Good technique for removing the badge. Those aluminum labels can easily get bent making them difficult to re-apply. I appreciate the thorough cleaning first too. So many people just wipe it down with windex, leaving unseen layers of grime in the grooves and crevices and detergent residue from the windex that's never rinsed off. I do the same thing with my keycaps. Soapy water and toothbrush.
I can't remember where I picked this technique up-however, using dental floss and some gentle heating, slipping the floss under the badge can break the glue bond. This greatly reduces deforming the badge.
I recently picked up a Vic-20 and the case is quite similar to this one - very yellowed and the grill on the top has little chips throughout and the grill bars are very spongey and soft to touch. Thanks for the video 😊
That case change is amazing. I personally would leave the cracks as-is unless they really go south with time. The remaining little things on the case are what I call 'love marks'. Shows the unit was well used/loved.
I had similar results in retrobriting a 1351 mouse cover that was very orange. There are slightly mottled and lighter areas where the plastic was stressed in manufacture, especially where the plastic was injected into the mold. Overall its much better than it was though. Now to get the rust off the DB9 connector and internal mouse board...
Did you notice defects in these same areas before treatment? I'm thinking it might be interesting to look at a very yellowed item under controlled conditions with specific wavelengths of light, etc. to get a better idea of the before state.
I've found that high-purity alcohol is pants at removing almost everything, but mixed with water (I used 70% IPA just yesterday to clean one of my monitors) works quite well. The alcohol acts as a surfactant, similar to a soap or detergent in making the water wet things more effectively, helping it to release the dirt. The big advantage of using alcohol in cleaning electronics and LCD displays is that alcohol doesn't leave behind the sticky residue that soaps and detergents can, which then helps to bind more dirt. There's a few more tricks, as well. If you're working on something that might react badly to alcohols but isn't damaged by acetone, one useful trick is that you can clean with water and soap or detergent, then flush away any residue with water, and then rinse off the water with acetone, which then evaporates in moderately warm air easily, leaving a clean, dry surface. (Not much use on ABS or acrylic or several other common plastics which acetone will dissolve, but when I was in university it was the approved method of drying low-precision glassware quickly. It wasn't used for the high-precision stuff for precise analytical chemistry because it doesn't really leave a truly dry surface.)
An awesome job Jeff, the case looks pretty nice now!!! I am excited on part 2 where we see if the machine will run properly, but there will be no doubt about it ;-) Best wishes from Germany, Michael
Excellent retrobrighting job! I liked the time lapse with all the steps, from 24 to 168 hours; maybe for hard cases like this one one can use more hydrogen peroxide in the water to shorten the process; it's difficult to calculate/graduate it because all variables are analog and weather dependent.
Great job! One thing I've found that helps reduce the streaks in the case is just to leave it out in daylight and use the computer. UV bleaches the case, and just leaving my computers out and in use almost always clears up any blotchiness after retrobrighting over a period of weeks. I think it's only when they're put away after UV exposure that yellowing takes hold. This means you should use your computers forever and never put them in storage, of course 🙂
I noticed too that just leaving the case out in the workshop it the streaks/blotches evened up. In the video I did about the science of Retr0Brite (link in this video's description) there is a link to a paper about this re-yellowing in darkness. They concluded it was likely some sort of thermal equilibrium process. I've not yet experienced this myself. Going back and looking at the video I did before Retr0Briting I can see that the areas that came out blotchy/streaky look different beforehand as well.
The case has probably lost some plasticizer over the years. I would suggest giving it a good coating of plastic protectant and leave it on to soak in for a couple of hours before wiping it off. There’s a chance the cracks may close up a bit if you do. Cracking of the case around the slots like you have isn’t that uncommon on those AC VICs due to the heat they produced.
Hi, excellent retrobrighting, I find with the brown keys.. that the cream volume 40 proxide works better for me. Just a dab with a qtip on the top on letters and no sun because it dulls the brown. Tin foil lined box and a uv light for about two to four hours (making sure that it doesn't dry on) and covering with cling wrap. Works great. Anyways, can't wait for next video
I have heard of this fading issue on brown keys using cream developer, but I did not have that issue with the 5% liquid solution. I suspect that a higher concentration of H2O2 may lead to this type of thing happening.
Hey Birt! It occurred to me looking at the bleached keys if a little heat might make the pigment "heal"? While not the most controlled and best practice, I notice that plastic car bumpers gain back their original color with the careful application of a heat gun. I'm not near my collection at the moment, and can't try it out.
I have heard of folks using a heat gun on bumpers and plastic dash boards. Some have reported mixed results, i.e. not long lasting. I wonder if the smooth surface of the key would lend itself this this type of treatment. It did give me another idea for something from the automotive world to try and the results are promising. Details in next VIC-20 video :)
The key to proper conservation is to stabilize the artefact but not make those stabilizing aids become inseparably bonded to the artefact. This leaves the door open to future more in depth restorations. So glue yes, but one that can be totally removed and cleaned off. I think proper treatment for actually stabilizing the plastic from within would be to bath it in high concentrations of plastic additives, which sounds like a nasty process. So meh. But there might be consumer products even for that available actually, but is an irreversable process that might not have the best results.
@@phreapersoonlijk I really do appreciate you guys pointing it out. It's funny that I laid out the keycaps, popped them on, took video and edited the video and did not notice. Funny how one's mind can see what it wants/expects to see.
Great job so far =D Looking forward to the next part!
Good technique for removing the badge. Those aluminum labels can easily get bent making them difficult to re-apply.
I appreciate the thorough cleaning first too. So many people just wipe it down with windex, leaving unseen layers of grime in the grooves and crevices and detergent residue from the windex that's never rinsed off.
I do the same thing with my keycaps. Soapy water and toothbrush.
I can't remember where I picked this technique up-however, using dental floss and some gentle heating, slipping the floss under the badge can break the glue bond. This greatly reduces deforming the badge.
I recently picked up a Vic-20 and the case is quite similar to this one - very yellowed and the grill on the top has little chips throughout and the grill bars are very spongey and soft to touch. Thanks for the video 😊
That case change is amazing. I personally would leave the cracks as-is unless they really go south with time. The remaining little things on the case are what I call 'love marks'. Shows the unit was well used/loved.
Great job! I would try to glue the cracks from inside using plastic modelling glue. Thanks for your videos!
Excellent video and work!!
Looks great Jeff. Excellent restoration project. I have one AC Vic waiting for work-just not as neglected, and hopefully not as buggy, as yours!
I had similar results in retrobriting a 1351 mouse cover that was very orange. There are slightly mottled and lighter areas where the plastic was stressed in manufacture, especially where the plastic was injected into the mold. Overall its much better than it was though. Now to get the rust off the DB9 connector and internal mouse board...
Did you notice defects in these same areas before treatment? I'm thinking it might be interesting to look at a very yellowed item under controlled conditions with specific wavelengths of light, etc. to get a better idea of the before state.
A case of "mis-case-in-identity"? Enjoyed video! 99% improvement just being clean!
Great job! Thanks for sharing. One day I might do the same with my yellower than yellow VIC-20 :)
I've found that high-purity alcohol is pants at removing almost everything, but mixed with water (I used 70% IPA just yesterday to clean one of my monitors) works quite well.
The alcohol acts as a surfactant, similar to a soap or detergent in making the water wet things more effectively, helping it to release the dirt. The big advantage of using alcohol in cleaning electronics and LCD displays is that alcohol doesn't leave behind the sticky residue that soaps and detergents can, which then helps to bind more dirt.
There's a few more tricks, as well. If you're working on something that might react badly to alcohols but isn't damaged by acetone, one useful trick is that you can clean with water and soap or detergent, then flush away any residue with water, and then rinse off the water with acetone, which then evaporates in moderately warm air easily, leaving a clean, dry surface. (Not much use on ABS or acrylic or several other common plastics which acetone will dissolve, but when I was in university it was the approved method of drying low-precision glassware quickly. It wasn't used for the high-precision stuff for precise analytical chemistry because it doesn't really leave a truly dry surface.)
'Pants' is that good or bad? Or, does it depend on who is wearing or not wearing said pants? LOL, I love learning new idioms :)
@@HeyBirt Being pants at something means being bad at or for it.
My feeling is that the cracks should be glued from the inside with an appropriate glue.
An awesome job Jeff, the case looks pretty nice now!!! I am excited on part 2 where we see if the machine will run properly, but there will be no doubt about it ;-) Best wishes from Germany, Michael
Excellent retrobrighting job! I liked the time lapse with all the steps, from 24 to 168 hours; maybe for hard cases like this one one can use more hydrogen peroxide in the water to shorten the process; it's difficult to calculate/graduate it because all variables are analog and weather dependent.
I usually use about a 6% solution but wound up with 5% as I needed more volume to do a TRS-80 Model 4P case.
Hey Birt can you do one on the differences between part numbers. Like MC7812CTG, MC7812CT, MC7812CV and how to tell them apart etc.
Good idea.
Great job! One thing I've found that helps reduce the streaks in the case is just to leave it out in daylight and use the computer. UV bleaches the case, and just leaving my computers out and in use almost always clears up any blotchiness after retrobrighting over a period of weeks. I think it's only when they're put away after UV exposure that yellowing takes hold.
This means you should use your computers forever and never put them in storage, of course 🙂
I noticed too that just leaving the case out in the workshop it the streaks/blotches evened up. In the video I did about the science of Retr0Brite (link in this video's description) there is a link to a paper about this re-yellowing in darkness. They concluded it was likely some sort of thermal equilibrium process. I've not yet experienced this myself.
Going back and looking at the video I did before Retr0Briting I can see that the areas that came out blotchy/streaky look different beforehand as well.
09:15 By the time you need to clean a dozen key caps, it's time to use a Craigslist Ultrasonic parts cleaner: "set it and walk away"
The case has probably lost some plasticizer over the years. I would suggest giving it a good coating of plastic protectant and leave it on to soak in for a couple of hours before wiping it off. There’s a chance the cracks may close up a bit if you do. Cracking of the case around the slots like you have isn’t that uncommon on those AC VICs due to the heat they produced.
Yep, did that with 303 Protectant...
Hi, excellent retrobrighting, I find with the brown keys.. that the cream volume 40 proxide works better for me. Just a dab with a qtip on the top on letters and no sun because it dulls the brown. Tin foil lined box and a uv light for about two to four hours (making sure that it doesn't dry on) and covering with cling wrap. Works great. Anyways, can't wait for next video
I have heard of this fading issue on brown keys using cream developer, but I did not have that issue with the 5% liquid solution. I suspect that a higher concentration of H2O2 may lead to this type of thing happening.
Hey Birt! It occurred to me looking at the bleached keys if a little heat might make the pigment "heal"? While not the most controlled and best practice, I notice that plastic car bumpers gain back their original color with the careful application of a heat gun.
I'm not near my collection at the moment, and can't try it out.
I have heard of folks using a heat gun on bumpers and plastic dash boards. Some have reported mixed results, i.e. not long lasting. I wonder if the smooth surface of the key would lend itself this this type of treatment.
It did give me another idea for something from the automotive world to try and the results are promising. Details in next VIC-20 video :)
An eBay seller has 2X of the static AMD RAM chips brand new for $11 total. Grab em and jam em in.
Try some Frog Tape instead of that blue stuff. It holds better.
Anything would have been better than the blue painter's tape but it is what I had on hand :)
I would glue those vents
The key to proper conservation is to stabilize the artefact but not make those stabilizing aids become inseparably bonded to the artefact. This leaves the door open to future more in depth restorations. So glue yes, but one that can be totally removed and cleaned off. I think proper treatment for actually stabilizing the plastic from within would be to bath it in high concentrations of plastic additives, which sounds like a nasty process. So meh. But there might be consumer products even for that available actually, but is an irreversable process that might not have the best results.
I'm not sure that you can add anything to the plastic after it is manufactured . It might be a bit like trying to add more flour to a cake.
QWERYT keyboard ;)
D 'Oh! I had not noticed that :)
The X and the Z were flipped too. But hey, that's the least of this poor VIC's worries :)
I really goofed it up :) Thanks for pointing these goofs out.
@@HeyBirt haha, awww, we're just silly pointing out inconsequential stuff !
@@phreapersoonlijk I really do appreciate you guys pointing it out. It's funny that I laid out the keycaps, popped them on, took video and edited the video and did not notice. Funny how one's mind can see what it wants/expects to see.