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Has anyone Retrobrited an AEK or AEK II
Posted: 07 Jun 2023, 16:08
by apastuszak
For those that don't know. Retrobrite is a method for "de-yellowing" old plastic and bringing it back to its original beige color. You soak the parts in a high concentration hydrogen peroxide solution in direct sunlight, preferably on a hot date.
I'm wondering how Retrobrite would affect the Apple logo on these keyboards. I'd hate to have them fade away because of the procedure.
Re: Has anyone Retrobrited an AEK or AEK II
Posted: 07 Jun 2023, 16:56
by Muirium
Here’s one detailed DT thread of many which cover the procedure:
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=24114
I’ve still not tried it myself, though. As I gather: it’s wise to remove badges and labels first because they will get burned.
Re: Has anyone Retrobrited an AEK or AEK II
Posted: 07 Jun 2023, 17:46
by fohat
Apple keyboards AEK and AEK2 are particularly prone to yellowing, if I am remembering correctly it is because of a high dose of fire retardant in the plastic recipe.
Retrobrite is not without its risks, personally I would avoid it and just live with the yellow. They do generally change color pretty consistently.
Re: Has anyone Retrobrited an AEK or AEK II
Posted: 11 Jun 2023, 23:02
by claup812
I retrobrited a few AEK's M0115 and a bunch of M0116/18, it won't affect the logo coloring, if you keep it under 24 hours.
I would not recommend high-concentration, 50% of 11 or 12% peroxide & 50% deionized/distilled water. Use some weights, tightened with clear fishing line. 4 weights, one in each corner, (Underneath the case).
Give the case a good clean, before retrobrite, I would do that for the cable too, in the same time, seal the ends and you're good to go.
Re: Has anyone Retrobrited an AEK or AEK II
Posted: 11 Jun 2023, 23:57
by TNT
On the M0116 you can actually remove the Apple Logo fairly easily. There's a hole on the inside of the case and you can just push it out with a toothpick.
Re: Has anyone Retrobrited an AEK or AEK II
Posted: 12 Jun 2023, 10:50
by Muirium
Much better then! Be smart and keep your rainbow logo safely out of the alchemicals.
Re: Has anyone Retrobrited an AEK or AEK II
Posted: 12 Jun 2023, 18:34
by lhutton
fohat wrote: ↑07 Jun 2023, 17:46
Apple keyboards AEK and AEK2 are particularly prone to yellowing, if I am remembering correctly it is because of a high dose of fire retardant in the plastic recipe.
Retrobrite is not without its risks, personally I would avoid it and just live with the yellow. They do generally change color pretty consistently.
I second this, not a big fan of retrobright. Can turn plastic very brittle and in most cases it will yellow again faster than it did the first time. I don't think any full time historical preservation folks really recommend it, in fast a few have warned against it due to prolonged peroxide exposure + UV breaking polymer bonds and damaging plastic:
https://forum.vcfed.org/index.php?threa ... ght.30598/
I just live with the yellow on my AEK and AEKII. It's like grey hair, scars and wrinkles. Some people go through a lot of hoops to get rid of them but I figure it's a sign of experience and a job well done. Not everyone and everything survives long enough to get grey or (in vintage tech's case) turn yellow.
Edit: I would recommend a good disassembly and cleaning. You'd be surprised at how much of that yellow and discoloration is just grime. I just use a mild peroxide based cleaner and a medium-soft bush with some water. Here in the states the cleaner is sold under the Lysol brand as a bleach free kitchen and bathroom cleaner but it works well to get nicotine, coffee and human grease stains out of beige plastic without damaging anything. I've seen passably clean looking key caps turn water tea colored.
Re: Has anyone Retrobrited an AEK or AEK II
Posted: 13 Jun 2023, 05:01
by apastuszak
Another option I was considering was just painting it after a good run through the dishwasher.
Does anyone know the right shade of paint to use? I assume I need to clear coat it afterwards also.
I assume paint would be a more permanent solution to the problem without making the plastic any more brittle than it already is.
I do agree that the AEK and AEK II seem to yellow to a greater degree than other ABS based computer products. Especially the AEK. I have an AEK II in good shape. And my backup AEK II is only slightly yellowed. I can only tell it's yellowed because of the overlay that's missing. It's a slightly different shade of beige than the rest of the keyboard.
The original AEK, every one of those I see anywhere are extremely yellowed. Back when I was in college, we had totes full of AEKs. Of course it was also 1988, so the thing was new back then. I guarantee you, at some point they took all those totes and just threw them out. No one recycled electronics back then.
The one thing I love about all Apple keyboards is the pass-through ports on them. From the AEK onward, there was always a second ADB port to daisy chain a mouse. And when Apple switched to USB, they kept the extra USB ports on the side to daisy chain mice again.
I really wish more keyboard makers would include 2 USB ports on their keyboards.
Re: Has anyone Retrobrited an AEK or AEK II
Posted: 17 Jun 2023, 03:25
by the_ambyguous
apastuszak wrote: ↑13 Jun 2023, 05:01
Another option I was considering was just painting it after a good run through the dishwasher.
Does anyone know the right shade of paint to use? I assume I need to clear coat it afterwards also.
I assume paint would be a more permanent solution to the problem without making the plastic any more brittle than it already is.
I do agree that the AEK and AEK II seem to yellow to a greater degree than other ABS based computer products. Especially the AEK. I have an AEK II in good shape. And my backup AEK II is only slightly yellowed. I can only tell it's yellowed because of the overlay that's missing. It's a slightly different shade of beige than the rest of the keyboard.
The original AEK, every one of those I see anywhere are extremely yellowed. Back when I was in college, we had totes full of AEKs. Of course it was also 1988, so the thing was new back then. I guarantee you, at some point they took all those totes and just threw them out. No one recycled electronics back then.
The one thing I love about all Apple keyboards is the pass-through ports on them. From the AEK onward, there was always a second ADB port to daisy chain a mouse. And when Apple switched to USB, they kept the extra USB ports on the side to daisy chain mice again.
I really wish more keyboard makers would include 2 USB ports on their keyboards.
i think ive seen someone use rit cloth dye for the cases? you could also just go with classic spray paint
ive used spray paint to color ABS before and it comes out great. a little thick.
to retrobrite just throw it in a tub with hydrogen peroxide and let it cook in the sun. if you fuck up theres plenty more aeks to work with
Re: Has anyone Retrobrited an AEK or AEK II
Posted: 17 Jun 2023, 20:00
by hellothere
The paint I've used is Rust-Oleum Granite Grey, topped off with a couple of coats of clear matte enamel. I've heard of and seen the dye keyboards and those do look pretty good, but the difficulty level is much higher. There are also some nice paint colors from Duplicolor, but I've had the most compliments on just the grey.
As Mu linked to my thread regarding retr0bright-ing, RSVP if you have any questions. I do things a little different, now.
If you are retr0bright-ing an Apple case, I strongly recommend checking it every hour. If you're in someplace that's hot or you're using some other heater, you might want to check every half hour. Also note that you should do checks when the case is completely dry. Like, take it out of the retr0bright, wash the case under cool water, then check if it's the color you want.
Remember that the Apple Standard keyboard through the AEK II are PBT dye-sublimed, so don't retr0bright those.
Re: Has anyone Retrobrited an AEK or AEK II
Posted: 22 Jun 2023, 07:18
by vometia
Spraypainting it sounds like a much safer bet to me. Even without the risk of brittleness, I've seen several examples of Retrobrited stuff where the results are really inconsistent and patchy, plus the tendency for the yellow to just come back anyway. Paint is probably less prone to jaundice!
Re: Has anyone Retrobrited an AEK or AEK II
Posted: 25 Jun 2023, 22:09
by Muirium
hellothere wrote: ↑17 Jun 2023, 20:00
Remember that the Apple Standard keyboard through the AEK II are PBT dye-sublimed, so don't retr0bright those.
I assume you’re talking about their
caps. The AEK I&II
cases are very ABS indeed, and are very frequently yellow now with UV exposure and age. Apple Keyboards are among the most visible evidence out there that ABS is a bad choice for spacebars, too, as only the other keys retain their pearly OG appeal.
Just an old pic of mine I ran across again. The AEK I in the back is a sore example of the fate awaiting ABS. Originally, it was paler than the SSK, and close to the Realforce.
Re: Has anyone Retrobrited an AEK or AEK II
Posted: 25 Jun 2023, 22:24
by apastuszak
I really wish they made a Mini-M in pearl/pebble.
I'm really not a fan of black. I'm tempted to paint mine.
Re: Has anyone Retrobrited an AEK or AEK II
Posted: 01 Jul 2023, 04:54
by hellothere
Muirium wrote: ↑25 Jun 2023, 22:09
hellothere wrote: ↑17 Jun 2023, 20:00
Remember that the Apple Standard keyboard through the AEK II are PBT dye-sublimed, so don't retr0bright those.
I assume you’re talking about their
caps. The AEK I&II
cases are very ABS indeed
Yup. Forgot a word.