Thread Number: 29272  /  Tag: 80s/90s Vacuum Cleaners
My Kenmore Retro Brite Experiment / Kenmore EVPC Canister
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Post# 326837   6/13/2015 at 14:59 (3,211 days old) by vacguy77 (Eureka, MO)        

So being that I am also a vintage Apple computer collector, I had been reading about a process called Retro Brite which reverses the yellowing that occurs on beige and grey plastics from the 1980's. During that time period, they added a chemical called Bromine to the mixture of ABS plastics which is the culpit of the yellowing to our beloved vintage electronics and vacuum cleaners from that time period. Retro Brite is made in a blender with 12% Hydrogen Peroxide, Xanthan Gum, Glycerine, and OxyClean powder. The Hydrogen Peroxide and OxyClean give it it's whitening properties, while the Xanthan Gum and Glycerine give it the gelling properties. It creates a gel like suds that is applied to the affected plastic with a paint brush and left in the Sun for 3-15 hours. The Kenmore stayed in the Sun for about 5 hours. This vacuum when I got it from John Pease was pretty yellowed, specially the lower half (bag/motor compartment). The hose was also shot and wrapped with duct tape. I was lucky enough to find a new three wire molded end hose, otherwise it wouldn't have been worth restoring. The yellowing was mostly all removed and then I re-assembled the cleaner, and applied a coat of wax. She's as good as new! I really wish I would have taken a "before" picture because this was really a transformation, John can probably attest! You can find the recipe by going to the Wikipedia page for Retro Brite. I will warn you to wear safety goggles and use gloves when mixing/applying the formula. 12% Hydrogen Peroxide can give you chemical burns, and do severe damage to your eyes if it get's splashed in your eyes. Here are some pictures :)

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Post# 326839 , Reply# 1   6/13/2015 at 15:37 (3,211 days old) by Miskini (Northville, Michigan )        
Nice job

miskini's profile picture
It looks brand new. Will it yellow again over time.

Post# 326840 , Reply# 2   6/13/2015 at 15:52 (3,211 days old) by vacguy77 (Eureka, MO)        
Not sure

I don't know.. I guess we'll see :) It will be stored in my vacuum room in the basement where it is dark, so that should help.

Post# 326928 , Reply# 3   6/14/2015 at 21:21 (3,210 days old) by conceptone ()        
Quite a Transformation

Derrick,
The vacuum looks great. That is quite a transformation from what it looked like in the beginning. The vacuum was not abused, but it was used and the plastic had yellowed. I found this machine at an estate sale in South St. Louis. That is an amazing transformation. It looks like brand new. Literally like you took it out of the box. That was a lot of work, but well worth it in the end. Enjoy your new vacuum.

John



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