Retrobrighting: A 10-Year Experiment Reveals a Surprising Truth about Restoring Vintage Plastics
For those of us who cherish classic consoles, the dreaded yellowing of plastic is a familiar foe.But does the popular “retrobrighting” solution actually work long-term? A fascinating long-term experiment from retro tech YouTuber Tech Tangents (Shelby Jueden) suggests the answer is more complex than you might think.
In a recent video,Jueden revisited a Sega Dreamcast he retrobrighted back in 2015. He originally applied the common hydrogen peroxide and sunlight method to the consoleS top and bottom cases, seeing initial improvements in reducing the yellowed discoloration. however, after leaving the disassembled console untouched for a decade, the results are… unexpected.
The Shocking Discovery: Untreated plastic Fared Better
Jueden’s accidental long-term test reveals that the areas of the Dreamcast not treated wiht retrobrighting actually appear in better condition than the retrobrighted sections
