Has anyone seen this!!! (whitening yellowed plastics)

[griffin]

I'd be worried about what it does long-term to the integrity of the plastic itself. Bleach is pretty harsh stuff, it could well be breaking down the bonds in the plastic, making it brittle or crumble away over time. If it doesn't affect the integrity of the plastic's molecular structure, it'd be a great fix. But if it does weaken the plastic, this 'short term fix' will be the scourge of the second hand market. You'll get dealers cleaning up their toys, get 'Mint' prices, and the toys crumble and break within a year of it being sold.

[kup]

I'd be worried about what it does long-term to the integrity of the plastic itself. Bleach is pretty harsh stuff, it could well be breaking down the bonds in the plastic, making it brittle or crumble away over time. If it doesn't affect the integrity of the plastic's molecular structure, it'd be a great fix. But if it does weaken the plastic, this 'short term fix' will be the scourge of the second hand market. You'll get dealers cleaning up their toys, get 'Mint' prices, and the toys crumble and break within a year of it being sold.

I agree it would need to have the plastic 'thinned' out since a layer of it would have to be removed. Its not just muck that makes it yellow, its the plastic itself that becomes that color so this technique must break down the surface of it.

Nevertheless it is an awesome alternative (assuming it works) to having a yellowed toy but the bad thing is that once whitened, it will be prone to yellowing regardless and I don't think it will be too healthy to have the same procedure done twice to the same parts.

I have a couple of junky toys I could try it on, like Dogfight and a junker Galvatron.

So what should I look for at the Super Market? I know that if I ask the checkout chick, she will have no idea.

[TheDirtyDigger]

Look for hydrogen peroxide in the health and beauty section. Best bet (and cheapest) is actually to go to the chemists. Chemists are also a lot more helpful than supermarket staff in general.

[kup]

Look for hydrogen peroxide in the health and beauty section. Best bet (and cheapest) is actually to go to the chemists. Chemists are also a lot more helpful than supermarket staff in general.

Would it be called Hydrogen Peroxide in the Beauty and Health Section or would it go by some brand name? Also what's it used for? I know women do crazy things to their skin and hair but acid?

[TheDirtyDigger]

Yeah just called hydrogen peroxide. I've seen it sold in a brown bottle but I can't remember the company bottling it.
Women do this stuff. You know the really, really blonde girls you see? Marilyn Monroe even used to put it on her nether regions to be blonde all over.

[Kyle]

Keep in mind that the yellowed plastic would already be weak and likely to be brittle. I have no problem of getting rid of a thin layer of the surface. But chances are the chemcial goes in much deeper than that, and would have long term effects inside the already weak and brittle plastic.

[kup]

Keep in mind that the yellowed plastic would already be weak and likely to be brittle. I have no problem of getting rid of a thin layer of the surface. But chances are the chemcial goes in much deeper than that, and would have long term effects inside the already weak and brittle plastic.

Yeah that is why I am going to try it on junker parts first to see how it goes. My Dogfight looks like he didn't survive the battle against Unicron so I will see if I can reignite his spark. He doesn't have much to loose and a lot to gain

[turtle boy]

I'm a member of the tf.net. I read it, but thought that every one would have seen and knew of this method. Thats whay i never posted it. Also. I don't much like mixing forums all that much. It confuses me lol...

[kup]

Good News from the colored plastic front!

After leaving it for two days and one morning there has been considerable improvement on Dogfight. Almost all of his parts are now yellow free and the only one still showing discoloration are his legs (back of jet) but even so, its probably subtle enough not to appear on a photo.

I am going to leave that part in the Jar for a day or so more in case its possible to get rid of what remains of the yellowing but even if it doesn't, it is a considerable improvement!

[Vector Sigma 13]

I'd be worried about what it does long-term to the integrity of the plastic itself. Bleach is pretty harsh stuff, it could well be breaking down the bonds in the plastic, making it brittle or crumble away over time. If it doesn't affect the integrity of the plastic's molecular structure, it'd be a great fix. But if it does weaken the plastic, this 'short term fix' will be the scourge of the second hand market. You'll get dealers cleaning up their toys, get 'Mint' prices, and the toys crumble and break within a year of it being sold.

I share this concern also. I do look forward into seeing the end results however.

I wonder if just wiping the figure over with peroxide would work (edit- now ive read the article a bit more i dont think so)- this way you could avoid the prolonged exposure to the chemical and perhaps avoid risking the breakdown of the figures structure.