Any Aussie Amigans managed to make up some RetroBrite?

[mingle]

Hi guys,

I'm wanting to clean up a few of my Amigas (particularly a lightly yellowed A3000), but can't seem to find the necessary ingredient (ie: the 12% Peroxide solution) in Melbourne...

I can find 40vol creme developer and some other 40vol peroxide-based hair-lightening products, but I think they have too many added extras to work properly...

Can any other Australian-based Amiga freaks help me out with any suggestions? :-)

Cheers,

Mike.

[mingle]

Oh, just noticed stefcep2's [post on this very topic!

Off to Priceline I go! :-)

Cheers,

Mike.

[Cammy]

I mixed some of that creme developer with a little bit of Oxy White laundry powder (dissolved in some hot water first) then brushed it on this A500 case and left it outside for a few hours:

http://www.amiga.org/gallery/index.php?n=3201

[whiteb]

I mixed some of that creme developer with a little bit of Oxy White laundry powder (dissolved in some hot water first) then brushed it on this A500 case and left it outside for a few hours:

http://www.amiga.org/gallery/index.php?n=3201

DO you have the exact name of the creme developer ?, I have a Priceline on the high street of my suburb and would not mind picking some up.

Does it work on keys ? or is there a Priceline product that has more concentration of H2O2 in liquid that I can put the keys in, over and above the usual 3% bottles.

[Cammy]

I think any of those 12% creme developers should work, I have bought two different brands and they were practically the same, one was in a white bottle branded "Salon Smart" and the other yellow branded "Innovative".

I'm pretty sure this stuff will work for keys as well. When I finally get some of my current projects finished I'm going to clean a whole bunch of Amiga stuff, take photos and videos along the way and write a guide for this magazine/handbook I want to make.

[stefcep2]

DO you have the exact name of the creme developer ?, I have a Priceline on the high street of my suburb and would not mind picking some up.

Does it work on keys ? or is there a Priceline product that has more concentration of H2O2 in liquid that I can put the keys in, over and above the usual 3% bottles.

You won't find pure peroxide anywhere.

I went to priceline and bought 12% peroxide Creme Developer,
"Innovative" brand, 1 litre for $10.  You MUST mix the Oxy washing
powder in with the peroxide-any brand eg Sards with oxy $5 for 1 litre
from Safeway.  No oxy powder, no work!!!I stirred about 1 teaspoon of
oxy powder dissolved in about 1/4 glass full of water into about 250ml
of creme developer.  I then got a small paint brush and just brushed the
creamy mix to the case every couple of hours out in the sun.  To stop it
drying you can add glycerol ( pharmacy $7) and xanthum gum, helath food
section in Coles, will give you a thick paste, but I didn't use xanthum
gum or glycerol.  You must also have UV light, lots of it, so I left my
case outside in 35 degree for 10 hours.

For your keys, I prised them off with a flat screw driver, put them into
a jar, and mixed up enough of the creme developer and oxy washing powder
to cover them all.  I had to use some more tap water (distilled water is
best apparantly,but I didn't) to dilute the mix, which means it takes
longer, but who cares the jar will just sit in the sun. 10 hours later
white keyboard. Don't cover the jar up with its lid, or it could
pressure and explode.

BTW the phosphoric acid in the Creme Developer is OK.

[rkauer]

What Stefcec2 wrote. I use the same blond hair developer cream in Bananaland and it is OK for Retr0bright.

 Just watch the concentration: it must says "30 volumes" or less.

[mingle]

Hi guys,

Thanks for the excellent replies!

Just to confirm what 'Oxy' powder I need - is it actually the washing powder, or the Oxy (Napisan-type) laundry soaker/stain remover powder?

Cheers,

Mike.

[Cammy]

I used White King Oxy-Lift.

[Karlos]

You won't find pure peroxide anywhere.

Well, not unless you are buying it as a monopropellant for rocketry, anyway (it isn't absolutely pure, small amounts of stabiliser compounds are added). Not that you'd want it, it's bloody evil stuff.

[mingle]

Hi all,

I managed to get the ingredients: "Innovative" 40vol Creme Developer 1000ml for $AU9.99 and 1kg (I know I'll never use it all!) Woolworths Home Brand "Nappy Treatment Plus" - which has exactly the same active concentration as the other brands and only cost AU$2.49 (hope it bloody well works!).

I've mixed up a very small batch (about 80ml) to try out on a A3000 'humpback' mouse which has mild yellowing on one side.

It's pretty sunny today, so I'll leave it out for the rest of the day (only about 4 hours of sunlight left) and try it some more tomorrow.

I have a couple of final (?) questions about the process:

1: Should there be a visible reaction (bubbling, etc) when I add the Oxy solution to the Creme Developer?

2: How long does the mixed solution (with the Oxy added) last after being mixed?

Cheers,

Mike.

[stefcep2]

Hi all,

I managed to get the ingredients: "Innovative" 40vol Creme Developer 1000ml for $AU9.99 and 1kg (I know I'll never use it all!) Woolworths Home Brand "Nappy Treatment Plus" - which has exactly the same active concentration as the other brands and only cost AU$2.49 (hope it bloody well works!).

I've mixed up a very small batch (about 80ml) to try out on a A3000 'humpback' mouse which has mild yellowing on one side.

It's pretty sunny today, so I'll leave it out for the rest of the day (only about 4 hours of sunlight left) and try it some more tomorrow.

I have a couple of final (?) questions about the process:

1: Should there be a visible reaction (bubbling, etc) when I add the Oxy solution to the Creme Developer?

Yes.

2: How long does the mixed solution (with the Oxy added) last after being mixed?

Cheers,

Mike.

 Don't know.  I re-used what was left after doing my cases on the keys.  That means 2 days, I suppose.  Its pretty cheap to throw out what you haven't used.  BTW the two key ingredients are the oxy and UV in determining the rate at which the whitening occurs.  Also not all plastics whiten at the same rate and to the same degree.

[mingle]

Ah... Maybe I didn't add enough Oxy - I mixed about 1/4 level teaspoon with 40ml of warm water, then mixed 20ml of that with around 80ml of the creme developer. I could only see a few tiny bubbles in the mix and no obvious reaction actually happening...

I'll give it a go and see if it makes any difference.

I know it works well on my fingers - the skin is coming off! Must wear gloves next time! :-)

Cheers,

Mike.

[mingle]

Okay, I gave it a go for around 3 hours and had varying results - I still think I need a few pointers...

I noticed that the solution did 'foam' a bit more after an hour or so of being mixed - maybe I didn't dissolve the Oxy correctly?

I also tried it on an old floppy front-panel, which worked well and an Amiga 4000 spacebar, with light yellowing. Both were 80% back to original color after 2.5 hours...

The Amiga 3000 mouse, however looks a bit of a mess...



The flash and some contrast enhancement make it look a lot worse than it actually is!

The main issue seems to be the whitish patches on the mouse-buttons. The body of the mouse is also slightly 'streaky'. I did apply the mixture (which was quite thick and 'creamy') pretty liberally and put plenty on. I didn't make any real effort to make it a thin or even coat.

Questions now:

1: Can I fix the whitish spots with another proper full-time application tomorrow?
2: How thick/thinly should I apply the mixture?

Cheers,

Mike.

[mingle]

Hi,

After reading a few posts about people skipping the addition of Oxy altogether, I had another go today...

I've tried using just the Creme Developer and I didn't see any of the 'blooming' I had when using the Oxy added. I did my first 'test-run' yesterday (and an A3000 mouse) and I ended up with some white spots on the buttons and an overall 'blotchy' or uneven removal of the yellowing...

Today I tried it (no Oxy this time) on an old VIC-1515 printer. I was using a 40vol (12%) Creme Developer and brushed it on with a small (about 1/2 inch across) artists brush, reapplying/rebrushing every 45-60 mins.

However I seem to have the same issue as yesterday, with uneven removal of the yellowing. The brush-marks of the initial application were still quite noticeable, even after 6 hours outside in the sun.

Do you have any other suggestions on what I could try for a more even finish?

Possibly diluting the Creme Developer with distilled water?

I've heard some people use a much weaker (3%) solution (plus Oxy) with good results.

I'd like to get it down pat before I risk the front-panel of my A3000! :-)

Cheers,

Mike.