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Thread: Whitening yellowed toys with Hydrogen Peroxide

  1. #1
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    Default Whitening yellowed toys with Hydrogen Peroxide

    From the February thread:

    Quote Originally Posted by Doubledealer View Post
    Mate that looks sensational, great job! Coincidentally I have a partially discoloured Grotusque on his way as we speak (on his shoulders)...I might have to get you show me how to give him this glorious HP bath of supreme whiteness.
    It's pretty simple.

    Need:

    - Get a clear glass jar with a seal tight lid (I use an mayonnaise jar like this one with the label removed)
    - Buy a Jar of Hydrogen Peroxide with at least 6% w/v from a Pharmacy or Super Market (Pharmacy is more reliable)
    - Fill the glass container with the appropriate volume of Hydgrogen Peroxide depending on the size of the yellowed piece.
    - Once the piece is submerged, expose the jar to sunlight for a few days (oh the irony! ) until the plastic color is 'corrected' to your satisfaction. During this process you will see thousands of small bubbles covering the surface of the plastic - This is the Hydrogen Peroxide at work.

    Advice: Try not to have too many pieces of plastic in one jar. The crowding of pieces slows the process as they shield each other from sunlight.

    Note 1: Some plastics are more successful at regaining their color than others but something that seems consistent from my experience is that there is always a considerable improvement. It seems that different plastic types regain their colors at different rates - The level of yellowing is also a factor in the length of the submerged time period.

    Warning: Hydrogen Peroxide is corrosive to metal. However from what's available in retail, the level of concentration is so low that it seems negligible. I have not seen any corrosion in metal rods and pins joining plastic parts even after being submerged for a couple of weeks.

    Warning 2: Although most painted parts will not be affected by the Hydrogen Peroxide, there is documentation that some do. Toys with painted detailing which fades with exposure to the Hydrogen Peroxide includes: AM Megatron (Purple).

    VERY IMPORTANT WARNING: Hydrogen Peroxide is also toxic so try to avoid exposing your skin to it. Try to use gloves and if it goes on your skin, wash the affected area immediately.

    Note 2: I have used this process in at least half a dozen toys without any ill effects to the plastic even after more than a couple of weeks submerged. It's been about a year's time since my first attempt and the plastic of the toy in question is still fine. However regardless of success, the plastic is still vulnerable to yellowing again if exposed to UV rays because that's the nature of the plastic.

    Disclaimer: Although I have been successful with several toys using this procedure and I have not observed any ill effects on the plastic - there is no guarantee that it will work for you and there is always the possibility that some plastics may not react well to the Hydrogen Peroxide so proceed at your own risk.

    Notes specific to Grotusque:

    Grotusque has a big pin that joins his legs together - You cannot remove this without breaking the plastic. The best thing to do so that his yellowing can be fixed is to separate the whole 'legs' assembly and remove every single screw that you can find so that you don't have to unnecessarily expose them to the HP. Unyellowed plastic does not seem to be affected by the Peroxide but still try to separate as many 'healthy' pieces from the assembly as possible.

    The top half of the body is easy to separate so if its just the shoulder, you shouldn't have any problem removing the affected piece.
    Last edited by kup; 24th February 2010 at 07:14 AM.

  2. #2
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    Great stuff. Thanks for reducing all that knowledge to words. It will certain come in useful for me when I have time to start restoring some TFs.

  3. #3
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    Umm this might sound stupid but this will also destroy any sticker work right?

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    Quote Originally Posted by kgb2005 View Post
    Umm this might sound stupid but this will also destroy any sticker work right?
    It doesn't destroy them but it does loosen them off. However you can always reattach them with some glue paste. And there is always Reprolabels.

    Regardless, keep in mind that a stickerless toy is much better looking than a yellowed stickered one.
    Last edited by kup; 23rd February 2010 at 12:45 AM.

  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by kup View Post
    It doesn't destroy them but it does loosen them off. However you can always reattach them with some glue paste. And there is always Reprolabels.

    Regardless, keep in mind that a stickerless toy is much better looking than a yellowed stickered one.
    unless you have yellow fever :P

    (couldnt help myself)

  6. #6
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    Thank you for that bit of information. Just wanted to know I was planning on doing my G1 Jetfire a figure I have had since I was a child and was curious to know how bad would the chemical react with the red paint and the other material and colors on jetfire?

  7. #7
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    This has been mentioned in the past, I'll bump it again.

    The peroxide will 'deactivate' the rub-sign. However, I would highly recommend not to try and peel off the rub-sign, as more likely than not, you'll end up removing the transparency instead of the actual full 'decal', (reason: the glue under the decal has had 20 years to 'cure', i.e. difficult to peel off cleanly in one go) the omission of the transparency will also 'de-activate' the rub-sign. So your better off with a peroxided rub-sign than a disgustingly handled one, leaving you to make efficient use of your saliva to remove the remaining residual.

    I really really doubt the above would deter anyone from applying this method as a reborn whitened toy > no rub-sign toy anyday.

  8. #8
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    Thanks for the tute, Kup. You say to leave it in there for a few days, so what happens at night? Is it worth removing the pieces from the jar, drying them off then putting them back in the next day or just leave it all in there until tender and juicy?

  9. #9
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    I have a few pieces I would like to try this on as well, so is it a wash rinse repeat sort of thing if need be? Should you rinse the piece off with water afterwards, or pat dry, or air dry?

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by Doubledealer View Post
    Thanks for the tute, Kup. You say to leave it in there for a few days, so what happens at night? Is it worth removing the pieces from the jar, drying them off then putting them back in the next day or just leave it all in there until tender and juicy?
    You can try putting the jar under a fluorescent light or simply leave it there until the sun comes out the next day. You don't have to remove the pieces until the whole process is done.

    Quote Originally Posted by 1AZRAEL1 View Post
    I have a few pieces I would like to try this on as well, so is it a wash rinse repeat sort of thing if need be? Should you rinse the piece off with water afterwards, or pat dry, or air dry?
    I just take them away from sunlight and let them dry by themselves.
    Last edited by kup; 23rd February 2010 at 08:43 AM.

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