Solution to discoloration

[RobExplorien]

NOTE: All that will follow is a/one of the solution/solutions to the discoloration of white LEGO bricks. Please read careful,  I cannot be held responsible for any mistakes you make with the process of whitening the bricks. Only use this method for whitening WHITE bricks, not other colors, nor white bricks with printings or stickers! The information that follows is partially based on personal experience.

 

You may know them: discolored white bricks. I recently discovered this method to get the white color of those bricks back. To show you what I'm talking about, see the images in the spoiler. Each brick is lit equally, the discoloration is real. The left blick is the discolored one, the right brick can be the result of this method.

 

 

In order to retrieve the white color of these discolored bricks, you can do the following. For this method you'll need:

• Hydrogen peroxide (preferred concentration is about 3%)
• Distilled water (to thin the hydrogen peroxide, if concentration is too high)
• Glass jar with lid (or other material which the hydrogen peroxide won't affect)
• Discolored white bricks

The principle of this method is based on a redox reaction, just a little point of information.

 

Brand names censored.

 

Be careful, hydrogen peroxide (abbreviated to hp) is corrosive (at 3% concentration not very corrosive)! You do not need a very high concentration for this method, a 3% concentration is fine for whitening the bricks. You might also want to buy distilled water, to thin the hp (distilled water is rather preferred for thinning than tap water). Distilled water is not only for thinning, but also for spending as little hp for the whitening proces, for it is not very cheap. You'll need the glass jar to put the solution (hydrogen peroxide mixed with distilled water) in.

For thinning, it depends on the concentration of the hp. It also depends on how much hp you are willing to use for each whitening. Use the following formula to calculate how much distilled water is necessary to get a certain concentration:

volume distilled water necessary = ((former concentration hp * volume added hp) / new concentration) - volume added hp

For example; you have a hp concentration of 30%, and you'd like to thin this concentration with distilled water to 3%. You use 50mL of hp, and for this thinning you need:

volume distilled water necessary = ((30% * 50mL) / 3%) - 50mL = 450mL distilled water

 

Now to add the bricks. The substance is not corrosive towards the bricks. Let's say we use the solution explained in the example (50mL hp mixed with 450mL distilled water). Pour this solution (carefully) into the jar. Then, add the white discolored bricks to the solution (make sure the bricks are submerged once). Put the glass jar on a window-sill, or anywhere else where light can lit the bricks. Leave the bricks in the solution for about 3 to 7 days (personal experience). After the process of whitening, clean the bricks with water (and soap). Do not throw away the solution, it can be used a second time for whitening other discolored bricks (not sure about a third time use).

Below follows an image of the effective effect of this method. Again, the bricks are both lit equally (left is before, right is after).

 

This information pretty much summarizes all that I liked to tell. I hope I explained you well how to work with the solution, and the whole method of whitening discolored white bricks.

[STUDZ]

Oh, yes... This shall be useful.

 

I remember someone telling me about this a couple years ago, but I couldn't remember the exact procedure. But now that I have a reference, I can go ahead and clean my discolored white bricks.

 

Kudos to you, Rob!

[RobExplorien]

Glad I could help.

 

Also, edited the formula. I forgot one thing about it; to subtract the added volume hp at the end.