> On Oct 26, 2024, at 10:26 AM, Neil QQ <[email protected] > <mailto:[email protected]>> wrote: > > I'm restoring an old wire recorder now and see minor white-ish film on some > of the plastic parts. Curiously the Bakelite items look like brand new. > Alcohol easily removes the film.
This REALLY sounds like elasticizer leaching out. Fire retardant chemicals exacerbate the problem. The plastic parts of computers from the '90s are now very stiff and snap like a twig when you try to open something. I collect antique Christmas lights and some of the plastic parts from the late '40s and early '50s have completely disintegrated. Gone. Some brands of bubble lights from that period just crumble into powder. Regarde: "To add to NOMA's troubles, one of their sets of bubble lights was accused of starting a fire, which tragically involved a fatality. NOMA and most other bubble light manufacturers immediately added a fire retardant chemical to their plastic. NOMA outfits that include this chemical are clearly and boldly marked with the UL approval information on the front cover of the box (see picture above, third from left). The chemical caused the premature breakdown of the plastic in the lights, making them useless within a few years. Lights showing this disintegration are shrunken and severely distorted (fourth picture from left), and are often found with a whitish coating that is often erroneously attributed to spray snow or heat damage. The lights illustrated above show the damage that was caused by the flame retardant. Note that since these lights are from 1949 and later, they do not contain the glass slug. After a few years, it was determined that the NOMA bubble light set was not the cause of the fire, and the chemical was no longer used in the manufacture of the lights. The picture to the far right is of an ad NOMA strategically placed in the 1949 edition of the Fire Engineering Magazine, explaining the use of the new chemical. "Another victim of the chemically-impregnated plastic, NOMA Sno-Flake Gems were sold in 1949-1951. Few examples of the lights themselves survive. Those that do will likely be showing signs of deterioration from the fire retardant additive." See the bottom of this page: http://oldchristmastreelights.com/1946_1950_4.htm <http://oldchristmastreelights.com/1946_1950_4.htm> It's been a while since this was written and it's only gotten worse in the meantime. I have some items I purchased in the Mid-'90s that suddenly fell apart a few years later. I have the Santa and the candle. He's completely gone and the flame on the candle is like sugar. It crumbles into a powder when you touch it. Bakelite doesn't have this problem. Xmas light sockets from almost a hundred years ago look new. Add bubble tubes to your collection... > There are lots of internet posts about older Xcelite plastic tool handles > developing a white film and smelling like vomit. Yep. I have a laptop from around 2000 with the stinkiest keyboard in existence. Has the knob on your gearshift gotten sticky yet? I once heard that switching to a chrome plated metal knob adds five horsepower. Terry Bowman, KA4HJH "The Mac Doctor" https://www.astarcloseup.com "I’ve seen things you people wouldn’t believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched c-beams glitter in the dark near Tannhäuser Gate. "All those moments will be lost in time like tears in the rain."— Roy Batty, Blade Runner -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "neonixie-l" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion, visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/neonixie-l/3B7DDFDD-7922-4BAA-B6A6-593E462C83D4%40gmail.com.
