Retr0bright kills yellowing dead!

Spelling on news topics: check it!

Grammar and spelling make this posting painful. No offense, but outside of the redesign did everyone just take a vacation lately?

Cool, I wonder if this will restore my trust old Amiga 500 to its former glory?

Lorekeeper wrote:Spelling on news topics: check it!

Barrelass wrote:Grammar and spelling make this posting painful. No offense, but outside of the redesign did everyone just take a vacation lately?

It's been fixed.

I trust you all are thinking of volunteering for News Crew, because otherwise it would be more helpful for you to PM the person who posted the news instead of making snide remarks.

Everyone on Staff volunteers their time and abilities as they can. Help them out where you can in return.

Counterpunch wrote:

Lorekeeper wrote:Spelling on news topics: check it!

Barrelass wrote:Grammar and spelling make this posting painful. No offense, but outside of the redesign did everyone just take a vacation lately?

It's been fixed.

I trust you all are thinking of volunteering for News Crew, because otherwise it would be more helpful for you to PM the person who posted the news instead of making snide remarks.

Everyone on Staff volunteers their time and abilities as they can. Help them out where you can in return.

Thanks CP.

Any brave Autobots willing to volunteer and test this out? I'm betting it's probably not good to put on painted surfaces.

Oddly enough, some of my newer figures (RiD, WST) are yellowing worse than my old ones (minty white G1 Jetfire). Weird.

Also my Cybertron Prime is suffering from some mild sunstroke.

H202 (hydrogen peroxide) + UV light (sunlight) for a few hours = the same results

It does the same thing, works on Transformers and doesn't harm stickers or paint. The stronger the peroxide, the better. Thats an old tirck that requires reapplication after a while but I would like to try this new mixture though to see how it does. Anything to preserve TF's is a good thing.

Note: Use caution (gloves) when getting your item out of the peroxide solution that has been out in the sun, it will blister your skin for a fact and it hurts

Has anyone tried it yet? I am almost willing, but my figures with the most yellowing are Sonic Bomber and Road Fire. Both are too expensive to mess up, however, the yellowing sux on both...

DREWCIFER wrote:Has anyone tried it yet? I am almost willing, but my figures with the most yellowing are Sonic Bomber and Road Fire. Both are too expensive to mess up, however, the yellowing sux on both...

I think someone should try it with very common stuff like a junker Ramjet or bashed up Jetfire or hell Twintwist first. So if they end up melting or something it won't be so painful like a otherwise good FortMax.

Hello this is my first post and I have question. I have a a G1 Jetfire I've had for awhile and I want to get him cleaned and trying to whiten him. I've read quite a few posts about whitening and am trying some on some old junker toys first so that's not my question. I have been taking him apart and not having trouble but with one spot. I don't want to break it and can't find anything on how to disassemble it. I am stuck on the back section of the wings with the two tail fins that you can stand up and the black afterburners I guess. I pulled the two screws out but it doesn't want to come apart. Here's a picture where I'm stuck if anyone can tell me how or link a site I can't find that would be great.

I tried pulling mine apart when i got it and had no such luck. i can pull apart the dash on any car without messing it up. but could not get that piece apart

Yeah it's on there pretty tight and it feels like it's gonna break if I pull it to hard. Guess ill try and work around it.

Finally got him done took awhile, a little very light yellow, that was extra stubborn, on his knees and the little flaps over his landing gear on his legs but am pleased with how he turned out. Just need some stickers to replace the old ones....

Snap, Crackle, Pop, that is truely amazing!

What substance did you use to clean him? Did it leave any "scars"? Did it damage the Black and Red paint?

I have a really, really yellow Sonic Bomber, that I would love to get white. Do tell, do tell.

Well I was gonna just strip him from parts but found that post about hydrogen peroxide and decided to try it. It seemed to not damage the plastic but the red paint around his nose cone seemed to be the only spot where it lightened so i repainted it. Which was odd, the other red paint didn't change on the other parts and the dark plastic was fine as well. I did have to retouch some paint that was chipped when i got him. He seemed to turn out pretty well for something I was gonna scrap anyways. Next time I think I might try some with paint on it and tape it off then soak it. I think I'll try this on Scattershot who has a real bad case of the yellows but has different colored plastic.

wow nice job... gonna have to hit a few spots on my jetfire now!

Thanks I was a little shocked as well I was watching them lighten over the days of soaking and then after seeing the old picture it looks like a different toy. Here's the link to the post and he did some great things as well especially that ugly ass ratchet that looked brown.
http://www.thetf.net/forum_posts-TID-13204-PN-1.htm
Think I'm gonna try the higher percent H2O2 to see if it works a little better and faster. Some of the real bad pieces took about 4-5 days.

What % did you use, 3%, 30%, or 35%? How long did you let yours sit?

I am down , just let me know what percentage, you used, and if you have any further suggestions.

Dood nice! Almost looks like a new freakin Jetfire! good work

Well I used the hydrogen peroxide you can buy anywhere 3% and I left some pieces in 3 days and the real bad pieces for 5 days. After more reading I saw it took about 2 days max with 30%. I did mine inside, not outside in the sun, with a work light and a plant bulb you can buy at home depot for around $15 for both. So I pointed the light on the jar had it pretty close to the jar and rotated it a 1/4 turn once every 6 hours. Then I took the pieces that looked good already out after 3 days and put new H2O2 in for the really bad pieces. !!Be careful of warm H2O2 it burns like a bitch!! Another 2 days and they were good. All in all it was a fun experiment and plan on trying it out on some other Transformers. I have a Scattershot and a Fort Max figure that have some bad yellowing so I'll post pics of those throughout the process. Oh and I took Jetfire apart as much as possible and did it in pieces not the whole figures I'm not sure what will happen to metal. Hope this helps and check that link above some good stuff there.

Danke! I will attempt to whiten my Sonic Bomber this weekend. It really couldn't hurt, It currently looks like Sh!t.

Been awhile since I could work on some more guys but I recently picked up another Jetfire and a Skalor to work on. I can't find a jar big enough for my Fort Max so I've been holding off.
Here's some shots of the other two Jetfire was in way worse condition than before and he has some pieces that are broke.





You can see a few pieces damaged his back wing tip, his chest piece the bottom right is chipped, and missing one of the black covers on his hips. You might not be able to tell but it looks like someone took a lighter to his forehead.
Skalor


He turned out quite well and I have one more Skalor to do.
Used the same process as with the two Jetfires but put it outsude in the sun rather than under a heat lamp. Seemed to work faster outside by 2 days. I was curious about the colors on Skalor but they didn't get messed up it just lightened the brown color up to the colors that weren't damaged. So far so good on fixing sun damaged Transformers.

Sorry for the bad pics Ill post better pics when I get a camera my last one died and I have been using my camera phone. Still looking around for a good deal on one.
All my pics from the last few months of working are here.
http://s35.photobucket.com/albums/d161/kmfdm_sucks/

is it possible to do, or am i stuck with it? and if it is possible, how?

It is possible to remove yellowing. Submerge the yellowed parts in 30% hydrogen peroxide (available at pool supply stores) in a clear sealable glass jar and sit in direct sunlight. This process works remarkably well. I took a G1 Jetfire from moderately yellowed to bone white. I think I may even have some before and after pics. The change was dramatic. The key to the process ironically enough is the UV light from the sun, it acts as a catalyst. Just be careful with the hydrogen peroxide, if it touches bare skin it stings and turns your skin white for about an hour.

Yes, hydrogen peroxide and UV-light or direct sunlight is the answer. The results are astounding!
Like El Duque stated, be careful, because hydrogen peroxide is aggressive, like an acid. Also, remember to remove screws and any metal parts that are susceptible to rusting. Finally, I've experienced it to dissolve chrome paint, so do beware of soaking chrome parts. And of course, stickers don't handle the soaking well either, so be prepared to buy replacement stickers if needed.

I actually use 3% hydrogen peroxide, because it is more readily available in the shops. It does take (a lot) longer, but the results are still excellent. I've already taken care of some yellowed Overlord parts, and right now I'm soaking a G1 Groove.

It should be noted that it's not a cure, just a way of treating the yellowing. I should also mention that peroxide is more commonly used as a bleaching agent, especially for hair. So all you're doing is bleaching the plastic

JelZe GoldRabbit wrote:It should be noted that it's not a cure, just a way of treating the yellowing. I should also mention that peroxide is more commonly used as a bleaching agent, especially for hair. So all you're doing is bleaching the plastic

Yes and no, I've done quite a bit of research on the subject and there is more going on than a simple bleaching. If that were the case it would turn colored plastics white which it doesn't. Actually it will reverese discolorization in colored plastics as well especially blues and greens that often discolor. It seems to be safe people have been using the process for several years now and haven't reported any side effects and the yellowing does not return, unless of course the plastic gets re-exposed to sun light.
Here a site I found useful: http://retr0bright.wikispaces.com/

edit: While the page I listed recommends creating a paste that includes an oxy booster I got better results with straight peroxide in a clear jar. I do plan on making some more of the paste so apply to my Overlord's chest flaps for a spot application.

JelZe GoldRabbit wrote:It should be noted that it's not a cure, just a way of treating the yellowing. I should also mention that peroxide is more commonly used as a bleaching agent, especially for hair. So all you're doing is bleaching the plastic

It's not a bleaching action.

My wife is a chemical engineer. What's going on is a pretty complicated altering of the plastic.

Counterpunch wrote:

JelZe GoldRabbit wrote:It should be noted that it's not a cure, just a way of treating the yellowing. I should also mention that peroxide is more commonly used as a bleaching agent, especially for hair. So all you're doing is bleaching the plastic

It's not a bleaching action.

My wife is a chemical engineer. What's going on is a pretty complicated altering of the plastic.

You lucky dog. I was actually pretty good at Chemistry, maybe she can give me a refresher course?

ill be giving this a try asap, thanks guys

I consider myself extremely lucky to have purchased a G1 Jetfire that WASN'T yellowed, and for a decent price, but at least now I know if he does get that way, all is not lost.

Come to think of it, my Robot Masters R-Blade and WST Red Alert could use a soaking...

Say, how would this work on red plastic? One of my Primes is looking a bit orange these days...

kirbenvost wrote:I consider myself extremely lucky to have purchased a G1 Jetfire that WASN'T yellowed, and for a decent price, but at least now I know if he does get that way, all is not lost.

Come to think of it, my Robot Masters R-Blade and WST Red Alert could use a soaking...

Say, how would this work on red plastic? One of my Primes is looking a bit orange these days...

Never seen it used on red plastics. I've seen it used on discolored Seacons, and they were returned to their original colors. The only problem I see is the red is probably faded rather than discolored, but who knows it may work. I know it works like a champ on whites, blues, and greens.

Can't recommend this for Classics series figures now. Just tried it with Ramjet and not only did the paint start to peel off but a wing broke off aswell. Im just thankful this didnt happen to my Classics Ultra Magnus

grimdragon2001 wrote:Can't recommend this for Classics series figures now. Just tried it with Ramjet and not only did the paint start to peel off but a wing broke off aswell. Im just thankful this didnt happen to my Classics Ultra Magnus

Wow, that's weird. Surprised your classics Ramjet already had yellowing, did you have it displayed where it would be exposed to direct sunlight? None of the figures I've done this to have had any problems. I left some of Jetfire's parts in a 30% solutions for over two days, and didn't have have any problems during reassembly and I've transformed him multiple times since then. Sorry about your bad luck.

ramjet, starscream and magnus got yellowed a bit when i foolishly displayed them on the windowcil of my office. still kicking myself for it. im not sure if hasbro uses different paints now or if it was the oxy clean i added to the mix (as suggested by the website listed on this board) due to only having 3% poroxide available. the wing paint just bubbled up and started to peel off. guess its time to look into a henkei version

grimdragon2001 wrote:ramjet, starscream and magnus got yellowed a bit when i foolishly displayed them on the windowcil of my office. still kicking myself for it. im not sure if hasbro uses different paints now or if it was the oxy clean i added to the mix (as suggested by the website listed on this board) due to only having 3% poroxide available. the wing paint just bubbled up and started to peel off. guess its time to look into a henkei version

Well, that may have been your problem: the Oxy Clean. I'm not sure I would have proceeded without getting some 30% H2O2. El Duque did mention just using straight hydrogen peroxide. So while I do sympathize, I'm not sure I would have used the Oxy Clean.

Tirade wrote:

grimdragon2001 wrote:ramjet, starscream and magnus got yellowed a bit when i foolishly displayed them on the windowcil of my office. still kicking myself for it. im not sure if hasbro uses different paints now or if it was the oxy clean i added to the mix (as suggested by the website listed on this board) due to only having 3% poroxide available. the wing paint just bubbled up and started to peel off. guess its time to look into a henkei version

Well, that may have been your problem: the Oxy Clean. I'm not sure I would have proceeded without getting some 30% H2O2. El Duque did mention just using straight hydrogen peroxide. So while I do sympathize, I'm not sure I would have used the Oxy Clean.

I've done it both ways with the oxy booster and without. Adding the oxy booster makes the hydrogen peroxide cloudy and thus reduces the amount of sunlight hitting the parts. I didn't have any problems with it when I used the oxy booster, I just decided it wasn't necessary. I doubt it's inclusion is what caused his problems. It may just be that the newer formula plastics they are using aren't compatible with the process. I've only used it on vintage figures. I only included the link to the Retr0brite page, because it goes into the whole chemical process extensively. I plan on using the process tomorrow on G1 Mirage's chest piece.

A quick Google search gave me this, which is quite interesting. It goes a little further into the causes of plastic yellowing (bromine, supposedly) and the reversal of the yellowing process with H2O2 and UV light. Interestingly, this guy does recommend adding a little OxyClean to the mix...

Then I'd say El Duque is right about the cause being the newer plastics.

Has anyone ever tried to remove yellowing from these 2000 generation figs?

here is the exact results from ramjets aproxament 20 hour soak in 3% hydrogen poroxide and oxy as close as i can relay them.

red paint from the wings and back began to bubble and come off the plastic. the silver paint on the body faded out to a grey that makes it look dirty

many joints stiffened significantly, the legs most notebly due to the fact once compessed for transformation, they often popped off the ball joint rather then pulling back out. the wing joints were also stiffend and required much more force to move. which factors into the next part

the thuster on the right leg split in half upon trying to move the wing joint. the break was at the screw points.

i hope this at least serves as a good reference for anyone looking to restore more recent releases that have yellowing issues

As I said previously, it could be that the newer plastics are of a different formula that will not stand up to this process. On a side note, you probably would have had better results had you completely disassembled the figure and only soaked the parts that needed to be whitened. Obviously that wouldn't have helped with the paint lifting, but it may have helped with the joints. The figures I have used this process on retained their paint and most of their stickers, but again the paint formulas have probably changed over the years and may not be as resilient as they used to be. It's most definitely a use at your own risk sort of operation. I probably wouldn't have tried it on Jetfire, but I ended up with two, one yellowed and one not.

If anyone is going to try this, here are some tips:

-completely disassemble the figure and only whiten the parts that are yellowed

-remove all screws and metal when possible, the metal will oxidize. The oxidation can be removed, but it's better to prevent that problem rather than correct it.

-I use straight 30% hydrogen peroxide in a clear glass jar with a resealable lid.

-once the parts have reached the desired level of whiteness remove them and rinse them in a fresh water bath. Once the parts are clean dry them as much as possible then let them sit for a few hours to let all the water in the nooks and cracks evaporate.

-carefully reassemble the figure, test fitting everything along the way before screwing things back together.

-if everything goes smoothly you should have a nice white figure.

-in the event paint and stickers come off be prepared to apply repro labels and repaint the figure.

I guess it's a risky project, but after the results I achieved with Jetfire I feel it was worth the effort.

Here's some before after pics. They're not the greatest and really don't do the process justice.

your results are most impressive

Wow, yeah that is a significant improvement! I'm glad it worked so well for you.

kirbenvost wrote:Wow, yeah that is a significant improvement! I'm glad it worked so well for you.

Thanks! I wish I had taken some better before pics, he was a lot more yellowed than the pic I posted lets on.

El Duque wrote:

kirbenvost wrote:Wow, yeah that is a significant improvement! I'm glad it worked so well for you.

Thanks! I wish I had taken some better before pics, he was a lot more yellowed than the pic I posted lets on.

You could definitely tell he was badly yellowed though, even if the pic didn't show just how bad. I am really impressed with how well this worked for you and thanks for posting the resluts.

The only side effect I got is that discolored spot on the red stripe on his chest. As you can can see in the pics it started out completely solid, but now has discolored spot right on the hump. That was one of the hardest pieces to get completely white and was in the bath for the longest. The discolorization didn't occur till right at the end, had it not requited such a long soak time it would have been fine. I plan on repainting the stripe and applying some reprolables then he will completely restored.

It's probably the plastics.

@ El Duque, a bit of bad luck, reprolabels' Jetfire set doesn't have the chest "red" design so that d@mn blemish on the hump is, well

fenrir72 wrote:It's probably the plastics.

@ El Duque, a bit of bad luck, reprolabels' Jetfire set doesn't have the chest "red" design so that d@mn blemish on the hump is, well

Actually I'm planning on repainting the red stripe myself, just need the reprolabels for the rest.