How do you retrobrite a mousepad?
Posted by Xenolog1@reddit | vintagecomputing | View on Reddit | 31 comments
29 1/2 years ago, this was the first mousepad that I’ve got at my first job.
When it became brittle, I stored it away and forgot totally about it. I just found it today again!
yodavulcan@reddit
The worse thing you can do is clean it. Removes all the value. Collectors look for the age of an item.
Mostly /s
Baselet@reddit
But then again possibly not.
Baselet@reddit
Call it patina and do exactly nothing.
khatarlan@reddit
Sweet Jebus…. I had one of those new in the 90’s. Did you get it bronzed?
Notacka@reddit
Looks like nicotine
GeckoDeLimon@reddit
Bromine. Fire retardant added to the plastic. Same reason things like Gameboys went dark yellow with time.
Xenolog1@reddit (OP)
I don’t know what happened to it to get discoloured this way. Non-smoking offices, so nicotine isn’t the cause.
The top is relatively stiff plastic, not fabric.
Souta95@reddit
What if you tried the usual retro-brite on the top surface?
theskewb@reddit
Considering that there is a substantial amount of fabric still in the mousepad, I would be hesitant to do this. Hydrogen Peroxide can and will deteriorate fabrics of all kinds. Additionally, retrobrighting will only work on specific types of plastics, and this is clearly a different kind than that used on the cases of old computers. If he is to try it, I would suggest to only use the ozone method. But this could make it worse, since UV light browns most white plastics, and the ozone method (or any other for that matter) might not work, making it even worse. That being said, I don't have any experience retrobrighting mousepads, or any soft plastics for that matter, and this is just speculation.
Epena501@reddit
Copper
WhatTheFlippityFlop@reddit
Y’all don’t remember that the official Gateway cowprint colors were black and gold? /s
otacon6531@reddit
Sometimes you just need to put the cow to rest.
Suspect4pe@reddit
This is the kind of thing you hang on the wall for geek cred and don't bother touching it any more than that.
Xenolog1@reddit (OP)
^This. TBH, my question was more meant as a joke than truly serious.
Suspect4pe@reddit
Yeah, I figured when you mentioned how brittle it is.
Hustletron@reddit
Yeah this thing could give off funky chemicals on your palm. Hang it up is right!
jewellman100@reddit
In this modern day world of novelty mouse pads, you could scan it, trace it and send off to have a replica made.
Xenolog1@reddit (OP)
Good idea! Thx!
AlfieHicks@reddit
Scan it on a flatbed scanner, edit the colours back to pure black and pure white, then get the design reprinted at a place that does personalised gifts.
Xenolog1@reddit (OP)
Great idea! Thx!
OrthosDeli@reddit
I'd be interested to see if magic eraser would take the yellow off.
MorallyDeplorable@reddit
that's one of the PCs chocolate milk comes from
thatvhstapeguy@reddit
I have one of these that is similarly yellowed.
Dangerous_Panda_530@reddit
Oxyclean.
x2network@reddit
I worked for them back in the 90’s it was a shit show with their 10000 year warranty.. yeah they won large contracts but it wasn’t going to last long
eulynn34@reddit
Aw, if it's already that yellow and brittle I don't think there's much of anything you can do, the plastic itself is decaying. You could bleach the yellowing out, but it will always be brittle
0riginal-Syn@reddit
Tanned cow hide!!
yParticle@reddit
clearly a special edition from the skin of the golden calf
2HDFloppyDisk@reddit
It's real skin, showing signs of decay. Practically mummified now.
omega552003@reddit
Throw it in the wash, gentle cycle, cold water, air dry.
SourChipmunk@reddit
Dish soap? It it isn't cloth, you might be able to get away with a scrub brush also.
If that doesn't cut it, Simple Green or Windex and let it sit for a few minutes.