Adventures in retrobriting

[lordvolvo]

Hello there!  Longtime trooper, first-time poster.  TK-1984 reporting.

 

Thought I'd share my experiences with an aging set of armor losing its white luster.  It started happening a few years ago.  It is still in decent shape and not worthy of trashing, so I started retrobriting it.

 

I used the sun and #40 salon creme used in hair salons which is hydroden peroxide in cream form.  I applied the cream using at first a paint brush, but the peroxide would cause the brush to shed its bristles on the armor, so now I'm using a foam brush.  Gloves are strongly recommended since this stuff will chemically burn your skin if it's left on for any period of time.  I keep a running garden hose nearby and promptly wash off any HP that gets on me if I'm not using gloves.

 

Decals and other non-plastics on my helmet don't seem to be affected by the HP, but I can't say this for all decals and non-plastics, so be cautious!

 

A generous coating of the cream and placing it in a clear storage bin in the sun for a day or two does the trick for me.  Others have said to wrap items in plastic to keep the cream from drying out, but I'm afraid this would cause streaking, plus it seems to be a waste of plastic wrap.  I used the bin's lid as a floor and secure it to the bin itself.  Nothing comes into contact with the armor, and while it's not airtight, it does retain mosture somewhat as long as the lid is secured to the bin.

 

I've even done this on cloudy days.  It is a slower process but some UV rays penetrate clouds.  Still, I try to plan ahead for a sunny day in the spring through fall when the sun's rays are the strongest.

 

When done, I use running water from a garden hose and a sponge to wash off the HP.  This gives an added benefit of washing the armor.  When dry, a microfiber cloth polishes it to a nice shine.

 

I attached an image of brited and non-brited armor for comparison, and my bucket getting the treatment.

 

Unfortunately, this is not a permanent solution for my plastic.  After a few months, the grey and eventually the yellow creeps back.  Time for another round of retrobriting.

 

Some say a permanent solution is spray painting it.  I'm afraid that I'll chip off some paint after each troop.  Anyone have experience with painted armor and how the paint holds up?

Some say that repeated retrobriting will weaken the plastic, but I don't think so because the HP doesn't penetrate the plastic; only staying on the surface.  Brittle plastic comes with age and type of plastic.

 

Others say it's time to go sandy, but I like being shiny!

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

That's definitely an old set of armor, lots of rivets  

 

I've used the Retr0bright on a ten year old ATA helmet that the cap had gone yellow, worked a treat after being outside in the sun for a couple of hours on a cool afternoon. Will it yellow again only time will tell but if it does I'll just give it another go with the Retr0bright.

 

Thanks for sharing your experience, never too old to start posting

[FN1313[TK]]

Thanks for sharing! Good to know this information.


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[lordvolvo]

16 hours ago, gmrhodes13 said:

That's definitely an old set of armor, lots of rivets  

 

 

Yeah, the rivets are for permanent attachments instead of snaps or glue or velcro.  Not sure how canon they are, but they do the job well.  At least I used white rivets!