Yellow To White

[HopperJF]

Eco wrote:
After having tried acetone, I would suggest that only use it if the other stuff fails to get the results.

Bleach sounds promising.. please post some "before and after" pictures so we see what works!

That is the plan ;-)

[NJ_72]

hopper, i'm following your cleaning project with lots of interest - i've tried nearly every cleaning detergent on my two a500's, no result at all... hoping some bleach will do the trick :-)



 

[Holley]

Trouble is it's actually the plastic thats changed colour, not got dirty.  Bleach can turn biological materials white, and clear it off like nothing else (hence it's good to use before painting).  The Acetone will, as stated, actually remove the top layer ...

Aaanyway, for paint use a satin finish rather than matt - matt looks horrible when the everyday muck sticks to it, and it won't just wipe clean.  Use car paint rather than Plasticote, as that stuff goes wierd over time ... if you wanted to do a pattern, why not red & white checkers? :-D

Good luck with the cleaning!

[bloodline]

For some reason The idea of an orange A500 seems to be ok in my head.

Get some car spray paint, and spray it orange. make sure you use a really thin paint so that the original texture shows through.

[Eco]

@HopperJF

Have you gotten around to messing with the bleach yet? We want pictures  :-D

[Argo]

2. Toothpaste! (Yes someone suggested it)

Is that the Whitening Toothpaste?  :-o

[HopperJF]

Expect pictures within the next few days... I hope this works  :-)

[HopperJF]

I tried bleaching the thing & scrubbing for hours and heres the results...

Before the bleach treatment

Shortly before I started

After hours of bleach drowning and scrubbing


I'm not sure whether it has made any difference... can anyone see much difference? It still not white  but to me it looks slightly lighter but that just might be psychological after all the cleaning.
If it still looks bad then it looks like acetone is next... *gulp*

[Eco]

Remember to set the white balance before taking pictures, if your camera allows for that.

I think the case looks whiter and cleaner. I don't think that scrubbing will help too much after the gunk on the surface is gone, you could consider adding more bleach and just letting it soak for a few hours :-D

[HopperJF]

I took the picture on the default colour setting, which is the same as it was set when I took the old photo of the system.

I think it looks a lot better too, maybe after a few more bleaching sessions...

[vic20owner]

Whoops look like it's the different in light between indoors and outdoors.

Can't tell if it's  lighter now or not.  Take a picture indoors.

[Floid]

Now would be a good time to try my borax theory, which, if nothing else, might remove any yellowness *induced* by the bleach.

Borax theory, normal version:  Take about two tablespoons of borax and a sponge soaked in warm water; scrub.

Borax theory, soaking version:  Heck if I know; mix up a good amount in hot water, and soak the plastic in it.  If nothing else, it might oxidize any 'bleach yellow' (as you can sometimes notice on your socks) to a 'pure white' tone.

Of course, others have said borax scrubs alone don't seem to counter the Amiga yellowing, because it was a defect *in* the plastic, instead of just the usual mix of atmospheric tars and oxidation on the surface.

[HopperJF]

I'll take a picture of it all indoors properly when i'm finished
I still want to try the bleach a few more times, then try the borax and/or acetone

[Floid]

HopperJF wrote:
I'll take a picture of it all indoors properly when i'm finished
I still want to try the bleach a few more times, then try the borax and/or acetone

:nervous:  ...  I'd find acetone quite likely to melt the whole thing... Though of course, melting it might expose clean plastic underneath, if you don't mind thumbprints and such permanently embossed in the case.  Still, could be a nonsoluble form of plastic... try with a Q-Tip on the interior first, if you dare.

[Eco]

Acetone will not melt the WHOLE thing (so it will not melt like molecular acid being poured on it). However, it will remove the surface layer, and the yellowing with it. I know, because I've tried it!

The process will make the typically porous plastic surface of an Amiga case smooth and shiny. It may be hard to get the yellowing out of all the tiny details. Depending on the method of application, you may also leave other marks on the surface.

Photography tip: If your digital camera has a "manual white balance" option, turn it on and use it on a blank sheet of paper. Your camera will then remove the colour cast induced by lighting conditions, resulting in a much more accurate colour reproduction, especially for white-ish surfaces like the case.

[ShadesOfGrey]

On most plastics, acetone is very harmful.  My kid sister ruined a mini-component stereo of mine a few years back with nail polish remover (w/acetone).  She touched the controls and disolved the print on them.  Plus made them permanently tacky...  Very much like the adhesive on duct tape.

If you did decide to try acetone, I'd test it on the interior of the case before using it as a plastic cleaner/bleach.

[Edit]

It's probably to late for this suggestion as you've already soaked with bleach.  But considering how much yellowing you were able to remove before soaking, might you have used powdered cleanser (w/ bleach) and water to make a paste you could apply to just those areas that were still yellow?