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Old 16th Jul 2016, 9:38 am   #1
HandH52
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Default Cleaning plastic 7" R2R BASF library cases

Hi Firstly, I hope this is in the correct section of the forum!
I have several of these grey BASF cases with the white spines which are all grubby but also on quite a few the white plastic has yellowed. My first job is to give them all a wash in hot soapy water to remove the muck but after that I am stumped. I realize they have probably yellowed with age but is there some treatment out there to restore the colour?

many thanks for any advice John
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Old 16th Jul 2016, 10:10 am   #2
brenellic2000
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Default Re: cleaning plastic 7" R2R BASF library cases

It is almost certainly age related/exposure to sun chemical decomposition. Few plastics like being rejunvenated but you could try a very mild wet abrasive paste such as 'Eucryl' tooth-powder (from an independent chemists) or a jeweller's rouge which might leave a red iron oxide stain. Or a mild car paint restorer...
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Old 16th Jul 2016, 11:33 am   #3
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Default Re: cleaning plastic 7" R2R BASF library cases

I use CIF.
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Old 16th Jul 2016, 11:44 am   #4
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Default Re: cleaning plastic 7" R2R BASF library cases

Sometimes you can remove or at least reduce UV yellowing by soaking in a concentrated solution of Oxy type stain remover (cheapest source is Poundland).
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Old 16th Jul 2016, 12:36 pm   #5
G6Tanuki
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Default Re: cleaning plastic 7" R2R BASF library cases

If the yellowing is just in the plastic's surface-layer, you can get suitable polishing kits designed to restore plastic car headlights that have yellowed. Meguiars, Autoglym and 3M make these kits.

Unfortunately, often the yellowing (due to the effects of UV light) frequently goes a lot deeper.
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Old 16th Jul 2016, 1:04 pm   #6
Goldieoldie
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Default Re: cleaning plastic 7" R2R BASF library cases

I use undiluted bleach on the white area only
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Old 16th Jul 2016, 2:07 pm   #7
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Default Re: cleaning plastic 7" R2R BASF library cases

I have had exactly the same problem. I leave mine soaking in some clothes washing powder in the sun, in the garden until the "whiteness" comes back.
Adding stain remover will definitely help. Depending on the weather can take 1 - 2 days.

The biggest issue is actually getting enough sunshine...

Definitely works though,

Peter.
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Old 17th Jul 2016, 9:16 am   #8
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Default Re: Cleaning plastic 7" R2R BASF library cases

Thanks for the tips. I'll give them a try and let you know how I get on

John
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Old 17th Jul 2016, 10:13 pm   #9
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Default Re: Cleaning plastic 7" R2R BASF library cases

http://www.retr0bright.com/

Not tried this myself and mixed reports, if you try it please let us know the results!

Cheers,

Kev
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Old 21st Jul 2016, 11:13 am   #10
HandH52
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Default Re: Cleaning plastic 7" R2R BASF library cases

Well so far I have tried CIF, Toothpaste, car chrome polish, & oven cleaner to no avail except I have some very clean cases and sore fingers! The CIF & chrome polish did remove some black felt tip pen numbers leaving a ghostly white imprint underneath.

My next move was to be Peters washing powder & Oxy trick & then Kev posted the retrobright link which echoes Peters trick so I think I'll give it a go. I'll have to assemble the ingredients as well as a second hand liquidizer because if I use the one in the kitchen I'll be in big trouble !!!
The recipe is on the website if you follow the link, along with before & after pictures of computer parts

I'll let you know how I go on.

John
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Old 28th Jul 2016, 11:41 am   #11
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Default Re: Cleaning plastic 7" R2R BASF library cases

OK Here is a picture of the ingredients and another one of the worst yellowed cases.

As usual if you are to have a go at this please take care. You should wear gloves & eye protection and don't mix it/ paint it on over or near anything you don't want bleached, including your clothes

When you mix it up it looks like wall paper paste

I am trying to bleach 27 cases and am only doing the spines so I only mixed up half the ingredients pro-rata and had a lot of the paste, enough to coat the case spines several times over with plenty left.

Currently they are basking in the East Sussex sun, so I'll let you know how they turn out

John
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Old 30th Jul 2016, 2:07 pm   #12
HandH52
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Default Re: Cleaning plastic 7" R2R BASF library cases

Some results in the attached picture.
On the whole it worked pretty well especially on the not too yellowed ones.
The very yellowed ones took more time & applications and the very worst are still out in the 'sun' but it has been overcast the last couple of days. Whether or not a UV lamp would make any difference I don't know, it would speed things up I suppose but it adds to the expense.

On the Grundig branded case on the far left of the photo you might be able to make out a lighter stripe in the centre where a sticky label was fixed,a little more solution & time in the sun should fix this. The next case in shows some mottling in the rectangular section between the two horizontal bars at the bottom. This isn't due to yellowing but because the glue on the sticky label used has etched into the plastic, so if you are going to put labels on yours be aware of the long term effects of the glue

So there you go Happy Bleaching!!

cheers

John
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Old 30th Jul 2016, 2:56 pm   #13
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Default Re: Cleaning plastic 7" R2R BASF library cases

That's looks a lot better John, well done! I have many of these, some in appalling condition and for something on display then they certainly do need renovating.
Over the years I have accumulated many tapes, often in grubby cardboard boxes so I have always been on the look out for presentable tape cases. Agfa were still selling nice black empty cases into the 80s but seem rare now. The BASF/Grundig ones do seem the most common ones to survive perhaps followed by the Scotch black ones with the white spines. These also discolour but come up nicely when treated as above.
I must admit to a fondness for the old circular Emitape boxes. Although quite old-fashioned looking being transparent and dust tight is a big plus. Old labels and their residue can be a problem though.

Peter
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Old 31st Jul 2016, 9:53 am   #14
HandH52
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Default Re: Cleaning plastic 7" R2R BASF library cases

Hi Peter, I don't have any of those, I am trying to stick with the grey/white BASF style, like you say there seem to be more of them about but the price is on the up. Trouble is if you buy one it normally has a tape in it and I have more than enough tape! Funny, I was having a trawl through ebay before I read your post & saw some circular emitape boxes, I can see how they would look good on a shelf, but then I might have to have all the leaders the same colour!

Does the clear plastic go brittle? I have never handled one but it doesn't look to be the same type of plastic as used in the grey/white cases.

You're right about the labels, nightmare! Though a good long soak in hot soapy water normally shifts most of them. Like I said in my previous post I have a couple where the glue has etched the plastic, the labels could have been on for decades before I got them.

Attached is a photo of the complete set back on the shelf, some could do with a bit more work perhaps. There is some shading due to dappled light coming through the window.

I have also attached a close up of the glue etching., I think, unless they were bought as 'seconds' due to a manufacturing fault and it has nothing to do with the label glue at all!

cheers

John
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Old 31st Jul 2016, 7:25 pm   #15
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Default Re: Cleaning plastic 7" R2R BASF library cases

On some types of polystyrene I have carefully scraped discolouration followed by
application of Greygate plastic polish. There is a risk of any plastic exposed to UV or
cleaners to become more brittle, so care is required.
I think it is unlikely label glue has damaged the other spines, this was probably due to the softening effect caused by using a contact adhesive to hold a plain label, and abrasion
is the only way to restore the surface.
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Old 31st Jul 2016, 10:04 pm   #16
Reelman
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Default Re: Cleaning plastic 7" R2R BASF library cases

"Does the clear plastic go brittle? I have never handled one but it doesn't look to be the same type of plastic as used in the grey/white cases."

I can't say I have ever found that they suffer through brittleness or discolouration over the years, they seem the same today as I remember them that I bought new in the 60s. With my limited knowledge of plastics I would say they are the same material as Airfix aeroplane canopies and they don't seem to deteriorate either. Polystyrene perhaps? Originally they were supplied with circular papers in different colours (to match the EMI colours for long play, double play etc) so that you could list the tracks. Having found some blank ones I have colour photocopied them to bring some colour to the cases. Incidentally if painted, simply by brush, on the inside they can look quite smart and hide the leader colours. It reproduces the reverse painted effect loved by some transistor radio collectors!

"You're right about the labels, nightmare! Though a good long soak in hot soapy water normally shifts most of them."

What about making some new labels to cover where the old ones lived? When you have more than a couple of tapes it helps to be able to identify them. I have thought of printing onto paper and then perhaps covering with clear sticky backed plastic to avoid the paper yellowing.

Peter
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Old 1st Aug 2016, 2:32 am   #17
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Default Re: Cleaning plastic 7" R2R BASF library cases

Clear plastic is often polystyrene, the BASF cases may well be ABS, of which early types
were not as UV resistant as modern (e.g. Lego), I well remember the two tone grey RS
boxes that turned to orange-brown ! ABS is now used in 3D printing of course.
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Old 1st Aug 2016, 11:57 am   #18
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Default Re: Cleaning plastic 7" R2R BASF library cases

I have some 7" EMItapes in the clear round cases, and the cases show no sign of deterioration. My late uncle bought them in the early 1960's.
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Old 1st Aug 2016, 12:18 pm   #19
HandH52
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Default Re: Cleaning plastic 7" R2R BASF library cases

I hadn't thought about the labels being stuck on with contact adhesive! Why would you do that, it isn't as if sticky labels weren't around.

Having my cases match panders to my OCD which seems to get worse as I get older, hence having leaders all the same colour in clear cases, so painting them instead would work for me
I am not at the stage of aligning screw heads yet though!

I got these cases from various people, some I bought others were free so previous owners had different ideas for cataloging tapes. Sticky labels, felt tip pen ( a so and so to get off it was some sort of permanent marker), Dymo, etc

I bought my last 3 cases and the vendor mentioned he had seen cases painted to restore them but I am not convinced how successful this would be long term but I suppose you could use "Plasticote" and maybe different colours for different genres?

You are right I will need some system and will probably go back to sticky labels with numbers on to fit in the bottom "rectangle". They will also cover the damaged parts of the cases as you say.

"Airfix" takes me back to the 1960's buying 1/72 kits in polythene bags, always managed to put a glue fingerprint on the canopies though.

John
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Old 1st Aug 2016, 5:03 pm   #20
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Default Re: Cleaning plastic 7" R2R BASF library cases

Quote:
Originally Posted by HandH52 View Post
I hadn't thought about the labels being stuck on with contact adhesive! Why would you do that, it isn't as if sticky labels weren't around.
There were usually adhesive labels supplied with the tape, but the glue on these often dries out and the labels fall off! No doubt someone sought to rectify that.
I've seen other styles of case with moulding marks beneath the labels, clearly designed that way, but that doesn't seem to be the case here.
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