Re: Restoring Apple IIs, others...

[Rubywand <rubywand@swbell.net>]

Labelas Enoreth writes ...
> 
 ....
> I could understand that if it were happening to all Apple IIs, but I've
> seen two Apple IIe (platinum)s that were in the same building but in
> different rooms, neither exposed to excess sunlight, smoke, dirt...yet one
> is perfectly platinum (well, it had some cakey dust that I had to wash
> off) and the other was so yellowed it almost looked like a beige IIe
> (well, almost...) wierd.
> I was thinking more of bleaching the plastic if I could, than trying to
> 'wash it away', I mean, parts of it are still platinum and it's obviously
> only yellowed on the surface...

     Most likely, the yellowing is going to be deeper in some places
than others. So, as md observes, you may get some etching effect from
bleach. Another reason for uneven bleaching could be mixing detergent
with the bleach.

     Probably, it is best to run the case through a good cleaning first
in order to remove any grime, grease, ... coating. Then, rinse and run
it through a bleach solution. DJ's idea of using grease to protect
labels sounds good. Silicone grease may be a bit better than auto grease
at resisting hot water and detergent.

     If the bleacing works, the plastic will still have been beat around
pretty badly. It may be more brittle, rougher, and harder to keep clean.
One try at reviving it is to apply one of the vinyl restoration
products, like ArmorAll.

     If nothing seems to work, you can always experiment with a new
look. For example, you can dip the case in dye to get a kind of marble
effect in the color chosen and then coat the whole thing with a few
laywers of clear urathane 'laquer'. If the Apple label is protected, the
result might be very attractive. (You could advertise a collector's item
"Rare Blue Apple" on E-bay!)



Rubywand