I bought another Famicom for super cheap on eBay. But it’s pretty grimy and yellowed, like most original Fami consoles.
Also quite filthy.
Here it is compared to my main original Famicom.
Comparing both to the picture on the box, my good Fami seems even whiter than expected!
Time for another hydrogen peroxide session.
When de-yellowing a Famicom, there’s a difficult choice to make because of the stickers on the top. While the console is usually not as yellowed under the stickers, when processing, the area under the stickers won’t be affected, as it’s protected from the peroxide, and the whole unit won’t lighten evenly. So you have three choices:
- Leave the stickers and end up with a console with yellow spots under them
- Remove the stickers and have it lighten evenly (they can be replaced, but replacements are relatively expensive)
- Leave the stickers and carefully lighten it just enough to match the yellowness under them.
I’m choosing option 3 today. All stripped and ready to treat.
On goes the peroxide, with cling wrap to help it not dry out, as drying can cause scarring on the plastic. The Australian sun can be ruthless.
Just 20 minutes later and almost done. Just trying to match the under-sticker colour.
Done, washed and dried. I could have gone whiter, but it’s now a pretty damn good match for the under-sticker colour, for a nice consistent tone.
A bonus is that the peroxide also lifts the ingrained grime of filthy consoles like this one was!
Reassembled next to my main Fami. Just slightly yellower now.
My Famicom collection!
Nintendo Sega Japan! 
Nice! thanks for the article. One year later is it still as white as it was or did it turn yellow again?
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Not in this case, but it can. There are many variables in whether the yellowing comes back.
Of course, leaving it out on the light can accelerate re-yellowing.
What I’ve found is that if it is blasted to as white as it can go, the yellowing does not return, at least over a few years. If you de-yellow to a point where you think it looks ‘decent’ it may come back. Leave it to process longer to get as white as possible, then do another few hours – then the effect appears to be semi-permenent.
And hey if it comes back after say 10 years, it can be processed again!
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