restoring yellowed plastic with peroxide

[greg]

I'm still slowly unpacking after moving to Japan in January. I do not yet own a television, so I've no use for my game consoles. The box to my pink, LE Sakura Taisen Dreamcast got a bit bent during shipment, so I opened it up tonight to discover that the pink plastic has yellowed. Ugh! I've heard that using a solution of peroxide and other household chemicals can be used to restore plastics. Apparently this was concocted by chemists who were Amiga enthusiasts.

Has anyone used this? The site that gives instructions on how to make it is here: http://retr0bright.wikispaces.com/ My problem is that I don't know if Oxiclean is available in Japan, or what an equivalent would be. I know that Super Nintendos are prone to this yellowing. For my DC, it just suddenly yellowed during shipment by sea. I haven't checked my SNES yet to see if that's yellowed.

EDIT: I just found this site that has a Japanese recipe.

[Raytrace]

hmm I'd be interested in this, and also if it would work on seethrough plastics that have yellowed - I have 3 pairs of Jordan V's that have never left their box, and the plastic netting STILL yellowed :'(

[rancor]

It works, and it's awesome. I've cleaned a PC-FX and an SFC with that recipe. And yes, you can get OxiClean over here.

[Raytrace]

yo I heard you liked forum posts, so I put a forum post in your forum post :p

cool Imma try and get some of that stuff someday

[nem]

hmm I'd be interested in this, and also if it would work on seethrough plastics that have yellowed

It will work on all ABS plastics, colored and see through.

Have tested it, works like a champ. The gel evaporates really quickly, so use it inside under an UV lamp, or alternatively, if the pieces are small, putting them inside a clear, see through plastic container would do the job as well.

[xbl0x180]

It works, and it's awesome. I've cleaned a PC-FX and an SFC with that recipe. And yes, you can get OxiClean over here.

Dude, why would you get Oxyclean when Japan as MR SPAKURU?!




I'd love to get a PC-FX

[Vyxx]

Eco friendly!

[Ed Oscuro]

Hydrogen peroxide is the first step to making those old plastics colorful again, but it is a slow chemical reaction.

Something like Retrobrite has a catalyst to make the process go much quicker.

It certainly would beat other ideas which use abrasion or caustic (stripping) agents to remove the outer layer of affected plastic, uncovering "fresh" plastic that will inevitably go bad again.

[JBC]

Somewhat related but does anyone have any tips for removing sticker scum from plastic cases? Shitty ole' Gamestop destroys all their cases this way.

I've been using rubbing alcohol and steam, but this only seems to go so far.

[Op Intensify]

Somewhat related but does anyone have any tips for removing sticker scum from plastic cases? Shitty ole' Gamestop destroys all their cases this way.

I haven't needed to try it myself, but I hear pieces of tape will get it off.

[EllertMichael]

Somewhat related but does anyone have any tips for removing sticker scum from plastic cases? Shitty ole' Gamestop destroys all their cases this way.

I've been using rubbing alcohol and steam, but this only seems to go so far.

^I removed 15 year old Sharpie from a Genesis cart label with this stuff. it's magical citrus power.

[Ed Oscuro]

Goo Gone will also work wonders stripping print off cartridge labels, so be careful.

[BulletMagnet]

I once tried Goo-Gone when I had to take some tinting stuff off a car I bought, and found it didn't help much...rubbing alcohol was much more effective, though I suppose it depends on what kind of glue you're dealing with.

[drboom]

WD-40 and other lubricants can also break down glue without the worry of destroying the surface, unless you rub too hard or something. I use this on the most stubborn of glue on plastic DVD/CD cases. We use to use it at the bike shop to remove the nasty glue from Triathlon athlete number stickers for the competitors on their frames.

[Ganelon]

Is there anything that cleanly removes sticky residue? Goo Gone often leaves a misty mark when I apply it on CD jewel cases. Or perhaps that's the result of chemicals eating away the cheap plastic.