What is/is not subject to yellowing? Yellowing prevention

OK SO I got my N64 to work, figure out why the other one was busted. Step 2... Get an SNES. The SNES is neferious for yellowing, is the SNES Jr as well? Super Famicom more resistant to yellowing?

Also I hear some Dreamcasts Yellow (neither of my white ones have) And the PC engine I also know is prone to getting piss yellow.


I understand there is some kind of spray you can use to prevent yellowing. what exactly would I need?

 

Never heard of such a spray. But im interested.

The yellowing is caused by light, oxygen, and the chemical composition of the plastic.
Apparently it's mainly because they add a flame retardant to the plastic batch and this chemical is whats responsible for the yellowing reaction.
The concentration of this flame retardant varies between different plastic batch. This is why you might see a SNES with a Yellow top and a still gray bottom.

Basically i would assume any light coloured plastic will suffer from yellowing at some point. Sheltering it from useless exposition to light might slow down the process. Then you can use Retrobright or something to reverse it...

 

Retrobright is?

• 3% Hydrogen Peroxide
• Corn Starch Powder
• OxiClean

I did a search. I'm not entirely sure what it is.

 

All consoles are susceptible to yellowing, even dark colored ones like the N64 (which you normally can't see it unless it's really bad). Yellowing is mostly commonly caused by exposure to UV light, though some plastics will yellow when simply exposed to air (these are the ones that turn really yellow, and even the inside is yellow!), it really depends on what batch the plastic is from.

The spray you talked about would be some kind of sealant spray, which can only protect a console that hasn't already yellowed by protecting it from oxygen and UV light (but only for those sprays that have UV protection).

Retr0bright's official recipe is:
1 pint (500ml) Hydrogen Peroxide, 10 to 15% strength (40 vol) (available from hairdressers' supplies, e.g. the 'Sally Beauty' franchise in the UK)
2 heaped tablespoonfuls of Xanthan Gum (available from health food shops or online)
1 level teaspoonful of Glycerine (available from pharmacies)
1/4 teaspoonful of "Oxy" laundry booster

But since it's near impossible to get 15% straight hydrogen peroxide, I just use a hydrogen peroxide creme from a local hair salon, which already thickened, so the Xanthan Gum is unnecessary.

 

Yep, even the grey V-Saturn can yellow or discolour slightly. I noticed the front of my system is a little light than the rest.

 

Heh, Reason I'm asking is the next system for the collection is an SNES and my last SNES was piss yellow (and was actually pissed on by a 3 year old that didn't know better...still worked) So I want to get a model that's less likely to discolor. Which I'm guessing would be a super famicom or SNES Jr.

 

Its not caused by UV, its caused by brominated fire retardants reacting with oxygen/uv.

Its not UV directly causing it with the plastic and no, not all consoles will get it.

 

I see, So if I kept an SNES 2 in say a controlled 70*F room with minimal sunlight it should be fine?

 

Hmm, I think that in the case of the SNES, it's not related to UV... They are normally yellowed evenly on both outside and inside, as on these pics: http://www.vintagecomputing.com/index.php/archives/189
That article goes on and on about UV but I fail to see how light can be a factor when the discoloration is SO perfectly even on both inside and outside of the case.

 

So long as you put the SNES inside a case backfilled with argon or nitrogen.

 

At least for the Dreamcast, the yellowing can happen without any UV. I had a stack of them in my closet and only the bottom half of the bottom one turned yellow. That one was in contact with the carpet for a few months, I suspect that said carpet was responsible for the yellowing. BTW Xbox 360 controllers are prone to it too, mine turned piss yellow even though it was stored in it's package and in a file cabinet (again no UV).
It seems that the discoloration starts abruptly, usually many years after being made, and quickly reaches its maximum severity. I suspect that the reaction may be self catalyzing in the same way as Tin pest or celluloid decomposition. We need someone in the plastics industry to analyze these, remember this also leads to the plastic becoming brittle, and not just the cases, but the mechanics such as the infamous middle gear in the Turbo/PC Engine CD. I can't count how many times with early CD systems that I see discoloration that seems harmless but has me very worried.

 

Nope, the Super Famicom also yellows, though I often see many more of them in better condition than our Super Nintendos. I suspect that less to do with there being something special about the console, and more that the Japanese seem to take better care of their consoles

While technically true, it's not too crazy to say UV light is the main culprit here

As I already said, the ones that are evenly yellowed, both inside and out, have yellowed due to oxygen exposure. UV yellowing is still an issue for the SNES, as well as the aforementioned oxygen yellowing. As to which will effect each SNES, it depends on which batch the plastic is from.

 

Maybe I'll just get a Retroduo.... and then an AV Famicom later on

 

Clone systems are terrible. They play games imperfectly at best (weird audio etc), and the original systems are better built and have that retro charm. And it's not like the original systems are expensive or anything, I picked up a Super Famicom, boxed (though missing it's AC adapter) and completely free from yellowing for $34 just this morning.

 

I'm hearing good things about the Retro Duo 3.0 that just came out.

 

I dont mind yellowing all that much really. Id rather have a piss yellow snes than a brand new clone.

 

I need to have things looking as pistine as possible. You should have seen the look on my face the other night when I was looking at the launch Dreamcast I have...
Shit's rusty and beat to hell....and STILL WORKS

 

Clone systems are fine, if you only plan to take it to a friends house or something. Really I wouldn't spend my money on those machines I'd much rather an official machine for a little bit more.

 

Well I can say I never seen a snes jr suffer from turing yellow,as for a super fami and av fami yes they can turn as well,if anything you could get a one in decent condition and simply spray a clear coat on it to protect it.

 

You knows what works even better? The original system

If you're like me, and you want your console to be in pristine condition, ask the seller to send you lots of nice, big photos of the console from all angles. That should give you an idea of it's condition. Also, try to go for boxed consoles, chances are if the owner kept the box, he's probably very careful and treated the console well.