SNES to retrobright or not to retrobright that is the question

[PopetherevXXVIII]

I just got a friend into Super Famicom collecting (great story I'll post elsewhere) and he's debating if he should retrobright his new console or not. I'm 50/50, I asked on reddit they said no. I'm thinking he should just give it a peroxide bath under UV Light for a few days.

I haven't done my system but a yellowed controller cleanred up pretty nice and I'm wondering if all these Yellow Super Famicoms are just smoke exposed and don't need harsh chemicals to look new again.

 

[Druid II]

It's a waste of time, it'll fade back to yellow in a short time from what I've seen. Also, peroxide can be dangerous if the fumes aren't ventilated.

 

[PopetherevXXVIII]

It's a waste of time, it'll fade back to yellow in a short time from what I've seen. Also, peroxide can be dangerous if the fumes aren't ventilated.

He's a Doctor he knows these things

His system

 

[deadlegion]

Some of them are probably exposed to smoke but from what I understand a lot of this yellowing is the fire retardant being drawn out of this type of plastic due to age. I've seen some of this yellowed plastic become more brittle and powdery too (early FC consoles).

Instead of peroxide you could just strip the console down and give the plastics a good soak in mild soapy water overnight. Then dry thoroughly and spend some time going over the yellowing with magic eraser repeatedly. Won't get rid of the cosmetic damage completely but should at least lighten it. So in milder cases of yellowing the console should look "cleaner".

The problem with the old FC consoles is that they have stickers on top so you need to source replacements if you want to attempt a good clean.

For SFC, honestly imo if you want a clean unit then find a clean shell or a couple of shells that you can combine parts to make a nice one. I mean you might be able to source a cleaner shell from a dead aka junk SFC and use it for the yellowed SFC you already have that is working/refurbished/modded.

If money isn't a barrier then import a CiB SFC with no visible sign of yellowing

I have two SFC's, both have some yellowing but one is much better than the other. One I bought as "junk" with an early FC (with AV & USB power mod) plus a small box of carts. The other I found at work, nothing with it, so I got it as junk as it couldn't be tested for sale in the shop.

BTW that early FC I have that is modded doesn't have noticeable yellowing.

 

[PopetherevXXVIII]

Well this is his first system I doubt he'll want to take it that far. But I'll forward to him

I suggested the Shells that are up for pre-order on Castlemania games.

Might get one myself

 

[toxtrepla]

Well this is his first system I doubt he'll want to take it that far. But I'll forward to him

I suggested the Shells that are up for pre-order on Castlemania games.

Might get one myself

Definitely recommend an aftermarket shell. I’ve found retrobrighting to be a losing battle where it’s a ticking time bomb until you have to do it again. Sadly.

 

[PopetherevXXVIII]

Definitely recommend an aftermarket shell. I’ve found retrobrighting to be a losing battle where it’s a ticking time bomb until you have to do it again. Sadly.

I'm trying to steer him in that direction. The Smoke one that Castlemania games has up for preorder is pretty sexy. My system is just slightly tinted it's really not that bad but to have a cover that takes SNES carts...yes please.

 

[GiroNeko]

Well, IMO it's totally up to him, depending on how much effort he wants to put into this process. I had retrobritghted mine long time ago, but it seemed that yellowed faster then normal after sometime. Dunno if it was something that I used, or the product that I used was not so good, I guess it's probably reaction related, since the whole process is a chemical reaction. But the thing is, this is not a 1 time process, you will prob need to do it in the future if you want to keep it bright n shinny. Also be careful with the smoke and product after using, it can irritate your eyes and skin very easily if not handled correctly.

 

[toxtrepla]

Yeah 100%. Has total analogue vibes to it. I’m just a sucker for all things translucent.

I'm trying to steer him in that direction. The Smoke one that Castlemania games has up for preorder is pretty sexy. My system is just slightly tinted it's really not that bad but to have a cover that takes SNES carts...yes please.

 

[PopetherevXXVIII]

He went ahead and did it and it looks pretty good

 

[ricepuppet]

Looks good though. I never even tried RB. I always spray painted the consoles (SFC and Genesis) back to their original colors. I had to remove all the stickers though, and add logo's on them later on.

 

[PopetherevXXVIII]

Then there's mine which is more a tint than a yellow