Cheap effective whitener

[Axtman]

The button on the right spent a few days in a clear plastic bag filled with hydrogen peroxide out in the Pacific Northwest winter sun. I left it for a few days and am sure it would work faster in the summer sun. (BTW it looks even whiter in person.)

The button on the left is the control group and nothing was done to it.

[christarak]

The button on the right spent a few days in a clear plastic bag filled with hydrogen peroxide out in the Pacific Northwest winter sun. I left it for a few days and am sure it would work faster in the summer sun. (BTW it looks even whiter in person.)

The button on the left is the control group and nothing was done to it.

That's cool...but what are we looking at? Do you think the strong oxidising action of the H2O2 could weaken the plastic....thing?

[Axtman]

This is not my idea. I am just passing on information. There is a bunch of information and videos on the internet where this procedure is explaned. It seems this is popular with retro gamers and people that collect old computers as a way of brightening yellowed plastic.

This procedure is also referred to as "retrobright": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Retr0bright

[glebert]

Cool idea, I'm filing that one away for future use.

[J M Fahey]

Thanks

As with anything else, trying is better than guessing.

ALL plastics degrade one way or another, not sure this might worsen things much.

[Chuck H]

Thanks

As with anything else, trying is better than guessing.

ALL plastics degrade one way or another, not sure this might worsen things much.

I considered that and did some short searching regarding vintage plastics and sensitivity to hydrogen peroxide. I didn't find anything with a shallow search. Being as they've packaged the product in plastic bottles for as long as I can remember, combined with my not being able to find a published problem I'll guess this is a pretty good method/solution.

[The Dude]

There are people who pay good money for that yellowed look.

[g1]

There are people who pay good money for that yellowed look.

I'm going to point that out next time I get any guff from my dentist. Though maybe that's more brownish. Teeth was the first thing to mind when I saw the thread title, and I think they use peroxide for that too (in very tiny amounts, see post #11 below! ).

[tedmich]

Vintage Relic'd choppers!
Thats my niche!

As a chemist this process looks good:
http://www.retrofixes.com/2013/10/ho...-plastics.html

the use of 12% H2O2 will make everything faster! 30% is nasty and usually good to avoid..

Do not add acetone to any conc H2O2! Mother of Satan!

Anti UV additives (often polyamines) can stop this from happening again, Museum Conservation Supply houses are good sources of small amounts of these additives, see here:
https://museumservicescorporation.co...069ec630&_ss=r

[The Dude]

I'm going to point that out next time I get any guff from my dentist. Though maybe that's more brownish. Teeth was the first thing to mind when I saw the thread title, and I think they use peroxide for that too.

As an avid consumer of "-ines", I can relate.

[Chuck H]

FWIW anyone looking into this chemical for any use should be aware that there's hydrogen peroxide, and then there's HYDROGEN PEROXIDE. The dilution offered over the counter at drug stores is one thing. But it's not especially hard to get industrial strength hydrogen peroxide since it isn't used in the manufacture of any drugs (as far as I know). But industrial hydrogen peroxide is so caustic it will melt the flesh right off of you. So, everyone reading everywhere, depending on what you have at your disposal, pay attention to concentration ratios. Keep in mind that higher concentrations of hydrogen peroxide is used for things like a component of rocket fuels, epoxy activators and lab sample "purification" methods. Just breathing the vapors can be permanently harmful. The pharmaceutical stuff at the local drug store is fairly innocuous, but if what you get isn't THAT then you need to be aware of what you're handling. For the sake of your parts AND yourself.

[Axtman]

Tecmich and Chuck,

You guys bring up very good point. Thanks.

The stuff I used was cheap drugstore 3% concentration hydrogen peroxide. Maybe the low concentration and lack of really bright sunlight is why it took the button a long time to whitten.

[Axtman]

I tried the hydrogen peroxide in a bag trick with a black light (very close) and it worked great!