Whitening Abs Plastic, Cheap home-made recipe
Posted: Wed Mar 18, 2009 9:44 am
The below is TK4611 original post about how he has made his armour white again using a DIY concoction.
I don't know where to get the ingredients in SG though.
WARNING: use gloves & eye goggles and only use in a well ventilated area.
Hey guys,
My old RT bucket had severe yellowing from exposure to sunlight.
I had three options;
1: Replace it with a new one.
2: Paint it.
3: Find some way to reverse the yellowing.
Option 1 was something that I was looking at for a long time but I found that getting hold of a good MR LE or EFX bucket is extremely difficult and pricey.
Option 2 was looking like my next best option - but the paint-matching/priming and masking was something that I didn't really want to stuff around with.
So - Option 3...
Yellowing of plastic is caused by prolonged exposure to sunlight, the UV reacts chemically with the materials in the plastic and can not be removed with any commercially available product.
I did a bit of Google research before coming upon this site http://retr0bright.wikispaces.com/Summary.
Developed by computer boffins & chemical engineers who were trying to find a way to whiten retro PC cases, monitors & keyboards, it uses simple, easy to find ingredients to reverse the yellowing process in plastics, particularly ABS.
It won't fade or lift stickers or decals and it doesn't adversely affect the surface area of the plastic by corrosion.
Note that I used Sard Oxy-plus as a substitute for the 'Oxy' Laundry Booster. The peroxide was 'Hi Lift' Creme Peroxide.
Costs & sources were;
Hi-Lift Peroxide (one litre from Hairdresser supplies shop) - $10.00
Sard Oxy Plus (1kg From Coles) - $5.95
Glycerine (100 ml Chemists Warehouse) $5.50
Xantham Gum (From Health Food Shop) $5.50
I am happy to say that I have tried it and it works - in just a few hours my bucket is now as shiny white as the day it was assembled.
I kinda wish that I had taken some before and after pics, but I'll have a look at the rest of my armour and see if there's anything else which has been affected.
So, if you have anything plastic that has been yellowed or faded by the sun, I can recommend giving this a try.
Cheers,
b [/url]
I don't know where to get the ingredients in SG though.
WARNING: use gloves & eye goggles and only use in a well ventilated area.
Hey guys,
My old RT bucket had severe yellowing from exposure to sunlight.
I had three options;
1: Replace it with a new one.
2: Paint it.
3: Find some way to reverse the yellowing.
Option 1 was something that I was looking at for a long time but I found that getting hold of a good MR LE or EFX bucket is extremely difficult and pricey.
Option 2 was looking like my next best option - but the paint-matching/priming and masking was something that I didn't really want to stuff around with.
So - Option 3...
Yellowing of plastic is caused by prolonged exposure to sunlight, the UV reacts chemically with the materials in the plastic and can not be removed with any commercially available product.
I did a bit of Google research before coming upon this site http://retr0bright.wikispaces.com/Summary.
Developed by computer boffins & chemical engineers who were trying to find a way to whiten retro PC cases, monitors & keyboards, it uses simple, easy to find ingredients to reverse the yellowing process in plastics, particularly ABS.
It won't fade or lift stickers or decals and it doesn't adversely affect the surface area of the plastic by corrosion.
Note that I used Sard Oxy-plus as a substitute for the 'Oxy' Laundry Booster. The peroxide was 'Hi Lift' Creme Peroxide.
Costs & sources were;
Hi-Lift Peroxide (one litre from Hairdresser supplies shop) - $10.00
Sard Oxy Plus (1kg From Coles) - $5.95
Glycerine (100 ml Chemists Warehouse) $5.50
Xantham Gum (From Health Food Shop) $5.50
I am happy to say that I have tried it and it works - in just a few hours my bucket is now as shiny white as the day it was assembled.
I kinda wish that I had taken some before and after pics, but I'll have a look at the rest of my armour and see if there's anything else which has been affected.
So, if you have anything plastic that has been yellowed or faded by the sun, I can recommend giving this a try.
Cheers,
b [/url]