experience it.

Soap and hot water.

Arkhan Asylum · 03/22/2013, 02:07 PM

... what kind of soap?

soap often leaves a residue behind that can get in the way of chemicals doing things.

DragonmasterDan · 03/22/2013, 02:33 PM

Quote from: guest on 03/22/2013, 02:07 PM... what kind of soap?

soap often leaves a residue behind that can get in the way of chemicals doing things.

Dawn dishsoap

Arkhan Asylum · 03/22/2013, 02:37 PM

Quote from: DragonmasterDan on 03/22/2013, 02:33 PM
Quote from: Psycho Arkhan on 03/22/2013, 02:07 PM... what kind of soap?

soap often leaves a residue behind that can get in the way of chemicals doing things.
Dawn dishsoap

Yeah, I wouldn't be surprised if it left a soap residue behind on the hardware since the plastic is sort of porous.

Soaps are bases. H2O2 is an acid.

They neutralize each other.

turboswimbz · 03/22/2013, 04:11 PM

While soap may have interfered - soap isn't basic at all. Soap is a fatty acid in fact most soap is a balanced 7 or high six about the same acidity as peroxide

!

Arkhan Asylum · 03/22/2013, 04:14 PM

Quote from: turboswimbz on 03/22/2013, 04:11 PMWhile soap may have interfered - soap isn't basic at all. Soap is a fatty acid in fact most soap is a balanced 7 or high six about the same acidity as peroxide !

Dish soap is a base, dude.

turboswimbz · 03/22/2013, 04:19 PM

Quote from: guest on 03/22/2013, 04:14 PM
Quote from: turboswimbz on 03/22/2013, 04:11 PMWhile soap may have interfered - soap isn't basic at all. Soap is a fatty acid in fact most soap is a balanced 7 or high six about the same acidity as peroxide !
Dish soap is a base, dude.

Only the concentrarted dish soap. normal dish soap is right around a 7.
I'm not convinced the nuetralization would effect the oxidation anyway.

Arkhan Asylum · 03/22/2013, 04:23 PM

regardless, it's going to leave a residue behind if not cleaned off well, and once the peroxide gets all up on that, it's likely going to produce streaked/smeared/goofy results, like what is shown above.

the splash marks on it look like what'd happen as soap runs down the thing as you rinse it, leaving behind a trail of jive.

turboswimbz · 03/22/2013, 04:32 PM

good point, sorry Ark. it does look like that. Perhaps just a good rinse and then another treatment? if residue was left behind, it would cut down on the surface area ratio and cause uneven bleaching.

Here is a thought however to support that:

Plastics are hydrocarbon polymers -> This means that they attract things like fats and oils - (soaps, or any oils) If they would have gotten on the shell would be absorbed into the plastic - blocking the sites where the oxidation would occur.

I do hope you can save that famicom Dan.

Arkhan Asylum · 03/22/2013, 04:34 PM

I say soak the fucker in CLR or something and see if it clears it up so it can be done properly.

I would've used rubbing alcohol to clean the thing off, personally.

DragonmasterDan · 03/22/2013, 05:28 PM

it's not residue, it's actually faded in those spots.

Arkhan Asylum · 03/22/2013, 05:49 PM

Quote from: DragonmasterDan on 03/22/2013, 05:28 PMit's not residue, it's actually faded in those spots.

We never said it was a residue. We said the soap may have left a residue, which resulted in that.

It may not be faded, as you say. It might just be a weird reaction, stuck to the plastic.

Give some CLR or Armorall or something a shot and try to spiff it back up.