Retro and vintage tech YouTuber Tech Tangents, who goes by Shelby Jueden, showed on his channel the effects of retrobrighting after ten years on an old Sega Dreamcast. According to the YouTube video, he applied the classic hydrogen peroxide-and-sunlight method to the top and bottom cases of his old console (excluding the lid) way back in 2015, which had some effect on reducing the existing yellowing on the case at the time. He then left the entire thing disassembled on his shelf and only got around to it this year. This sort of accidental experiment showed that retrobrighting isn’t actually suitable for the console, with the non-treated surface appearing better after a decade.
Jueden says that retrobrighting is the process of reversing the natural yellowing that many plastic parts undergo over time. There are many different catalysts for this yellowing process. Still, he explains in the video that plastic parts tend to miscolor as the fire-retardant chemical in the material oxidizes, either through exposure to light, UV radiation, oxygen, temperature, and many other factors.
Some retro enthusiasts want to reverse this aging process by using various techniques. Aside from the one mentioned above, the video also mentioned the sous vide method, which heats a solution of Salon Care 40 Volume Clear Developer (which contains hydrogen peroxide) and water, and then applies it to the plastic part for treatment. It showed some promise in reversing some of the yellowing, but it still did not fully restore it to its original color. He also tried multiple experiments using ozone and UV light, but the results were either negligible or worse.
In the end, he said that while retrobrighting might temporarily reverse the yellowing on plastic parts, it does more harm than good. The treated surfaces showed signs of streaking and blotching, and, instead of correcting the imperfections, the bleach damaged the plastic. More than that, he also showed the underside of the console case, which was partly covered by tape over the past ten years. The treated portion was more yellow than the untreated one, proving that leaving the console untouched was much better for longevity than attempting to reverse the march time.
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