Key Takeaways
1. Retrobrighting, a popular method for restoring yellowing consoles, can accelerate deterioration over time.
2. Shelby Jueden’s 10-year investigation revealed that restored consoles showed more yellowing than untouched ones.
3. The yellowing of consoles is caused by multiple factors, including heat, oxygen, and certain plastics used in the 1980s and 1990s.
4. Hydrogen peroxide in retrobrighting only reverses color but does not prevent plastic breakdown, potentially causing more damage.
5. Collectors are now exploring gentler restoration methods, such as vinyl dyes and sanding, as alternatives to retrobrighting.
A 10-year investigation into the restoration of yellowing retro video game consoles has come to a conclusion: using Retrobrighting on vintage consoles actually speeds up their deterioration over time, making this method a bit risky.
This insight comes from Shelby Jueden, a retro tech YouTuber known as Tech Tangents. In a recent video, he shared that he began treating consoles like the Sega Dreamcast with hydrogen peroxide and sun exposure back in 2015.
Shelby aimed to bring the Dreamcast back to its original cream color. However, he discovered that these restoration efforts led to increased yellowing, which became more noticeable compared to consoles that were left untouched after a decade.
The Process Explained
In his video titled “Retrobright Damages Plastic – 10 Year Test,” he explained how he took apart the Sega Dreamcast and utilized the classic retrobrighting method. He applied hydrogen peroxide to the top and bottom sections of the console, excluding the lid, and then exposed these parts to UV light.
While the retrobrighting process did lighten the discoloration of the Dreamcast, which seemed like a quick success, Shelby later found that the lid remained in perfect condition, contrasting sharply with the retro-brightened parts of the console.
Shelby remarked in the video, “Retrobrighting degraded the plastic more and caused more yellowing than if it had just been left alone.”
Factors in Yellowing
He elaborated that yellowing is not just caused by UV light but is the result of several elements, including heat, oxygen, and brominated flame retardants used in ABS plastic from the 1980s and 1990s.
To clarify, hydrogen peroxide only reverses photo-oxidation by breaking down chromophores; it doesn’t prevent polymer breakdown, which could make the restoration process more damaging to the console over time.
Shelby’s findings aren’t just a fluke. Although some retro collectors praise this technique for its immediate effects, it isn’t reliable, as the whitening tends to be uneven. Jueden summed it up by saying, “The answer is retrobrighting doesn’t work. The plastic still yellows, and you can end up with it looking worse than if you just left it alone. Entropy wins sadly.”
New Approaches to Restoration
Many retro collectors have started to use gentler methods instead of retrobrighting, such as vinyl dyes and hydrocarbon-based solvents, which help reduce yellowing without creating peroxides, or even sanding down the consoles. Ultimately, yellowing in consoles is unavoidable, and the passage of time must be acknowledged.
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