White PC Engine should be white

Deletion · 08/21/2012, 08:17 PM

Yeah, what wilykat said. This is the first time I've worked with hydrogen peroxide and never had to dispose of it. Based on what I found online it should be disposed of properly. See if your town's Dept of Public Works (or similar facility) accepts it. My town has two days every year in which residents can drop off hazardous waste.

NecroPhile · 08/22/2012, 09:54 AM

Or let it sit out in the open for a week or two and let it naturally decay into plain old water and oxygen.

xcrement5x · 08/22/2012, 03:42 PM

So is the hydrogen peroxide still usable to whiten something else after it's been used once? It sounds like if it breaks down after a week (during which was probably used to whiten anyway), you could probably just dump it in your back yard.

Arkhan Asylum · 03/20/2013, 11:47 AM

Quote from: guest on 08/22/2012, 03:42 PMSo is the hydrogen peroxide still usable to whiten something else after it's been used once? It sounds like if it breaks down after a week (during which was probably used to whiten anyway), you could probably just dump it in your back yard.

I did a marathon bleaching session once. I used 5 bottles of peroxide and a fish tank.

I bleached 5 Commodore 64 1541 floppy drives, two C64s themselves, a 1581, and a mouse.

All with the same fishtank full of liquid, out in my driveway.

When I was done, I just dumped the peroxide all over a group of kids walking by.

Just kidding. I dumped it on the ground and blasted it with the hose and let it dry.

turboswimbz · 03/20/2013, 01:23 PM

Quote from: guest on 08/22/2012, 03:42 PMSo is the hydrogen peroxide still usable to whiten something else after it's been used once? It sounds like if it breaks down after a week (during which was probably used to whiten anyway), you could probably just dump it in your back yard.

The peroxide will contimue to OXIDIZE (in this case bleaching) until it has become all Water and Oxygen. Although as time goes on this will be less and less effective. Becuase of this Higher level conctations of Peroxides should be disposed of in a proper method, (i.e. not straight down the drain or into a water source, and never mixed with other chemicals) let it sit for a period of time and mix it with large amounts of water if you have and concerns (hosein it down is fine as ark said).

RyuHayabusa · 03/24/2013, 04:36 PM

I'm trying this out on a yellowed PC Engine I got with a boxed interface I recently bought. Tried using straight bleach first but it didn't do the job. I saw a little tutorial over at superpcenginefx about using bleach and while it helped slightly it didn't do the job. So, I cleaned it all up real good and now the plastic is sitting in a bucket of 3% hydrogen peroxide. Hoping it turns out nice and white. Have to admit I was kinda nervous about using the HP, especially after using the bleach. I cleaned everything up good but still don't want to risk making a cloud of toxic fumes and dying.

turboswimbz · 03/24/2013, 08:55 PM

Quote from: RyuHayabusa on 03/24/2013, 04:36 PMI'm trying this out on a yellowed PC Engine I got with a boxed interface I recently bought. Tried using straight bleach first but it didn't do the job. I saw a little tutorial over at superpcenginefx about using bleach and while it helped slightly it didn't do the job. So, I cleaned it all up real good and now the plastic is sitting in a bucket of 3% hydrogen peroxide. Hoping it turns out nice and white. Have to admit I was kinda nervous about using the HP, especially after using the bleach. I cleaned everything up good but still don't want to risk making a cloud of toxic fumes and dying.

3% might not work well - you should go to a beauty store and get developer or look at a pharmacy for at least 10%-15%. While peroxide of this strength is more dangerous it is necessary to reduce the Oxygen to Hydrogen in the ABS plastic. Basically your creating conditions in which the unfavorable reaction can run. Also throw in 1/4 teaspoonful of "Oxy" laundry booster for every pint of H2O2 you use.

Also I can't say enough for not using bleach for this as hypochlorite contains CL. which is highly reactive:
"Chlorine is higher up in the Group VII (Halogen) elements than Bromine and can displace Bromine; the downside is that you are essentially peppering the surface with tiny holes, as the Bromine is bigger than the Chlorine that has replaced it. This translates into the plastic becoming brittle as the lattice is no longer completely filled. You also haven't really gained anything, since Chlorine can also pull Oxygen from the air and hold onto it, making the plastic change colour, although not as pronounced as before." - Taken from the retrobight site.

Tatsujin · 03/24/2013, 10:18 PM

Wow, you know the stuff, swimbz

Keith Courage · 03/25/2013, 07:22 AM

Bleach has always worked perfect for me. I use straight bleach with no added water. Let it sit for at least 12 hours. I generally let it sit over night in a small bucket in my bathroom. Then I wipe any marks left over off with a MR Clean Magic Eraser.

ApolloBoy · 03/25/2013, 11:15 AM

Quote from: Keith Courage on 03/25/2013, 07:22 AMBleach has always worked perfect for me. I use straight bleach with no added water. Let it sit for at least 12 hours. I generally let it sit over night in a small bucket in my bathroom. Then I wipe any marks left over off with a MR Clean Magic Eraser.

Doesn't pure bleach damage the plastic though?

esteban · 03/25/2013, 12:59 PM

Quote from: Keith Courage on 03/25/2013, 07:22 AMBleach has always worked perfect for me. I use straight bleach with no added water. Let it sit for at least 12 hours. I generally let it sit over night in a small bucket in my bathroom. Then I wipe any marks left over off with a MR Clean Magic Eraser.

Keith will get back to you as soon as he can--it turns out he bleached his computer keyboard and the keys literally disintegrated a few minutes ago as he tapped a response to your question.

By the way... Keith says, "Hi!" and "TTYS

"

CrackTiger · 03/25/2013, 01:28 PM

I bleached another white PCE in 2012 and it looks brand new now. I didn't even soak it for very long or expose it to sunlight. I did scrub it with a tooth brush though.

esteban · 03/25/2013, 01:53 PM

Quote from: guest on 03/25/2013, 01:28 PMI bleached another white PCE in 2012 and it looks brand new now. I didn't even soak it for very long or expose it to sunlight. I did scrub it with a tooth brush though.

MEDIUM SOFT BRISTLES, naturally.

Keith Courage · 03/25/2013, 03:14 PM

I've never had it damage any plastic or make it brittle as far as I can tell. Then again I've never tried breaking a case on purpose to see if it's just as strong after bleeching or not.

RyuHayabusa · 03/25/2013, 04:08 PM

Interesting. I let my yellow PCE sit in bleach for over 24 hours and it barely did anything. It's a little whiter but not by much. The heavily yellowed parts were hardly phased at all. I then let it set in 3% hydrogen peroxide overnight outside and nothing. Albeit it was cloudy all day but nothing seems to have much of an effect on this thing. I was expecting an nice white PCE but no dice.

CrackTiger · 03/25/2013, 04:21 PM

Quote from: RyuHayabusa on 03/25/2013, 04:08 PMInteresting. I let my yellow PCE sit in bleach for over 24 hours and it barely did anything. It's a little whiter but not by much. The heavily yellowed parts were hardly phased at all. I then let it set in 3% hydrogen peroxide overnight outside and nothing. Albeit it was cloudy all day but nothing seems to have much of an effect on this thing. I was expecting an nice white PCE but no dice.

Maybe some are genuinely stained while others just experience that side effect of the plastic composition?

Bernie · 03/25/2013, 04:34 PM

Instead of bleach, why not just try straight chlorine mixed with water?

RyuHayabusa · 03/25/2013, 04:44 PM

Quote from: guest on 03/25/2013, 04:21 PM
Quote from: RyuHayabusa on 03/25/2013, 04:08 PMInteresting. I let my yellow PCE sit in bleach for over 24 hours and it barely did anything. It's a little whiter but not by much. The heavily yellowed parts were hardly phased at all. I then let it set in 3% hydrogen peroxide overnight outside and nothing. Albeit it was cloudy all day but nothing seems to have much of an effect on this thing. I was expecting an nice white PCE but no dice.
Maybe some are genuinely stained while others just experience that side effect of the plastic composition?

Nah, this isn't a stain. It's yellow on the entire back and right side as well as around the controller port. It looks like you'd expect from ABS yellowing. I guess I could try to get a higher concentration of hydrogen peroxide but I hate having to mess with all these potent chemicals. Makes me nervous.

esteban · 03/25/2013, 04:45 PM

Quote from: guest on 03/25/2013, 04:21 PM
Quote from: RyuHayabusa on 03/25/2013, 04:08 PMInteresting. I let my yellow PCE sit in bleach for over 24 hours and it barely did anything. It's a little whiter but not by much. The heavily yellowed parts were hardly phased at all. I then let it set in 3% hydrogen peroxide overnight outside and nothing. Albeit it was cloudy all day but nothing seems to have much of an effect on this thing. I was expecting an nice white PCE but no dice.
Maybe some are genuinely stained while others just experience that side effect of the plastic composition?

PRO-TIP FOR SOILED CONSOLES: Instead of using weak-ass chlorine or bleach, you should use hydrocholoric acid to take the yellow (and residue) off of your soiled consoles.

NecroPhile · 03/25/2013, 05:02 PM

Quote from: Bernie on 03/25/2013, 04:34 PMInstead of bleach, why not just try straight chlorine mixed with water?

elemental chlorine + water = hydryochloric acid

Stop listening to esteban.

Bernie · 03/25/2013, 05:09 PM

I understand that, but you can control the concentration of chlorine by buying pure chlorine.

OldMan · 03/25/2013, 05:13 PM

Where would you buy pure chlorine?

NecroPhile · 03/25/2013, 05:17 PM

You'd just end up with diluted hydrochloric acid, which still sounds like a bad idea to me.

Bernie · 03/25/2013, 05:22 PM

You can get 99 percent chlorine in most hardware stores. Same stuff they put in wells when first dug too. The granules I buy for my pool are 99 percent pure as well. I've had chunks of it that didn't dissolve literally bleach the blue lining solid bright white in spots, happens when the kids mess with the dispenser.

NecroPhile · 03/25/2013, 05:31 PM

Those granules (dichlor or a hypochlorate) are not pure chlorine. That's why they're granules - pure chlorine is a gas at room temperature.

Bernie · 03/25/2013, 05:44 PM

Well, yeah you're right. But still more than what ya get in bleach.

OldMan · 03/25/2013, 05:48 PM

Quote....pure chlorine is a gas at room temperature.

And extremely toxic. That's why I wondered where he was buying it from.

Bernie · 03/25/2013, 06:17 PM

They actually make it at the plant I work at. Had two spills in the last couple years. Hangs low and moves with the wind. Nasty stuff.

OldMan · 03/25/2013, 07:05 PM

Note to self: Stay away from where bernie works

Had a neighbor over-chlorinate their pool once, drawing out lots of firemen and cops. They thought it was a chlorine leak. Nothing I want to mess with

turboswimbz · 03/25/2013, 08:38 PM

Quote from: RyuHayabusa on 03/25/2013, 04:44 PM
Quote from: guest on 03/25/2013, 04:21 PM
Quote from: RyuHayabusa on 03/25/2013, 04:08 PMInteresting. I let my yellow PCE sit in bleach for over 24 hours and it barely did anything. It's a little whiter but not by much. The heavily yellowed parts were hardly phased at all. I then let it set in 3% hydrogen peroxide overnight outside and nothing. Albeit it was cloudy all day but nothing seems to have much of an effect on this thing. I was expecting an nice white PCE but no dice.
Maybe some are genuinely stained while others just experience that side effect of the plastic composition?
Nah, this isn't a stain. It's yellow on the entire back and right side as well as around the controller port. It looks like you'd expect from ABS yellowing. I guess I could try to get a higher concentration of hydrogen peroxide but I hate having to mess with all these potent chemicals. Makes me nervous.

IF you really don't want to mess with chemicals. Looking back at the work I was doing with H2O2 3% changed ever few days with constant sunlight should whiten your PCE in about 6-8 months.

And you guys have it all wrong for the best oxidation results, literally bleaching your PCE in minutes:
Step 1: go to food store
Step 2: Buy (ferrious iron) - yeah this is available there but no I won't tell you what product see step 7
Step 3: Buy High concentration H2O2
Step 4: Pile shavings of Iron in glass container
Step 5: throw in ABS
Step 6: Add H2O2
Step 7:

SERIOUSLY DON'T TRY THIS AT HOME!

esteban · 03/26/2013, 11:20 PM

Quote from: turboswimbz on 03/25/2013, 08:38 PM
Quote from: RyuHayabusa on 03/25/2013, 04:44 PM
Quote from: guest on 03/25/2013, 04:21 PM
Quote from: RyuHayabusa on 03/25/2013, 04:08 PMInteresting. I let my yellow PCE sit in bleach for over 24 hours and it barely did anything. It's a little whiter but not by much. The heavily yellowed parts were hardly phased at all. I then let it set in 3% hydrogen peroxide overnight outside and nothing. Albeit it was cloudy all day but nothing seems to have much of an effect on this thing. I was expecting an nice white PCE but no dice.
Maybe some are genuinely stained while others just experience that side effect of the plastic composition?
Nah, this isn't a stain. It's yellow on the entire back and right side as well as around the controller port. It looks like you'd expect from ABS yellowing. I guess I could try to get a higher concentration of hydrogen peroxide but I hate having to mess with all these potent chemicals. Makes me nervous.
IF you really don't want to mess with chemicals. Looking back at the work I was doing with H2O2 3% changed ever few days with constant sunlight should whiten your PCE in about 6-8 months.

And you guys have it all wrong for the best oxidation results, literally bleaching your PCE in minutes:
Step 1: go to food store
Step 2: Buy (ferrious iron) - yeah this is available there but no I won't tell you what product see step 7
Step 3: Buy High concentration H2O2
Step 4: Pile shavings of Iron in glass container
Step 5: throw in ABS
Step 6: Add H2O2
Step 7:
SERIOUSLY DON'T TRY THIS AT HOME!

STATUS: Fenton, of course, went on to establish the mighty PopRocks Candy empire...

Tatsujin · 03/27/2013, 01:44 AM

xcrement5x · 03/28/2013, 05:38 PM

Quote from: turboswimbz on 03/25/2013, 08:38 PM
Quote from: RyuHayabusa on 03/25/2013, 04:44 PM
Quote from: CrackTiger on 03/25/2013, 04:21 PM
Quote from: RyuHayabusa on 03/25/2013, 04:08 PMInteresting. I let my yellow PCE sit in bleach for over 24 hours and it barely did anything. It's a little whiter but not by much. The heavily yellowed parts were hardly phased at all. I then let it set in 3% hydrogen peroxide overnight outside and nothing. Albeit it was cloudy all day but nothing seems to have much of an effect on this thing. I was expecting an nice white PCE but no dice.
Maybe some are genuinely stained while others just experience that side effect of the plastic composition?
Nah, this isn't a stain. It's yellow on the entire back and right side as well as around the controller port. It looks like you'd expect from ABS yellowing. I guess I could try to get a higher concentration of hydrogen peroxide but I hate having to mess with all these potent chemicals. Makes me nervous.
IF you really don't want to mess with chemicals. Looking back at the work I was doing with H2O2 3% changed ever few days with constant sunlight should whiten your PCE in about 6-8 months.

And you guys have it all wrong for the best oxidation results, literally bleaching your PCE in minutes:
Step 1: go to food store
Step 2: Buy (ferrious iron) - yeah this is available there but no I won't tell you what product see step 7
Step 3: Buy High concentration H2O2
Step 4: Pile shavings of Iron in glass container
Step 5: throw in ABS
Step 6: Add H2O2
Step 7:
SERIOUSLY DON'T TRY THIS AT HOME!

That was pretty awesome. Could you actually speed up the whitening process by using iron in there? It would be fun to try with like an old yellowed PC mouse on camera. 5 minutes and a brand new looking mouse!

turboswimbz · 03/28/2013, 08:31 PM

Quote from: guest on 03/28/2013, 05:38 PMThat was pretty awesome. Could you actually speed up the whitening process by using iron in there? It would be fun to try with like an old yellowed PC mouse on camera. 5 minutes and a brand new looking mouse!

Yeah in theory you could if you were especially using nano iron, however the heat it gives off warps the plastic. You can't believe the heat it gives off. I tried with a mouse and the plastic melted, So I'm not sure how much whiting it did. I'm still working on it though for poops and chuckles. For a much safer way, you can use the tried and true OXY - activating laundry powder and good ol' UV, . as the same principal that whiten the clothes, whitens the ABS, and get results in hours. - actually much cooler, scientist are using it clean up oil, dyes, and other contaminates by Oxidizing the lethal substances.

Here is a very nicely done science project showing the principal:

Also I forgot to mention, I checked this out because of Dan's thread. this reaction Hates to be Basic or highly acidic. In fact it can bring it to a point where whiting won't really occur. A little Vitamin C may decrease the whiting time in this reaction, but i'll need to find some more brown ABS and get some lab time to try again.

xcrement5x · 03/29/2013, 06:53 PM

Ahh, that makes sense about the heat released, I didn't even think about that aspect. Once it gets a bit sunnier I plan to throw out my old SNES and get this going.

Keith Courage · 03/29/2013, 06:55 PM

I just came across one pc engine where bleach did not work to remove the yellow. First time I have ever encountered that. Anyways, I was able to remove the one yellow stain by using some very fine sand paper. It just rubbed it right off.

turboswimbz · 03/29/2013, 07:01 PM

Quote from: Keith Courage on 03/29/2013, 06:55 PMI just came across one pc engine where bleach did not work to remove the yellow. First time I have ever encountered that. Anyways, I was able to remove the one yellow stain by using some very fine sand paper. It just rubbed it right off.

Yes this will work - if your not overly sensitive about your stuff (same with bleach as long as you don't go crazy with it.) you just take off the browned area of the plastic as the Hydrogen to Oxygen reaction can only occur on the surface of the plastic, this is kinda like exfoliating the skin. other good candidates for exfoliating your ABS include Magic Erasers, Brillo, nail files, and "tough" sponges.

mbannick · 04/04/2013, 01:10 AM

So, now that I have everything setup I'm thinking about using some hydrogen peroxide (3% and some oxyclean) to remove the yellowing on my pcengine. It's only slightly yellow on about 55% of the top (looks a little uneven) so I heard the 3% method should produce okay results. The only thing I'm worried about is the logo on the top and the serial number on the bottom. Will this fade the logo? (I'm thinking the serial number will probably be toast so I'll have to find a way to cover it or take it off beforehand.)

turboswimbz · 04/04/2013, 12:55 PM

the stickers will come off ... somewhere is a thread where Arkhan describes how to get this back on . . . .

Arkhan Asylum · 04/04/2013, 02:05 PM

if you don't want to screw with taking the stickers off, use that blue painters tape to cover that area up to protect it.

Just make sure you've got it covered tightly so it doesn't come off once submerged. That would kinda blow.

Another way you can do it is to use playdough, or any of those other goofy, malleable things. I'd be careful with sticky tak or silly putty though, it might strip the text off the label.

ApolloBoy · 08/23/2013, 10:01 PM

Just tried this today on a whim with my somewhat yellowed PCE. I didn't get it quite as whitened as I would've liked (I put it outside in a glass pan for a couple of hours and didn't have quite enough developer to totally submerge everything), but I'm real pleased with the results! I'm gonna have to pick up an old fish tank and do a marathon whitening Arkhan-style.

EDIT: Here's the aftermath:

roflmao · 08/23/2013, 11:10 PM

Looks great, Apollo! I'm tempted to do this myself.

wolfman · 02/10/2014, 07:54 AM

I am re-opening this thread and asking everyone who tried the bleaching methods on their experience.

Does the bleaching effect last?
Did the plastic get brittle in any way or start to peel off/break away?
Or did yellow again?

Since I am thinking of trying this on my CDROM², I am interested in long-term experience of others.

Thanks!

CrackTiger · 02/10/2014, 12:08 PM

Quote from: wolfman on 02/10/2014, 07:54 AMI am re-opening this thread and asking everyone who tried the bleaching methods on their experience.

Does the bleaching effect last?
Did the plastic get brittle in any way or start to peel off/break away?
Or did yellow again?

Since I am thinking of trying this on my CDROM², I am interested in long-term experience of others.

Thanks!

Using sttictly bleach and not anything like retrobrite:

Yes
No
No

wolfman · 02/10/2014, 01:11 PM

Quote from: guest on 02/10/2014, 12:08 PMUsing sttictly bleach and not anything like retrobrite:

Yes
No
No

Would that do it?

http://www.amazon.de/Blonde-Aufheller-Extrem-Stufe-St%C3%BCck/dp/B00175NXTW/ref=sr_1_16?ie=UTF8&qid=1392055442&sr=8-16&keywords=bleichmittel+haare

It is a hair bleacher for medium dark hair.

I live in Europe, so I´d be happy about recommendations from E.U. members since we usually don´t have U.S. brands available...

CrackTiger · 02/10/2014, 04:53 PM

Quote from: wolfman on 02/10/2014, 01:11 PM
Quote from: CrackTiger on 02/10/2014, 12:08 PMUsing sttictly bleach and not anything like retrobrite:

Yes
No
No
Would that do it?

http://www.amazon.de/Blonde-Aufheller-Extrem-Stufe-St%C3%BCck/dp/B00175NXTW/ref=sr_1_16?ie=UTF8&qid=1392055442&sr=8-16&keywords=bleichmittel+haare

It is a hair bleacher for medium dark hair.

I live in Europe, so I´d be happy about recommendations from E.U. members since we usually don´t have U.S. brands available...

I just use regular bleach sold for washing floors. Even just a few seconds submerged melts off all the dirt and such on everything. The last time I did it, I didn't really expose it to the sun and didn't leave it in that long and it transformed from noticeably discolored to looking brand new.

This is a guide from the first time I did it:

https://www.superpcenginegrafx.net/cleaning_a_pcengine.html

The pics don't show just how white that system really looked in the end, but it was physically worn. The last one I bleached was in nice condition, so that may help it take less time, since it doesn't have to soak into scratches or anything.

Keith Courage · 02/10/2014, 07:53 PM

Bleach works just fine for a PCE. However it does nothing for a yellow PCE CD drive. I think they are made out of a different type of plastic.

I've used regular bleach with great results. I just let it soak over night and rinse off the next day.

EvilEvoIX · 02/10/2014, 08:09 PM

That looks amazing, I'm going to try that with my SNES.

wolfman · 02/11/2014, 05:21 AM

Quote from: guest on 02/10/2014, 04:53 PMI just use regular bleach sold for washing floors.

Are you talking about chlorine?

wolfman · 02/11/2014, 05:22 AM

Quote from: Keith Courage on 02/10/2014, 07:53 PMBleach works just fine for a PCE. However it does nothing for a yellow PCE CD drive. I think they are made out of a different type of plastic.

I've used regular bleach with great results. I just let it soak over night and rinse off the next day.

So what should I use, if I would want to clean IFU and CDROM2?