Adam Savage Restores Clear Plastic Discoloration
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- Опубликовано: 29 сен 2022
- As a quick follow-up to his recent One Day Build for his Nagra IV-S audio recorder, Adam attempts to renew and restore the discoloration of its clear plastic lid, using a combination of hydrogen peroxide and plastic polish compound. Let's see if it's possible to bring this precious plastic covering back to its former glory.
Nagra Recorder Handle Bar build: • Adam Savage's One Day ...
Adam's new Nagra IV-S: • Adam Savage's New Nagr...
Adam's Nagra recorder collection: • Adam Savage's Nagra Sp...
Leather briefcase restoration for this recorder: • Adam Savage Restores a...
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Like others have said, a UV light makes the hydrogen peroxide process work so much better. I use it for cleaning yellow discoloration from plastics (both solid and clear). The addition of a UV light (and letting to process go for 24 hrs or longer for really bad yellowing) makes a world of difference.
Agreed, UV light is a critical part of the process
I've done it too on old computer cases and a clear stereo cover and UV light is the difference, I also used a stronger HP% I think it was 30% not 12%. The computer cases came out off white/beige just like from the factory floor and the clear plastic was crystal clear without a hint of yellow like this still has.
I coated them before bed let them sit overnight then set them out in the driveway for a couple hours in the sunlight, then cleaned them off. 10-11 hours total.
This Summer I de-yellowed a load of LEGO bricks, worked well, but being the UK and not having a garden to leave it in, the window of opportunity isn't great! Soon I'm making a de-yellowing box with a glass tub (ideally lidded), UV LED strips and some kind of heating base.
Very Deep Dive on this ruclips.net/video/YPl356YKcVs/видео.html
Tip: If you don't have access to UV light another good source is the sun itself. Just make sure to swirl the parts from time to time to get a uniform color. I whitened the body of a white Panasonic Flip Clock. Works a charm
I love watching you in your shop. I thought i was the only one that spends 30% of my time working on a project just wandering around aimlessly looking for something.
12% hydrogen peroxide is more than enough concentration, but as everyone has said UV exposure is needed. If it doesn't fit in Adam's beautiful UV box for finishing 3D printing, just sitting in sunlight will do.
Honestly, the Nagra looks gorgeous already. Gave me a small thrill to see it zipping tape through rewind!
In March last year Adam built a UV curing oven for 3D prints using led UV strips, those same led UV strips arranged over the top of the peroxide container would activate the peroxide and give an nice even result.
I just love it when products are screwed together in stead of glued or snap-clicked.
Wonderful work! My only advice here is your use of paper towels on plastic: it does put microscratches into the surface. Cotton or poly microfiber cloth is the only thing to use to prevent clouding or hazing a plastic surface. Remember when you were a kid and the optometrist warned you about cleaning your glasses with paper towels? That was good advice!
Funny thing is that those blue ones he puts the lid on look like microfiber cloths, yet he still continues to use those paper towels 🤦♂
@@pendaco They are thin Huck towels; you can find them listed through his online Amazon shop link. I agree that a new microfiber cloth would be my choice.
I just posted the same comment about five hours after you, didnt read down the comments this far. Sorry. but it is worth mentioning more than once I hope.
I know it's a year old, but seeing this brought back some bad memories. I used to work in a glass shop, and had to redo a few projects, because the other genius guys that SHOULD have known better, came up and started cleaning the plexi/lexan with paper freaking towels! AFTER I was almost done!
As a teenager I used to clean my glasses with paper towels and windex all the time. Nobody ever told me it was bad. Finally once when I went to get a new pair of glasses they seen my glasses and knew immediately what happened to them. I now use special cleaning solution for glasses (no ammonia) and a lens cloth.
If you want your mind blown when trying to remove scratches from plastic, try Polywatch polish. It doesn't work on all types of plastic, but the results on acrylic based plastics are amazing. I refurbish old watch crystals from scratched beyond being able to see through, to completely clear, in minutes. Never bought anything that actually worked this amazingly before.
Imagine how shiny the inside of the plastic polish bottle must be.
There is a restoration process called retrobright that uses hydrogen peroxide and UV light to get the yellow out of old plastic. People have restored old PCs and all sorts doing this. One setup I’ve seen is a clear container filled with hydrogen peroxide, wrapped in UV led tape and then tinfoil. I’ve also seen hydrogen peroxide cream from beauty suppliers work well as it can stick to the surface you want to restore, wrapped in cling film and left in the sun.
Watching the de-yellowing is one of my favorite practices on Odd Tinkering, though he is always dealing with opaque plastics.
Since those are so rare and hard to find you should make a couple vacuum molds of it for safekeeping. You never know when having that specific shape might come in handy down the road.
It sounds like there's collectors that might want a replaca if they can't find an original.
Outstanding idea!
Yes, we do want and need it. Dust covers for reel to reel players are essential. @@drewc1197
The most likely reason it got worse the more you polished it is most likely because you didn't clean out your pad often enough combined with allowing the polishing compound to get too dry on the surface while still buffing. After a couple of passes over an area with your buffer the area needs to be cleaned off as well as the buffing pad. Then new compound can be applied & worked again if it needs it. When polishing compound gets too dry it turns into a much coarser abrasive because the liquid is lessened but the grit is still there. As others have stated hydrogen peroxide works well to remove yellowing from plastics but it requires ultraviolet light & potentially more time than you allowed. You would also want to flip the cover over halfway through to help the bleaching process penitente the whole piece.
He really should be using the polishing pads that are made of foam. That way you can use different foams based on how much scratch removal you need and then finish off with a gentle polish to get the shine out of it.
Speed as well, but it sounded like a low RPM.
I agree. I've been buffing cars for over 20 years & I use less compound with a spray bottle of water. One thing I did learn from this vid, is that there is plastic polish. I just never thought of that before. Cheers Y/All.
I was cringing every time he contaminated the finer grits with the coarse ones still on the pad. He should have dedicated pads for each grit. I've buffed out lacquer finishes on guitars. It's an unforgiving process.
@@raoulduke8382 It's pretty obvious that Adam didn't know much about buffing. But look at all the other things he's done. No one knows every thing. That's how we learn in life. Gotta give him a break.
Mother’s Aluminum Wheel Polish
Works amazing!!!! Perfect for car headlights too. Available at just about any auto parts store. Trust me, it’s AMAZING on plastics! Perfect for yellowing like this.
Hi Adam, as others have said the hydrogen peroxide will work, but needs UV light to do the trick.
When one of these comes out well, it's such a kick to see the smile on Adam's face. You just know he's satisfied when you see that smile!
Just the little tasks in life makes for a better world.
Keep inspiring us.
Everyone’s already mentioned UV light, I just want to know how Adam managed to read about the peroxide without coming across the UV part.
Sad, right?
It’s possible he didn’t think it mattered because often the UV is suggested to make it work faster when it in fact is needed to get it to work at all
Ye that's what wondering too. Nearly all the articles on Internet mention the UV
I use a UV lamp too. I’ve seen where some people put it outdoors, in the sun for a few days. But that seems to be a lot of trouble.
He is human like the rest of us. He just missed it or misunderstood how critical it was
Seeing Adam on here, is like seeing an old friend. I haven't thought about him in a long time.
There is something about watching an actual genius work on anything.
Research in the Pinball area and you'll find great tips for removing yellowing with minimal integrity damage. We commonly treat this kind of stuff to restore older machines. Depending on your plastic type the time and method may be different to reduce potential damage. For this type of likely PC plastic you do have to submerge it in the peroxide and keep it in full UV sunlight until it clarifies. Anywhere from 2-72h depending on your UV intensity. It's the least effort and least damage that won't reduce the clarity or polish. I'm not sure if it's the peroxide reacting with the plastic or the reaction of UV through peroxide that somehow modifies it. On some plastics just leaving it in direct sunlight for a few days will do the same. It's the safest way for any plastic.
If possible do this outside in full light, not in a window because windows (especially modern) cut certain UV wavelengths enough it will take 48-72h to clear. Storm windows often have UV film and this may not work at all indoors. You can also try making a paste from baking soda or certain types of toothpaste and let that sit if sun isn't an option. Some plastics will warp depending on sun/heat/cold so indoors in the window may be required. I'm not sure what UV wavelength makes this process work, wish I knew, but I've only gotten it to work in full sun. Also works safely on PP.
Be cautious about the methods. For anyone doing this stuff DO A TEST FIRST, these things can brittle some plastics depending on chemical properties and age. Some ABS will re-yellow pretty quickly when doing these methods and depending on the plastic formulation it may make it brittle. You may need to seal the plastic to keep it from yellowing again because it's oxygen that causes the yellowing. I've seen people ruin items doing some of these de-yellowing methods. Most of the methods will remove stickers, paints, or embellishments so even more important to do a test. You can do this with just a drop on a more inconspicuous part.
Very cool.I was born in 1978.IIt aged much better than I did.
Awesome video Adam sir thank you for sharing sir.
I build plastic models and use what used to be called Future Floor wax, but now called Pledge Floor Care for the clear parts. I've found that minor scratches mostly disappear as it fills in the scratches. Not sure if it will work, but just a suggestion. I've usually dipped the parts in the floor wax but have used an airbrush on them before. It doesn't need thinning.
You know it's serious when Adam swears. That is a night and day difference, jeez
Wow. What a beautiful peice!
The peroxide + UV light de-yellowing process is called retr0bright. Lots of vintage computer RUclipsrs use it to fix plastics on old computers/electronics. Super-cool to see you using the process on a such a neat machine :)
ADAM!!!! You know better than anyone, you never buff plastic with paper, come dude, I bet you got hundreds of microfiber clothes. Sheesh😵💫
...that smile says it all.
Plus I'm of the mind that removing all signs of aging is unnecessary. 😊
After all the videos on weathering new things to make them look old, you finally get something that already looks old and you do this?! 😉
I love the work prep. Wipe it out with the first old rag that I find and call it good.
And a black light...... Dont forget the black light its what helps to work..... I use it to restore yellowed game cases....
Awesome, Novus is a 3/4 part system and you have to use the final polishing compound in order to get that shine back fully, it also takes out the rest of the micro scratches for a mirror finish. I use this stuff for model kits and old kit glass that has yellowed and gotten beat up pretty bad bouncing in the box for a few decades lol. Love all you do!
Sunlight!!! That and peroxide has saved countless yellowed vintage Lego for me
That looks amazing, I actually like the tiny bit of yellow, makes it look like some kind of crystal after that polish
I think I need one of those little polishers now....
I use hair bleach peroxide %35 and uv light to restore icy clear soles on my sneakers. It works to remove the yellow for sure
Edit: I hadn't read the comments about uv light but they're right.
Now back to watching the rest of the video 🤓
Do you think regular bleach would work? I feel like bleach would work better than peroxide.
@@Guinea54 bleach causes yellowing and for the material to ultimately breakdown it's really harsh
@@h.Freeman interesting.. I have a watch that has clear straps that might turn yellow so I will keep your method in mind for when that time comes. Would sunlight work as good as the UV light
" ahh you are a set screw!"
.
of course you are because you are part of a beautifully engineered piece of technical art that was built to last and function well from back when things like that actually focking mattered.
.
and oh yeah well-expressed joy about the perfectly sized tray. I can so so so relate omg.
As many others have said, this works best with UV light. I'd try it again, while also leaving the part exposed to a UV lamp. Sunlight also works, but you might not want to risk it warping from the Sun's heat.
Adam - Here is Why it got Worse and how to fix it- you need to move from a cutting compound to a polishing compound. Both are like liquid sandpaper, with the cutting compound being a low grain and the polishing a very fine grain. It got worse the second time because you had already weakened the surface you were working on and needed to smooth out the scratches you made with a finer grain (polishing compound). Keep working on it, thing about getting a foam polishing pad to use with your polishing compound and then when it's finally clear and devoid of scratches think about covering it with clear coat to prevent the yellow from ever coming back.... put practice on other less valuable pieces of clear plastics first because if you fuck fuck up the clear coat you have to go back to square one with the clear coat. You will also need to wet sand and polish the clear coat but it will last longer.
A strong UV light source helps catalyze the oxidation process in the peroxide bath. A bit counterintuitive, since UV light over the long term is also what tends to cause the plastic to yellow in the first place, through the formation of free radicals in the plasticizers and stablizers.
Yo a tattoo of a ruler is the advice I never knew I needed. I'm constantly looking for a measuring stick this is life changing
This reminds me of the process for restore headlights. You buff off the outer oxidized layer, and then add a clear coat spray.
There's been some really great experimentation done with the retrobrite process, and one conclusion that they've all pretty much come to is that heat and/or UV is key to making the process work. Since this is a very valuable piece you may want to avoid going with the heat option since it increases the risk that you might overheat the piece and warp it, but it definitely would be worth it to get some UV lights and repeat this experiment. The other option would be a higher concentration peroxide solution, but once again it becomes risky at a certain concentration, and without UV and/or heat results are likely to be middling at best. The absolute best results seem to be obtained by using both heat and UV, but even just UV should give you better results than what you got.
I too also use Novus 2 Fine Scratch Remover.. Great stuff!!! works great for headlights.
Yep, that was me yelling at the screen “NO PAPER TOWELS - THEY SCRATCH!” Then followed it with “You totally missed the ultraviolet light step!” Aaaugh!
I already wondered why I was hearing an echo 😄
Thanks. I learned a few things. Before and after photos would have been a great addition.
Why oh why did I just spend 20 minutes watching a person I'll never meet polish a piece of plastic I'll never own, using equipment and a workshop far, far beyond my own? There is some magic here I don't understand.
Adam, I do sneaker restoration and I use a product called Salon Care 40 to remove the yellowing on white rubber of the sneakers.
The secret is to coat with the salon care and put it under uvb light and it works great.
Hunters use it was well to whiten game skulls.
I think if when you were soaking the cover if you would have had it under some uvb light it would work.
I had about the same issues with the Novus polishes on my motorcycle windshields - it seemed to do well at first, then it got worse, then I was fighting to get it back to a respectable clarity. I ended up getting Meguiars #17 (mirror glaze clear plastic cleaner) and it's worlds better at removing fine scratches than the Novus products are. It's safe for gauge clusters, computer screens, and motorcycle windshields, where optical clarity is required (I was almost blind riding at night due to the glare from the swirls on my windshield originally). Thanks for posting!
Thanks for this. All the other comments about polishing didn't seem to know that he was using a product that wasn't a mechanical polish. Your comment was actually helpful to me because I have used the novus fine (can't rmember if it's 1, 2, or 3) on opaque plastics and it works nicely and they seem quite shiny, but clarity on clear plastics isn't great. I think his effort was improved greatly by giving it a good cleaning after the final application. Thanks for your tip!
I still have my TEAC 3300 reel to reel I bought around 1971. And, it still works.
The internet said something that wasn't quite right? Inconceivable!
Thank you for the share!!!!!! WOW!
In restoring hotwheels windshields we use Pledge Future Shine floor polish to clear up small scratches and discoloring.
Thanks for sharing
A possible alt solution... It used to be common (in my grandparents time) to add just a bit of blueing dye to white laundry, especially in urban areas where the city water was discolored. Because the color blue is on the opposite side of the color wheel from yellow it counter-balances out the yellow to make a pure white. (Note: This is why so many whitening mouthwashes are blue). So… maybe a very light blue tinted wash might decrease the yellowing? Def something to test before applying to your expensive NAGRA cover.
The very machine used to record the Beatles soundtrack on the Get Back Sessions. Nagra Reel-to-Reel tape recorders are one of the gold standards for High Fidelity which is why they fetch $1200-2000 for these machines.
This is a great technique for anyone who wants to restore an old Turntable dust cover. Yeah!
Watching on my TV. Hopped to the phone to mention UV light but see the community has it covered. People use peroxide gel also
Paper towels can cause scratching on soft plastic. Microfiber towels are best for polishing.
As far as I've seen videos of Peroxide and Baking Powder together make it go to almost perfectly clear again.
My dad loved stuff like this.
Meguiar's various Mirror Glazes for plastics have always worked well for me.
8-bit Guy has some really good videos on restoring old plastics.
beautiful device
love you take a picture of something that your filming
Were you actually using paper towels on plexiglass? Undoing all the work you accomplished with the polisher? Just wondering.
Hey Adam, When do we get to hear some recordings from this thing? I would love to know what it sounds like! (Beautiful work on the restoration)
I de-yellowed my 1986 Heathkit Hero 2000 robot, which is still up and running. Back in 1986, they were selling for $4,500, unless you chose to purchase it in kit form. Hydrogen peroxide, a big helper.
… as this video was drawing to a close, I half expected Adam to bring out the brown paint to weather it 🥳🤓🤪
To get rid of scratches, you might want to try dipping in “Pledge Revive it” floor gloss. I use this on the windows canopies of my models. Prevents fingerprints from the glues and give them a more natural glass look rather than the “clear plastic” look
WE THE INTERNET ABSOLUTELY NEED TO GET ADAM TO DO THIS AGAIN WITH THE UV
Man my face when you said holy shit cause I'm listening out loud at work. Thankfully no clients are around 🤣😂
Mr. Savage...I'm surprised that you are using paper towels on plastic. Interesting. Love all that you do, sir.
Now that you've cleaned up the plastic, you should spray it with some high quality 2K clear coat to protect it from further damage. It will also fill in the tiny scratches left.
It's the same process we use on collectable toys that have yellowed and it sometimes takes a couple of days to really clear it up... depends on your peroxide strength and also put it in sunlight or under UV lights. Will super power the process to only a few hours
Novus polish is amazing stuff. I keep 3-2-1 on hand for model car windshields and airplane canopies.
Shake the Novus well! Once had a bottle that settled and the grit fell to the bottom. You can imagine my surprise
I got the Proxxon rotary tool that you recommended before and I use it all the time now.
I’m surprised he didn’t vacuum form it and make a new crystal clear one.
My brother has a real-to-real he put some music on in the sound quality was absolutely amazing!
9:30 It looks like something that would be easy enough to make a vacuum forming mold for a new part though... store the old one safely and enjoy the reproduction.
I thought you said you researched the internet Adam!? Uv lights! Restoration videos are some of my favorite
Back in my car racing days, we used Lexan for windshields. After 3 or 4 races it would get sand blasted with some small scratches. We used a tube of cheap toothpaste with a buffer then a couple coats of Rain X to get the really small stuff. It worked great and was pretty cheap.
Adam You forgot the UV light either with sunlight or a UV light source is needed with the hydrogen peroxide. Also never use paper towels they scratch plastic. You made me cry.
I used to Turtle wax my Nagra cover, when I had it. Never yellowed! But you did a Great job!
I used the Novus on my vintage radios from the 50s and polish my Stormtrooper armor for 501st . I used a micro fiber to put it and take it off . Avoids scratching with paper towels !
I just got into reel to reel myself. what kept me away was the seemingly daunting way it operates but once you get the hang of it its easy as hell. i got a sony tc series player and an external matching vintage preamp (it doesnt have its own speakers onboard). i have then proceeded to rescue and save old radio station airchecks and a couple home recorded beatles albums to play on it. amazing stuff. i always make sure to keep about 4 feet of leader added on all the tapes. sounds like a lot but it isn't, as you need to make sure there isnt such a high tension on the tape ribbon. acetate ones like to snap,
Every cover I'd seen on set has always been yellowed, for what it's worth...
I was surprised you didn't make a 3D scan of it, as a backup... just in case...
You should put some uv protectant on it to help keep future yellowing at bay.
That's really interesting, it suggests the yellowing is surface only and could be removed by ablating the surface, that might work really nicely for opaque surfaces that are textured
Yeah, I'm curious how good it'd do cracks & crevices
For hard clear plastic (like headlights) I use the 3M advanced headlight restoration kit. The polish that comes with the kit leaves the plastic with much better clarity than other kits I've used.
The 3M kit is used with a cordless drill and has 500 and 800 grit sandpapers and a 3000 grit Trizac scuff remover and then you finish with a foam pad and what they call a rubbing compound.
Dry sand with the sandpapers and use very light, even pressure. Then use more pressure and some water when using the Trizac pad. Finish with the foam pad and polish until the plastic is clear.
Check your work to make sure you've removed all of the scratches from the prior step. If you see any "ghost" scuff marks or cloudiness it means you didn't remove all of the marks from one of the abrasives along the way and need to start over being sure to be very thorough.
To get crystal clear results, spray the plastic with the acrylic clear coat that comes in Maguiar's headlight restore kit. Make sure the surface is free from dust and lint before applying the clear coat. Something about that particular product lays down very evenly as compared to other clears I've used. Do not over spray.
I would not recommend this last step for wide, flat surfaces. In my experience it's damn near impossible to get a perfectly even coat.
Anyways, your results speak for themselves and I'll be giving Novus a try.
I knew this was coming as content.
Welcome to the weird and wonderful world of Retrobriting!
Incidentally, short-wave UV is what is usually needed for hydrogen peroxide to de-yellow plastic.
Far out man. I can dig it.
Looks nearly factory-fresh, nice job. Just a note on your last Nagra project, the handle, for the ultimate class act the screws that attach the handle to the side pieces should be countersunk flathead screws, an easy rework. I'm sure Nagra would have done it that way.
I think the peroxide works better with UV light from sun than in dark room.
Yes! second this, i built a UV box lined with tin foil to remove the yellowing off small plastics works a treat !
Uv uv I’ve
yea, without it it doesnt do anything
Adam, either putting the container with the piece submerged under a strong UV light, sun, or keeping it warm, is how you deal with this kinda discoloration.
Highly recommend The 8-Bit Guy's videos on restorations using this method.
excellent work - however, one additional step - think fiber-optics - if you are able to get the cut edges of the plastic cleaned up as well, the color will look a lot less yellow. crystal clear plastic takes whatever color VERY personally
Interesting idea, that would make sense if the edges were left I worked. As obsessively as Adam went at this, I have to believe they got plenty of love too.
@@Spacemanspiff808 oh i agree - but you can see the edges near the end of the video being left yellowed, hence my comment
Retrobrigthing need UV for the peroxide reaction.
The reason for the yellowing of plastics over time is the addition of bromine to the plastic as a fire retardant during manufacturing. The Peroxide when combined with UV light will greatly reduce the yellowing but be careful of leaving it for too long. It could cause the plastic to become more brittle
From what I have seen, you need UV light as an activator for the hydrogen peroxide.