Post by Gold on Mar 23, 2010 15:48:36 GMT 8
I just wanted to share this trick I found on another forum, for removing yellowing and stains on toys with Hydrogen Peroxide (H202)
www.thetf.net/forum_posts.asp?TID=13204&PN=1&TPN=1
I'd recommend reading the entire thread completely for a better grasp and for the pics, but for those who want the bulletpoint version:
1. Use H202, around 30% solution for best effect
2. As much as possible strip down all the parts so that they are completely and wholey soaked, don't dunk in a toy as is.
3. Immerse in solution, in a covered glass jar or tub and PLACE UNDER SUNLIGHT. DO NOT SEAL TIGHTLY. The chemical reaction needs light to work. No light means the treatment won't work.
4. Immersion times vary, spanning from overnight to 4 days (when it's cloudy or overcast).
5. After treatment, immerse again in cold water for 30mins to neutralize the H202.
6. Air dry or pat dry the parts.
From what I could gather, everything worked fine except for the occasional sticker fade (recommends removing stickers with WD40-type solution before treatment and re-apply stickers afterwards or just use reprolabels). The only problems seem to come from paper type stickers. Foil stickers and rubber parts supposedly come out okay. Not sure how it affects chrome.
NOW FOR IMPORTANT WARNINGS!!!!!
-H2O2 is a potent solution, use gloves when handling at all times. I repeat, ALL TIMES! When it comes into contact with skin, immediately wash the area with water. There will be some whitening/discoloration of the skin and numbness and tingling, but it should disappear within 30-60 minutes. If it gets in your eyes, you might want to head over to a hospital ER to have them take a look.
-Keep the solution away from Children and pets!
-When immersing the plastics, DO NOT SEAL THE CONTAINER!!! Just lightly close or cover the jar. Exposing the whole thing under sunlight will cause a chemical reaction inside of the jar. Sealing it might cause the jar to EXPLODE!!!![/color]
-For larger items (like Fortress Maximus parts), the poster recommends using big Pyrex containers. Or any containers made of glass.
-You don't have to completely immerse the toy (see pics, only half-immersed), the solution still works even if it isn't soaked in. Just cover the "treating tank" loosely with a lid. Covering the set up will keep the solution from completely evaporating too.
-Lastly, do not use H2O2 mixed with bleach! Bleach somehow has an added effect and will cause plastic to go brittle (or so the poster says). From what I understand, household bleach is a mixture of H2O2 with other chemicals that act as a catalyst so the effect might be too strong. So use pure H2O2 at 30% concentration only.
-So far, after 6 months, no chemical changes(plastic brittling) were observed or new or returned yellowing on the treated toys. There is some concern that H2O2 causes accelerated oxidation, but so far no report of it noted from those who tried the treatment.
Granted, I've just read about this and haven't tried looking at local drug stores to see if they carry H2O2 solutions (I'm in the province right now) but this might be interesting for some folks who are looking to salvage some of their older toys. Good Luck.
Gold
www.thetf.net/forum_posts.asp?TID=13204&PN=1&TPN=1
I'd recommend reading the entire thread completely for a better grasp and for the pics, but for those who want the bulletpoint version:
1. Use H202, around 30% solution for best effect
2. As much as possible strip down all the parts so that they are completely and wholey soaked, don't dunk in a toy as is.
3. Immerse in solution, in a covered glass jar or tub and PLACE UNDER SUNLIGHT. DO NOT SEAL TIGHTLY. The chemical reaction needs light to work. No light means the treatment won't work.
4. Immersion times vary, spanning from overnight to 4 days (when it's cloudy or overcast).
5. After treatment, immerse again in cold water for 30mins to neutralize the H202.
6. Air dry or pat dry the parts.
From what I could gather, everything worked fine except for the occasional sticker fade (recommends removing stickers with WD40-type solution before treatment and re-apply stickers afterwards or just use reprolabels). The only problems seem to come from paper type stickers. Foil stickers and rubber parts supposedly come out okay. Not sure how it affects chrome.
NOW FOR IMPORTANT WARNINGS!!!!!
-H2O2 is a potent solution, use gloves when handling at all times. I repeat, ALL TIMES! When it comes into contact with skin, immediately wash the area with water. There will be some whitening/discoloration of the skin and numbness and tingling, but it should disappear within 30-60 minutes. If it gets in your eyes, you might want to head over to a hospital ER to have them take a look.
-Keep the solution away from Children and pets!
-When immersing the plastics, DO NOT SEAL THE CONTAINER!!! Just lightly close or cover the jar. Exposing the whole thing under sunlight will cause a chemical reaction inside of the jar. Sealing it might cause the jar to EXPLODE!!!![/color]
-For larger items (like Fortress Maximus parts), the poster recommends using big Pyrex containers. Or any containers made of glass.
-You don't have to completely immerse the toy (see pics, only half-immersed), the solution still works even if it isn't soaked in. Just cover the "treating tank" loosely with a lid. Covering the set up will keep the solution from completely evaporating too.
-Lastly, do not use H2O2 mixed with bleach! Bleach somehow has an added effect and will cause plastic to go brittle (or so the poster says). From what I understand, household bleach is a mixture of H2O2 with other chemicals that act as a catalyst so the effect might be too strong. So use pure H2O2 at 30% concentration only.
-So far, after 6 months, no chemical changes(plastic brittling) were observed or new or returned yellowing on the treated toys. There is some concern that H2O2 causes accelerated oxidation, but so far no report of it noted from those who tried the treatment.
Granted, I've just read about this and haven't tried looking at local drug stores to see if they carry H2O2 solutions (I'm in the province right now) but this might be interesting for some folks who are looking to salvage some of their older toys. Good Luck.
Gold
keeping the site active as a place to dump info for easier backtracking. 