3 Weeks Later (12/07/22)

5 Weeks Later (26/07/22)

5.5 Weeks Later (29/07/22)

Not entirely there yet, but the case has whitened perfectly and the keycaps are a way healthier beige than the previous sickly yellow they were. Hopefully sitting in the sun through August will return the whole keyboard to its initial color and I can hook it up to my XPS D333 😎

appiah4 wrote on 2022-07-29, 11:08:

Not entirely there yet, but the case has whitened perfectly and the keycaps are a way healthier beige than the previous sickly yellow they were. Hopefully sitting in the sun through August will return the whole keyboard to its initial color and I can hook it up to my XPS D333 😎

Wow! Seems to have worked.

The question I have always had is if this weakens the plastic. I imagine the peroxide retrobrighting might to a greater extent, but the sunbrighting less so. That's just a feeling though and probably doesn't make any sense because they both have the same effect.

Retrobrighting is a lot like buffing the paint on a car, where you only aim to alter (in that case remove) a tiny sliver of the top layer of the coat. Full submersion in liquid is far more likely to find a way deeper into the plastic (tiny cracks, somewhat porous surfaces...ect) where sunlight really should only effect a superficial layer. It also seems like a much lower "dose" than peroxide bath approaches since we are looking at weeks rather than a day or two. I'm sure that plays some sort of role in controlling the reaction.

eesz34 wrote on 2022-07-29, 11:52:

appiah4 wrote on 2022-07-29, 11:08:

Not entirely there yet, but the case has whitened perfectly and the keycaps are a way healthier beige than the previous sickly yellow they were. Hopefully sitting in the sun through August will return the whole keyboard to its initial color and I can hook it up to my XPS D333 😎

Wow! Seems to have worked.

The question I have always had is if this weakens the plastic. I imagine the peroxide retrobrighting might to a greater extent, but the sunbrighting less so. That's just a feeling though and probably doesn't make any sense because they both have the same effect.

Well, UV light alone definitely makes ABS plastic weaker. Even the small amount leaking from regular fluorescent tubes will make the tube holders brittle and fall apart after a few years. Extremely annoying.

On that note, I believe that problem could be more or less completely remedied by simply using black plastic, that would block the UV light from penetrating below the surface. Still, it's hard to find anything but white ones unless you go for the heavy duty industrial stuff, which usually isn't made from ABS anyways. Maybe it's some kind of planned obsolescence or something though 😜

Weekly Update!

6 Weeks Later (01/08/22)

Good stuff. I'm curious about the method. I presume you're using a peroxide solution & wrap? But you're not fully dismantling the keyboard each time? What does the process look like?

Yes, its looks better, but the question is: how long will it last? Compaq mouse, which I bleached with peroxide and sun, turned yellow again after a few months in the box, so I am little sceptical.

Pierre32 wrote on 2022-08-01, 09:10:

Good stuff. I'm curious about the method. I presume you're using a peroxide solution & wrap? But you're not fully dismantling the keyboard each time? What does the process look like?

I am using nothing, just letting the keyboard sit under the summer sun from dawn till dusk, every day.

Ydee wrote on 2022-08-01, 09:34:

Yes, its looks better, but the question is: how long will it last? Compaq mouse, which I bleached with peroxide and sun, turned yellow again after a few months in the box, so I am little sceptical.

All of my previously sunbrighter hardware still remain bleached. However, most of the stuff I bleached with peroxide have re-yellowed to a lesser extent. I find that sunbrighting is more permanent, if anything.

appiah4 wrote on 2022-08-01, 09:46:

Pierre32 wrote on 2022-08-01, 09:10:

Good stuff. I'm curious about the method. I presume you're using a peroxide solution & wrap? But you're not fully dismantling the keyboard each time? What does the process look like?

I am using nothing, just letting the keyboard sit under the summer sun from dawn till dusk, every day.

Oh right. Cool.

It's counter-intuitive, isn't it? UV makes it yellow. UV makes it white.

Pierre32 wrote on 2022-08-01, 10:18:

appiah4 wrote on 2022-08-01, 09:46:

Pierre32 wrote on 2022-08-01, 09:10:

Good stuff. I'm curious about the method. I presume you're using a peroxide solution & wrap? But you're not fully dismantling the keyboard each time? What does the process look like?

I am using nothing, just letting the keyboard sit under the summer sun from dawn till dusk, every day.

Oh right. Cool.

It's counter-intuitive, isn't it? UV makes it yellow. UV makes it white.

Actually I don't think UV makes it yellow, I am all but sure the yellowing is due to heat and humidity. Parts in the sun yellow faster because they are hotter, not because of UV. I can't prove this, but anectodally: I have parts that sat in storage and never saw the light of day for years, but tin that damp warm storage room they yellowed significantly regardless.

Interesting. I've always assumed UV was the culprit, but haven't exactly researched it!

Definitely a strange unexplained science with these reactions. The only point i can think of against heat alone is when there is a label or sticker, or for that mater the inside of the item or under keycaps. The color usually remains original there, or yellows at a radically different rate.