"Retrobrighting" Powerbook keys?

[desertrout]

Does anyone know if you can somehow restore the color of grey plastics that have browned? My PB 180 in particular has noticeably brown keys and trackball buttons that I assume is due to bromine. I'm tempted to perform an experiment though I have my doubts since the usual de-yellowing techniques using peroxides are effectively bleaching, but I'm curious to know if anyone has any experience or information about this.

 

[sutekh]

I recently hit my 180c with some Krud Kutter and it pulled a lot of the discoloration out. Still not a perfect match to the chassis plastics, but much better. I'd be cautious as using anything too harsh, as ABS plastic isn't at all solvent resistant and even if the plastic fares okay, you might pull the silk-screening off the keys.

 

[alexGS]

Does anyone know if you can somehow restore the color of grey plastics that have browned? My PB 180 in particular has noticeably brown keys and trackball buttons that I assume is due to bromine. I'm tempted to perform an experiment though I have my doubts since the usual de-yellowing techniques using peroxides are effectively bleaching, but I'm curious to know if anyone has any experience or information about this.

View attachment 28774

It’s quite late to revive this old discussion, but I got some nice results last week with about a 5-10% hydrogen peroxide solution in water, keycaps stuck onto blobs of blutack - sticky tack, don’t know what you call it where you are Bubbles (released oxygen as the H2O2 turns into H2O) are a good sign. Left in the sun for about four hours, keycaps came out looking like new (it’s the keyboard under the badly-ghosting screen).

Immersion is the only method that produces properly-even, non-bleached results in my experience. You want the yellow removed without the grey being lightened.

 

[compu_85]

... keycaps stuck onto blobs of blutack...

Any tips for getting the keycaps off? I'd hate to just yank and snap the stabilizes.

-J

 

[alexGS]

Any tips for getting the keycaps off? I'd hate to just yank and snap the stabilizes.

-J

It’s been a while but I think it’s the edge closest to the display that pops free first. I recall they are robust (the white plastic stabiliser is not brittle). Use something like a blunt knife to pry the edge of the keycap upwards.

 

[croissantking]

We don’t get much sun here in the UK from October to March. I guess a UV lamp wrapped around a transparent crate would work just as good.

 

[olePigeon]

I was watching a restoration video, and they recommended using both UVA and UVB lamps. I don't know if that's important. Natural sunlight has both, of course.

Also, I recommend cleaning the keys first with soap & water. You can still get uneven treatment even with the submersion method if there is dirt, oil, etc. where the peroxide doesn't touch.