Brightening tutorials

While retrobrightening is not a new discovery it certainly has been actively developed and perfected by the community over the years. We describe in details the three most common ways of performing this process and try to give you best insight in what works and what doesn’t.

Please note that by no means this is something which requires no effort. There’s no holy grail method, each one of them has its pros and cons, each requires monitoring of the process if you expect good results. If you feel that something is still not clear or if you run into problems – don’t hesitate to contact us for assistance.

CAUTION NOTE: We cannot stress enough that at all times you should protect your skin and eyes from hydrogen peroxide contact. Hydrogen peroxide is a chemical agent used in cleaning products and industry. We do not take any responsibility for any damage caused by improper use or handling of the gel.

We use a 35% solution as a base for our product. At low concentrations (3% to 5%), hydrogen peroxide is mildly irritating to the skin and mucous membranes. At a concentration of 10%, it is strongly irritating and may be corrosive!

Hydrogen peroxide is odorless and nonflammable, but it is a powerful oxidizing agent that can cause spontaneous combustion when it comes in contact with organic material!

In case of contact with clothing or skin – remove contaminated clothing while flushing exposed areas. Double-bag contaminated clothing and personal belongings.

Flush liquid-exposed skin and hair with plain water for at least 5 minutes. Wash exposed area extremely thoroughly with soap and water.

Flush exposed or irritated eyes with copious amounts of plain water or saline for at least 15 minutes. Remove contact lenses if easily removable without additional trauma to the eye.

Proceed to receive a medical attention.

For more information refer to medical management guidelines for Hydrogen Peroxide.

Traditional Cream/Cling Wrap Method Non-UV Heat Submersion Method UV Submersion Method Troubleshooting guide and FAQ

DESCRIPTION

The idea behind this method is to cream the parts with the gel, envelope them in a cling wrap and expose to direct sunlight or a UV-A lamp. This is most likely the oldest and most popular method of retrobrightening. It is also the least predictable in terms of results it delivers as it requires constant monitoring of the sun position and checking if the parts have not dried up.

We do not recommend this method unless you are dealing with simple parts or with parts with little yellowing.

PROS

Good for brightening relatively simple and flat parts
Cheap and efficient in terms of gel and energy use

CONS

Access to clear sky and direct sunlight is a must, alternatively a UV-A lamp can be used
Constant monitoring of gel for good results
Delivers very unpredictable results if not monitored carefully
Can cause uneven brightening areas and “streaking effect”

Prerequisites

Skin and eyes protection
RetroBright 2.0 gel with oxy activator
Plastic wrap big enough to wrap your parts around – a cling wrap or a Ziploc/string bag with no holes in it will work best
Mid size paintbrush (ideally with light coloured bristles) or a tooth brush
UV sealant spray or solution
Sunny weather or a dark light (UV-A) lamp
…and of course the yellow parts 😉

Step 1. Disassembling your gear

Remove any screws and metal parts as they might start corroding in the process.
Remove the stickers as in some cases the gel might react with the glue and and damage them permanently.
If you plan to use the stickers again – stick them to a coated transfer paper or plastic foil and store them safely.
Clean the remaining sticker glue with extraction gasoline or alcohol.

Step 2. Preparing and cleaning the parts

Put the parts in warm soapy water and leave them be for about 10 minutes. Let the soap soak in the dirt to make the cleaning easier.
Clean the parts using a tooth brush.

NOTE:

Be thorough. Remove any excessive dirt and gunk stuck to your casing. Any residue blocking or limiting the sunlight might leave a spot afterwards.

Step 3. Activating the Retr0Bright gel

Before proceeding any further you should secure your hands and eyes with gloves and protective glasses!
Dissolve the provided sodium percarbonate activator (oxy) in a spoon of warm water.
Use half of the provided oxy activator for every 100 ml of the product.
Use a glass jar or dish to mix the activator with gel.
Mix it manually with a spoon for a couple of minutes.
You should start to see a foam building up.
Secure the remaining gel in the original HDPE container, store it in a cool and dark place.

NOTE:

Hydrogen peroxide loses its efficiency after a few months. Hence it is best to use as soon as you receive it.
Do not dissolve the oxy activator in the remaining gel as it will cause the efficiency loss even faster.

Step 4. Applying gel

Apply the gel generously and spread it evenly using a paint brush or old toothbrush.

NOTE:

Doing it by hand is a really bad idea. Remember that hydrogen peroxide can leave bad chemical burn that manifests as a white patch on your skin that can’t be washed off!
Be thorough. Make sure to get in the ridged and grooved areas of the housing shells, if there are any.

Step 5. Wrapping up the parts

In order to prevent the gel from drying up too quickly an unevenly, wrap up the gelled up components in a cling wrap or place them in sealed zip-bag.
There are few extra advantages of the above step:
- The component can be handled more easily when rotating all surfaces.
- The gel is shielded from dust, hairs, or pollen which can leave bad marks on the parts.
Any other clear plastic wrap works fine, as long as it doesn’t block any UV rays.
Try to get rid of as many of the air bubbles as you can and spread the cream evenly on the part.

Step 6. Exposing parts to UV light

Put the wrapped up parts in direct sunlight (or under a UV lamp).
The process might take 5-10 hours, so find a spot that gets direct sunlight for most of the day.

NOTICE:

Set your timer to 30 minutes and rotate the parts 90 degrees.
With your gloves on massage the gel around the plastic from outside the cling wrap. This keeps it moving around and stops air bubbles from staying in one place for too long. By not doing it you are risking uneven brightening results and light streaks on your parts which may be hard to get rid of!
Once the gel starts to look like a foam (usually after 2-3 hours of UV light exposure) rinse the parts off using clean water. Then re-apply a new coat of gel and wrap-up the parts again. This will prevent the Retr0Bright from drying out and causing the light streaks in the process.

Step 7. Cleaning the parts, repeating the process if necessary

Remove all of the cling wrap and toss it away.
Wash off all the left-over gel with hot water brush and soap.
Dry it all off and admire the end result.
If the end result is unsatisfactory repeat the application process.

NOTICE:

If you run out of sun light do not leave your parts wrapped up in the cling wrap or you are risking the light streaks appearing!
Wash off all the parts, secure them from dust and resume the brightening process once you are ready.

Step 8. Protecting the surface

Once the parts are clean and dried up use a UV sealing spray to protect the parts from yellowing again. Our full purchase option includes a 5 ml bottle of 303 Aerospace UV protectant spray for plastics.
Place a drop cloth under the cleaner to be treated to catch any overspray.
Out of direct sun, spray surface with 303 Aerospace Protectant and wipe completely dry.
If streaking occurs, too much product has been used. Use a wet towel to remove excess, immediately wipe completely dry.

NOTE:

This product does not air dry. Extra buffing with a dry cloth increases bonding, repellency & longevity.
Apply every 3-5 weeks for maximum UV protection.

DESCRIPTION

Popularized by a youtube video by the 8bitGuy where he is experimenting with different “retrobrightening” methods and solutions. The temperature controlled approach delivers excellent and predictable results. The idea requires the parts to be submerged in hydrogen peroxide solution inside a pot or other dish and then heating it up to a specific temperature to start the process.

PROS

No more UV-light required!
Excellent results even for small and / or complex parts
Relatively cheap method
Can be used for fixing streaking problem and evening the discoloration