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geekhack Community => Other Geeky Stuff => Topic started by: Coreda on Fri, 12 May 2017, 11:28:55

Title: Does Retrobright'ing high gloss plastics affect their finish?
Post by: Coreda on Fri, 12 May 2017, 11:28:55

Considering de-yellowing some high gloss plastic (just a flat sheet) and wondering if anyone here has experience using the retrobright (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Retr0bright) solution (or just hydrogen peroxide in general) on such surfaces and whether it affects the gloss finish at all.

I know it can make the plastic more brittle from what I've read, and the yellowing can return in as quickly as a year so looking out for other potential considerations wrt the surface.

Title: Re: Does Retrobright'ing high gloss plastics affect their finish?
Post by: Coreda on Tue, 20 June 2017, 13:56:15

So it does retain the finish, you just have to be careful of what I've heard called 'bloom' marks (areas where the solution dries too thickly on the surface prior to removal and causes the surface to become lighter than other parts), which is why using a mixture with less thickener makes it easier to paint evenly. Also only requires a rather thin layer per session (I cleaned it between applications).

Takes a fairly long while to clean off but detergent helps a great deal. Just use soft paper towels or cloth to avoid scratches.

Read that applying a UV-resistant, clear lacquer blocks the UV and oxygen, preventing re-yellowing but haven't tried this. Given the posts about the lifespan of the retrobrighting I'm surprised the tip hasn't shown up elsewhere that I could find though.