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Amiga computer related discussion => General chat about Amiga topics => Topic started by: DonnyEMU on September 12, 2003, 03:12:02 AM

Title: Yellowing Cases
Post by: DonnyEMU on September 12, 2003, 03:12:02 AM
Okay I might have 3 suggestions here on stopping yellowing cases:

1) Have you tried cleaning them with Fantastic ORANGE cleaner and/Or Oxy Clean and bleach (for worst case)?...  I have several older Amiga models with the off white cases and an old C=64C which has the same coloration thing going on.. They cleaned up very well and yellow was gone after I bathed them in a small tub of bleach (after they were removed from all electronics of course.

2) Stop SMOKING... If you smoke your case is more likely to yellow. I have seen that over a 15 year period for people bringing in older equipment to the dealership. We cleaned all that stuff up all of the time....

It may not be the "whiteness" of the old plastic as much as what's in the air of your home.

People will probably blast me for saying this but we had a 100% correlation to yellowing cases to people who smoked way back when I worked for a C= dealership.

We'd ask anyone bringing in a yellowed case for repair if they smoked and their answer was always unoquivacably  "yes"... It personally grossed us out to think what that stuff was doing to people' lungs if their cases turned yellow.

3) If you smoke or don't smoke and you have a yellowed case try what I suggested in #1 it works for me everytime..
Title: Re: Yellowing Cases
Post by: jdiffend on September 12, 2003, 03:38:08 AM
Smoking does it... yeah.. uhhhh riiiight.... ever seen the old Apples from gradeschool classrooms?  Yeah... six year olds that smoke.  

And the old monitor of mine that never entered a smoking household that yellowed just sitting in a closet.

More likely a chemical reaction with something in the air or the plastic may just attract something from the air.

Title: Re: Yellowing Cases
Post by: KennyR on September 12, 2003, 03:43:13 AM
Smoking does yellow plastic - and wood, and walls, and just about everything else. It doesn't mean it's the only source of yellowing, though.
Title: Re: Yellowing Cases
Post by: DoomMaster on September 12, 2003, 04:21:25 AM
See, you guys should have bought an Amiga 2000HD, then you would not have this problem.  The Amiga 500, 600, and 1200 all have those cheap, low-quality plastic cases.  The Amiga 2000, 2000HD, 2500, 1500, 3000, 3000T, 4000, and 4000T all have higher quality metal cases.  The Amiga 2000 class of Amiga computers have the highest quality cases.     :-P
Title: Re: Yellowing Cases
Post by: TjLaZer on September 12, 2003, 04:28:39 AM
If the plastic got yellowed from smoke, that may very well
work, but if it got yellowed from UV sunlight, nothing
short of sanding down the plastic will rid the yellowing.

I tried restoring several Amiga, C64C and Atari cases
to no avail.  They all suffered from UV damage most
likely direct sunlight over the years...

Ever notice like on A4000's that certain parts of it will
yellow more than others?  I also have a C=1902 that is
fine but the door is yellowed!  On my A4000 all is fine
except for the plate under the floppy! Some plastics
yellow more than others.

Tim
Title: Re: Yellowing Cases
Post by: iamaboringperson on September 12, 2003, 04:35:43 AM
Quote

DoomMaster wrote:
See, you guys should have bought an Amiga 2000HD, then you would not have this problem.  The Amiga 500, 600, and 1200 all have those cheap, low-quality plastic cases.  The Amiga 2000, 2000HD, 2500, 1500, 3000, 3000T, 4000, and 4000T all have higher quality metal cases.  The Amiga 2000 class of Amiga computers have the highest quality cases.     :-P
Really?? Then how come my A4000T is a bit yellowy, and it's keyboard is a bit yellowy?
Title: Re: Yellowing Cases
Post by: Wain on September 12, 2003, 05:37:01 AM
Quote
See, you guys should have bought an Amiga 2000HD, then you would not have this problem. The Amiga 500, 600, and 1200 all have those cheap, low-quality plastic cases. The Amiga 2000, 2000HD, 2500, 1500, 3000, 3000T, 4000, and 4000T all have higher quality metal cases. The Amiga 2000 class of Amiga computers have the highest quality cases.


A2000 faceplates and keyboards yellow quite nicely, used to see them all the time when the dealer I worked for serviced Commodore machines.
Title: Re: Yellowing Cases
Post by: Wain on September 12, 2003, 05:39:10 AM
Quote
Smoking does it... yeah.. uhhhh riiiight.... ever seen the old Apples from gradeschool classrooms? Yeah... six year olds that smoke.


Not only does smoking yellow the hell out of a case, it makes the computer stink too, and it's REALLY hard to get the smell out.

It just so happens that sunlight and about 50 other things can yellow a case as well.  Usually not as well as smoking though.
Title: Re: Yellowing Cases
Post by: Jope on September 12, 2003, 07:03:09 AM
Quote

DoomMaster wrote:
See, you guys should have bought an Amiga 2000HD, then you would not have this problem.  The Amiga 500, 600, and 1200 all have those cheap, low-quality plastic cases.  The Amiga 2000, 2000HD, 2500, 1500, 3000, 3000T, 4000, and 4000T all have higher quality metal cases.  The Amiga 2000 class of Amiga computers have the highest quality cases.     :-P


Judging by the wording of your post, you're just aiming to get a knee jerk reaction from people who you've known to react to your sayings in the past.

Still: all those big box machines have a piece of plastic in front of the metal case. This piece of plastic is just as suspect to yellowing, as it is the  same plastic, that's used in other C= products.

On an A2000/3000 it isn't so noticeable, because they're dark beige, but the A4000's white plastic indeed does noticeably yellow with age and after being bombarded with UV radiation.
Title: Re: Yellowing Cases
Post by: DoomMaster on September 12, 2003, 08:18:54 AM
I personally do not allow any sunlight to fall upon my computers.  Also, I always wash my hands before using my Amiga computers or my Atari Mega ST4 computer.  Because of this they stay in like new condition.  Also, I only use a damp sponge to wipe the dust off.  I NEVER use any kind of cleaner at all!  NEVER allow the temperature of your computer room to drop below 50 degrees or go above 90 degrees.     :-o
Title: Re: Yellowing Cases
Post by: Linchpin on September 12, 2003, 08:48:58 AM
Quote
See, you guys should have bought an Amiga 2000HD, then you would not have this problem. The Amiga 500, 600, and 1200 all have those cheap, low-quality plastic cases. The Amiga 2000, 2000HD, 2500, 1500, 3000, 3000T, 4000, and 4000T all have higher quality metal cases. The Amiga 2000 class of Amiga computers have the highest quality cases


Hahahah! Maybe true BUT..

You need a "Millitary Grade" table to put the big ol heavy box on! And that brown? Rather have a yellow a1200 anyday Dr Doomy...
Title: Re: Yellowing Cases
Post by: iamaboringperson on September 12, 2003, 08:54:57 AM
Perhaps it's military grade plastic! :-P
Title: Re: Yellowing Cases
Post by: Damion on September 12, 2003, 09:10:56 AM
I wipe things down with a damp sponge/soft cloth
(water only) and keep them out of the sun; no
yellowing problems here. Important equipment gets
wrapped in plastic before storage.

There was one exception. Floid mentioned (in the
related thread) that skin oils are a likely
culprit, and he is right. Years ago I had an
old C128 that yellowed right behind the spacebar,
where my (somewhat young) palms rested on the
keyboard. The rest of the case is still beige.
Title: Re: Yellowing Cases
Post by: Linchpin on September 12, 2003, 10:15:14 AM
Is my amiga millitary or not? How do i know? Do i Salute it?
Title: Re: Yellowing Cases
Post by: JurassicCamper on September 12, 2003, 04:04:03 PM
Quote

_LinchpiN_ wrote:
Is my amiga millitary or not? How do i know? Do i Salute it?


Depends if it screams when you put it throught the dishwasher to get the yellow of the case.

I recommend finish tablets with the red powerball.
Title: Re: Yellowing Cases
Post by: Quixote on September 12, 2003, 07:40:40 PM
TjLaZer tipped us off:
Quote
Ever notice like on A4000's that certain parts of it will yellow more than others?  I also have a C=1902 that is fine but the door is yellowed!  On my A4000 all is fine except for the plate under the floppy! Some plastics yellow more than others.
;-) Either that, or the parts in question have been swapped from other Amigas, with a different degree of yellowing.
Title: Re: Yellowing Cases
Post by: jeffimix on September 12, 2003, 09:54:20 PM
Well my '2000s keyboard could yellow, but I doubt the steel case will.
Title: Re: Yellowing Cases
Post by: Oldsmobile_Mike on September 13, 2003, 02:06:25 AM
Quote

DoomMaster wrote:
I personally do not allow any sunlight to fall upon my computers.


Hurry, Batman!  To the Bat Cave!  We must our new military spec 68000 to fix the Bat Mobile! :-o  :-o  :-P
Title: Re: Yellowing Cases
Post by: B00tDisk on September 13, 2003, 02:26:31 AM
Quote

DoomMaster wrote:
See, you guys should have bought an Amiga 2000HD, then you would not have this problem.  The Amiga 500, 600, and 1200 all have those cheap, low-quality plastic cases.  The Amiga 2000, 2000HD, 2500, 1500, 3000, 3000T, 4000, and 4000T all have higher quality metal cases.  The Amiga 2000 class of Amiga computers have the highest quality cases.     :-P


Please go pour hydrochloric acid on yourself in liberal quantities.

(Yeah, yeah, I know, the post will get yanked.  So what?)
Title: Re: Yellowing Cases
Post by: Karlos on September 18, 2003, 12:07:19 AM
Well here's (http://www.commodorebillboard.de/Adverts/Commodore/english/Gfx/C64SXEnglish.jpg) one badly discoloured commodore model that is past help :-)

-edit-

Now I got deja vu - I'm sure I put a picture of Bargain Hunter's very own David Dickenson somewhere hereabouts last time...
Title: Re: Yellowing Cases
Post by: KapitanKlystron on September 18, 2003, 12:44:11 AM
@Doomaster

Remember the bezel on the front of the A2000 is the same plastic that will yellow. :-o
Title: Re: Yellowing Cases
Post by: reflect on September 18, 2003, 12:56:05 AM
Dunno what kind of A2000 you guys have, but the front panel of my A2000 isn't beige, it's dark grey and if it has become yellow it hardly noticable and not at all like the more beige A500/600/1200/4000 etc. Yes, you can spot that it's slightly discolored but it not like with other models, imho.
Title: Re: Yellowing Cases
Post by: KapitanKlystron on September 18, 2003, 01:20:45 AM
Yeah it's not the same color and it is less noticeable but the bezel on mine is slightly discolored from time.
Title: Re: Yellowing Cases
Post by: Darth_X on September 18, 2003, 05:41:20 AM
Question: If teeth whitener makes yellow teeth white, does it work on yellowing computer cases? :-D
Title: Re: Yellowing Cases
Post by: iamaboringperson on September 18, 2003, 05:44:14 AM
Quote

Darth_X wrote:
Question: If teeth whitener makes yellow teeth white, does it work on yellowing computer cases? :-D
I don't know how teeth whitener works, but it might be worth a try. :-)