Retr0brite Process Helps Whiten Old, Yellowed Toys

Like many my age, I have Star Wars toys in basement that are well over forty years old.  They have stayed in storage for most of that time.  I have only considered taking them out and placing them on display recently.

Even though these toys have not been touched in decades, they have yellowed over the years.  At first, I had thought that I would have to live with the aging.  Then, I saw a series of videos by Retroblasting on YouTube.  In the videos, Michael and Melinda restored an original Kenner X-Wing Fighter toy from 1978.  One video was devoted to the process called Retr0brite, which claims to whiten old, yellowed plastic.  I was amazed to see the yellowed plastic of the X-Wing Fighter look almost as good as new.

Doing research, I discovered that the process was developed sometime around 2007, among people who collected and restored old computers, particularly Commodore and Apple products.  These computers, which were popular in the 1980s, had white or cream colored parts or accessories.  Over time, they had yellowed as well.

Indeed, originally, I had thought that the process was called Retrobrite, that is "retro" spelled with an "o."  I learned that it was actually called "Retr0brite," with an "0," like the 1s and 0s used in binary computer processing.

Retr0brite is not a specific brand or product.  It describes a process.  There are products that have been developed and marketed for the whitening of computer parts.  But they are somewhat expensive.  I've seen some products go for around $10 for an 8 ounce bottle.  Others go as high as $21 for a 4 ounce bottle.  However, the process is so easy, and done with products that are so basic, it can be done or much cheaper.

Michael and Melinda of Retroblasting demonstrated a process that used household products that were easily obtained.  They included hydrogen peroxide, glycerine, baking soda and Oxyclean.  Note that the peroxide is not the first aid product you buy in a supermarket or drug store.  It is the product used to dye hair, which has a greater concentration of peroxide.  Melinda mixed the ingredients with a blender to make a thick paste she painted over the plastic pieces.  She then left them under a ultraviolet light for about 12 hours, specifically UVA.

Although the peroxide is a bit more sophisticated than the super cheap first aid product, it is still reasonable at about $3 for a 16 ounce bottle.  The process can be done even cheaper, as Oxyclean is merely baking soda and powdered peroxide.  It's use is just duplicative of other ingredients.

A simpler method involved mixing peroxide with baking soda to make a paste that is painted on the surface of the plastic, and put under a UV light.  Another YouTube channel specializing in toy collecting, Toy Polloi, used only first aid grade 6% hydrogen peroxide.  Dave, who enjoys collecting the British line known as Action Man in addition to Star Wars toys, placed his action figures in a jar, filled the jar with peroxide, and then left it in the sun for a day and a half.  This simple method yielded very good results.

I decided to give Retr0brite a try, using a simple method.  I used only hair dresser quality peroxide, at a 40v level, or 12% peroxide.  I painted a stormtrooper with the product.  I then placed my stormtrooper under artificial UV light for a 24 hours (12 hours each side).  I found that the process worked quite well.

In a very simplistic scientific explanation, the yellowing is caused by oxidation.  The peroxide is similar to the water molecule, except that it include an additional oxygen atom.  Peroxide is a weak molecule, and reacts easily with certain ions.  When applied to oxidized plastic, the chemical bonds of the peroxide molecule breaks.  The extra oxygen atoms bond, creating oxygen molecules and water. It essentially reverses the oxidation.

My next attempt will involve using the same peroxide product with baking soda, or sodium bicarbonite.  The baking soda is supposed to activate the hydrogen peroxide reaction once placed in water.

You can see my experimentation on YouTube.

It has been noted that the process reverses oxidation, but it does not stop it altogether.  Computer parts that have been whitened with Retr0brite have yellowed overtime again.  Of course, that only highlights that none of these products were built to last centuries.  But, then again, neither were we.

By:  William J. Kovatch, Jr.

You can view my YouTube video here: https://youtu.be/eZF00XvDhCc

The Dantooine Free Press is also on Twitter, @DantooineP, and Instagram.

References

Merlin, of AmiBay, English Amiga Board and Vintage ComputerForums (among others), "How to deal with the 'not-so-mellow yellow' of old computersand consoles," The Retr0Bright Project (July 28, 2010).

Retroblasting, "Star Wars Vintage X-Wing Restoration - Part 2 - Kenner 1978," YouTube Video (October 15, 2014).

Stewart, Terry, "RetroBrite (or RetroBrite) treated plastics re-yellowing even with minimal light exposure?", Terry Stewart's (Tezza's) Projects and Articles (Blog) (January 15, 2013).

Toy Polloi, "Fix It Guide - Quick and easy De-yellowing Star wrs figures - Toy Polloi," YouTube Video (May 7, 2014).