Perifractic’s Retro Recipes just posted a video that asks if you can de-yellow plastic without “retrobright” and just using the sun. He contacted “a few scientists that have worked on plastic polymer degradation issues for decades” for input on his testing. The scientists said that on average, only the top 35 micrometers of the plastic are yellowed, so in some cases, just using an abrasive polish might remove the yellowing – But keep in mind, there’s always a chance abrasives will scratch the plastic or ruin the texture.
It was always my assumption that a combination of both UV rays and a “bleaching” agent is what would actually de-yellow plastic. I guess if the 35 micrometers of degradation is true, that might mean that the sun does most of the work and something like Saloncare will speed up the process both by “bleaching” and absorbing into the plastic.
It’s a fairly sunny day here in NYC and I think I can get at least six good hours of direct sunlight on this Famicom a friend sent me. I’d like to first test the difference with just sunlight, then do an equal 6-hour treatment with a “retrobright” solution on the next equally sunny day…which sadly might not be until next week.
Before:
After 6 hours of direct sunlight:
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