Retr0bright

[Icarium]

This is where matt3o tells us which components he used for retrobriting and where to get them!

[matt3o]

I didn't think this was something new or exotic The formula is pretty simple and components are easily found anywhere.

You need:

- any source of UV (eg: the sun )
- 500ml of Hydrogen Peroxide at high Volume (40 min but I used 60 I seem to recall). You can find it in pharmacy or beauty shops. It's pretty common, it is used in first aid but not usually at those high vols.
- a spoon of Oxy or Vanish or similar stain remover (powder)

The above are the must have. Below the nice to have

- a teaspoon of glycerine (pharmacies)
- an inert gellyfier such as xanthan gum (as much as needed)

Note that the gellyfier is just for ease of use, you don't actually need it for keycaps. You might need it for the case though because it's easier to put retr0bright if it is slightly gelly. The keys instead can be simply dipped into the mix.

Mix the components with little hot water. You need some practice as the components don't mix very well together. When you have a nice compound put it over the keys and leave under the direct sun (or any UV source) as long as you want. The longer the better. It also depends on how good is your UV source. Here in Italy I was able to whiten my Amiga keys in 8 hours under the August sun.

If you don't add the gellyfier, just immerse the keys into the mixture inside a glass container. every now and then shake a little bit so all keys get direct sun light.

The result is AMAZING. Let's see if I can find some photos...

[Icarium]

It's not really new or exotic but between the health hazards and the difficulty to figure out what you need and where to get it only a few people have done it.

[matt3o]

here it is, like new.



sorry for the low quality, but if you look closely between the rows you'll see that the keys are so clean that they reflect the surrounding keys.

Maybe I have the before the treatment pictures

Edit: nope sorry I can't find the "before" pictures, but the keys were completely yellow.

ps: for the records, I saved this amiga from the junk, my neighbor was trashing it!

[matt3o]

It's not really new or exotic but between the health hazards and the difficulty to figure out what you need and where to get it only a few people have done it.

Hydrogen Peroxide is of course pretty aggressive (it is used to bleach hair). I'd say just pay attention to your eyes and wear gloves. I take no responsibility for any harm blah blah blah

[Jmneuv]

Wow perfect result; is this the protective film still on the logo plate?
Did you bright the case too?

[matt3o]

Wow perfect result; is this the protective film still on the logo plate?
Did you bright the case too?

indeed the logo still has the protective film!

yes, the case has been retr0brighted, not as much as I would have liked, but good result nonetheless.

[pheo]

Great! I have all the components at home except I can't find xantan gum. Do you think corn startch would do the same result? As I dont know if it will gellify enough or not.

[matt3o]

Great! I have all the components at home except I can't find xantan gum. Do you think corn startch would do the same result? As I dont know if it will gellify enough or not.

try with a small quantity first, it might work. Maybe also gum arabic in small quantity.

[Icarium]

Went by the pharmacy on my way home from work they only had 250 ml bottles with 3 % strong stuff. >_<

[tlt]

Did you use 40% Hydrogen Peroxide solution?

[matt3o]

Did you use 40% Hydrogen Peroxide solution?

OMG NO! It's 40 volumes not 40%! Don't know even if it's possible to have 40% 40 volumes equal to approx 12%
They sometimes have in pharmacies at that concentration, but it is more common in beauty shops where they sell it for bleaching hair.

[Icarium]

Eh...I'm not much into chemistry...so that is 40 ml Hydrogen Peroxide in 100 ml water which results in 112 ml of mixture?

...no that doesn't make sense.. so how does this conversion work?

ahh... the h2o2 is lighter so 12 % concentration in mass equals 40 % concentration in volume?

[matt3o]

I seem to recall that the volume tells you how much oxygen is produced with hydrogen peroxide decomposition (1 vol of hydrogen peroxide produces 20 vol of oxygen that's why you find it in 20-40-60 volumes).

[matt3o]

Recent experiment after only 6 hours of retr0bright



they were two pretty yellowed m0110. the lower one is of course retr0brighted

[Peter]

Note that the gellyfier is just for ease of use

Actually, it's to keep expenses as low as possible !

[Jmneuv]

I have a few questions before attempting my first retr0bright:
how yielding is xanthan powder?
what do you need the glycerine for?
does a glass container block precious UV?

well, thanks for the interview *small bow

[Halvar]

All the details can be found somewhere on the inventor's site:
http://retr0bright.wikispaces.com/

Your questions:

1) you need only a very small amount -- get the smallest package you can get. Was that your question?
2) I think it helps the fluid to cover the surface more homogenously.
3) yes, glass absorbs a part of the UV light. Look at the transmission spectrum here:
http://www.lenstip.com/113.2-article-UV ... ation.html

So far I have retr0brighted an SGI keyboard and the keys of "theBoard". Both turned out fine, but took a long time because I used a UV lamp and the sky on a gray German day respectively. I'd say wait for a sunny day if possible. I wish I had the Italian sun here.

[matt3o]

in recent experiments I've always used peroxyde + vanish only and it worked very well (see picture above). I also discovered that you can find cheap very high vol peroxyde in hardware or paint shops. 130 vol peroxyde is used to bleach wood, of couse I don't use it pure but slightly diluted.

Use a large container not too tall. So caps fit comfortably.

[Halvar]

I used what is called "cream developer":
http://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B0095U8 ... UTF8&psc=1

With this you don't need Xanthan and Glycerine in most cases either. Just this and some oxy cleaner. My oxy cleaner dissolved very slowly, which is probably by design because it's meant to be used in washing machines. I think it's a good idea to dissolve it in a little bit of water and make sure it's fully dissolved before adding it to the oxide.

[Findecanor]

I have only retr0bright'ed keycaps once, last week, and I used a common glass jar out in the sun on a southward-facing balcony. Worked great on my second try. On my first try I had added too much Vanish so there was too much bubbly foam that blocked the sunlight. I diluted 35% H2O2 from a paint shop to 10-13% solution with hot water.

I read somewhere that the glycerine is to keep the gel moist. Only necessary when making gel.

Edit: My wooden stirring stick did also turn brighter.

Edit 2: A safety tip: When diluting H2O2, always put water into the container first, before pouring H2O2. If it splashes out when you pour, then the splash will be water not H2O2. (Sv: Den gamla SIV-regeln jag lärde mig i högstadiekemin...)

[matt3o]

I used what is called "cream developer":
I think it's a good idea to dissolve it in a little bit of water and make sure it's fully dissolved before adding it to the oxide.

I believe the original formula wants you to dissolve it into a blender Anyway you can find already diluted oxy (or vanish), they sell it for pretreating stains before the washing machine.

[Jmneuv]

Thanks guys, that filled in the gaps.
I'm going to start with a set of ds caps in a jar then i guess, maybe i can find a clear plastic jar for maximum UV.
Forecast says tomorrow i'm getting some sun.
Ahh i hate going to the madhouse of overprice (the hardware store)...

[Muirium]

Once something has been Retrobrited, does its resistance to further yellowing by UV light change at all? Seems like the oxygen leeching process could plausibly leave a different chemistry in the immediate surface, but ion and radical movement in plastic is not something I actually know about.

[Halvar]

In the retro computing forums I read some posts of people saying that their retr0brighted casings went yellow again pretty fast, and in the wiki, the inventors say that the surface should be protected from air (O2) after retrobrighting by varnishing or something like that. I don't want to do that though.

[Muirium]

There's always storing things behind glass in a nitrogen atmosphere I suppose…

[Peter]

Check out the 'Science'-section @
http://retr0bright.wikispaces.com/

[Muirium]

Check out the 'Science'-section @
http://retr0bright.wikispaces.com/

I've perused that before. Just couldn't find anything about what happens after the moment you've taken your "and behold, it is new!" pictures to show off to the internet.

Often times, it's exactly the long term state that's the hardest thing to find out about. People tend to focus on what they're in the middle of doing, rather than what they finished long ago.

[Peter]

To permanently prevent the yellowing from returning, just coat the parts with a clear acrylic varnish. Alternatively, you could use a protective polish such as Armor-All or Autoglym to provide a UV protectant to the surface.
http://retr0bright.wikispaces.com/Using+Retr0Bright

[Muirium]

To permanently prevent the yellowing from returning, just coat the parts with a clear acrylic varnish. Alternatively, you could use a protective polish such as Armor-All or Autoglym to provide a UV protectant to the surface.
http://retr0bright.wikispaces.com/Using+Retr0Bright

Yup. I heard about slapping on a protective layer, but nothing about what happens when you don't, or can't.