Best way to clean 'yellowed' plastic from smoking?

[Harleyguy]

I picked up a Macross machine yesterday in need of repair (see my V-Trigger grinding thread) and am in the process of cleaning it. It was definitely used in a smoking parlor and the white plastic all around the frame is practically yellow from the smoke.

Anyone have any suggestions or experience on how to clean the plastic to get it back to (or closer to) it's original color? Looked online for general cleaning tips and saw a few things but wanted to know if anyone had real world experience that works.

Thanks!

[emmadog]

It's likely a combo of tobacco smoke and the chemical yellowing that ABS plastic undergoes when it's exposed to UV light.
Check out this: Retr0Bright - home

[Harleyguy]

It's likely a combo of tobacco smoke and the chemical yellowing that ABS plastic undergoes when it's exposed to UV light.
Check out this: Retr0Bright - home

Very interesting, I just may have to try this. Lots of colored areas on the frame though, have you tried it? Curious if I can just lather up the whole frame or if I should work around the colored areas?

[emmadog]

yep, i've done it many times and it works well on white plastic. on colored plastic the results have not been as good because it doesn't seem to be as effective. however, it was still an improvement and it may just be a case of the colored parts needing a longer time. things to keep in mind:
this stuff will remove paint, remove any parts and treat them, the easiest way is to use the liquid method but this means you'll need a container large enough and will need enough mix to cover the parts, the gel method uses far less mix but you have to continually apply the gel, if it dries on a colored part it may cause irreversible white streaks.

[Harleyguy]

Hmmm from what I read it seems to come out as a gel... My thoughts were that if it was thick enough I could tape off any colored areas and apply it directly to the frame without having to remove everything. Do you think that would be feasible?

[emmadog]

the original recipe was a liquid which is simply H2O2 and oxy type detergent. i used to make enough in an ice chest to submerge the parts and then hang a UV bulb over it with mylar or tin foil tented over it to reflect back as many rays as possible. the gel is the same ingredients but also uses a thickener. it's a messier route but works better for large parts when a vessel big enough can't be found and you don't want to buy gallons of peroxide. i would try to remove any parts you want whitened but if not, tape off the edges with somehting other than a paper based tape to prevent seeping. there's plenty of pics showing parts that are permanently discolored due to the gel drying on the part and causing streaking. it has to remain wet and the recipe must be followed exactly. post pics of the areas you want whitened and ill tell you what i think.

[Harleyguy]

post pics of the areas you want whitened and ill tell you what i think.

No need to comment on my astounding Photoshop skills.

Areas circled in pink are the yellowed areas, it's really bad around the shooter area, but overall it's a consist yellow all around... Initially I thought that was the color of the machine until I pics and videos online and then looked under the dial on the shooter. Inside seems to be ok, although the backdrop is actually clear plastic with all the animatronics behind it. It appears a bit 'smoky' although it isn't really noticable during play and I am NOT trying to remove all the pins to clean it.

Macross - Yellow.jpg

[emmadog]

i'd still try to remove the parts but that may not be possible or simply too much work. if that's the case then you'll have to go the gel route and it looks like it shouldn't be too bad to tape those areas off. i'd probably do 1 or 2 areas at a time and get them to where you think they look good and then proceed with the others. keep in mind though, i'm not sure what type of plastic those parts are and as they always say, try a small spot first and see what happens. if nothing bad occurs, then go ahead and also remember this process can take 24 hours or more. i've done some parts for 72 hours which is about as long as the mix stays viable for.

[compirate]

The cells come apart remarkably easily, just make sure you take plenty of pictures as you do it! If actually just smoke and tar, good ol' 409 does a great job, but better if you take the parts off for cleaning.

[PachiPachi]

The yellow plastic is a PITA to remove, if not impossible. I just read the above posts and wow I have never seen anything like that. Give it a shot!

On a side note, I have fully dissasembled my V-Trigger frame. The cell comes out VERY easy, but its heavier than I thought when I removed it. This goes without saying, be careful and take your time.

If you are like me and want your Pachinko clean as possible, you should consider disassembling the frame down to the area where the balls fall through (in the frame not the cell). It is a plastic enclosure. My frame arrived very clean (5 brothers tc) but that area was VERY dirty. I am pleased to know that my pachinko balls do not have to run through that mess anymore. Be warned though, there is a two wire harness that is in the front of the machine that I believe is attached to the shooter knob. It falls out very easy and is very short. It can fall inside that machine and if it does I have no idea how I would have gotten it back out. If you do it you will know what I am talking about.