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I usually use a toothpick soaked in 409 or some such to get into the deep holes. If you work it around a bit it acts kind of like sandpaper. I just keep it wet and keep working the holes till they are clean. For fissures and cuts that get dirty I use the back edge of a sharp exacto blade to open them just a tad then scrub with 409 on a toothpick and then a Q-tip. I'm definitely going to try the peroxide, picked up a couple quarts of 3% at Costco this morning. This may be one of the great rc10 discoveries of all time. I wonder why it took us so long?

scr8p wrote:and now that we have the answer, no one will ask the question anymore.

No, there will still be knuckleheads who don't read and aren't smart enough to use the SEARCH who will ask before looking themselves.




Trust me on this one.

Awesome find! I would think this would be done exclusively for restoration purposes until it can be confirmed that it doesn't make the parts brittle or anything for a runner.

Seems it works for more than just AE white parts:

http://www.tamiyaclub.com/showroom_model.asp?cid=98254&id=2400

EAU AAAAA wadda ya think bout mah ole ladys hair stuff fer mah RC parts

Im trying this as we speak. The parts have been in the peroxide for about 3 hours so far and the results look promising. I also went to harbor freight and bought an ultrasonic cleaner so I tried it out on a yellowed a arm and I don't think it did a thing. I used just straight tap water. When using an ult. cleaner shouldn't there be a ripple on the surface of the water? Im not sure the thing is working? The water is calm as can be. I've seen some ammo handloaders use these to clean brass and in the pics there is always a wavy look to the surface of the water. Did I buy a piece of junk?

BTW, Walgreen's is having a sale on 32 oz. Hydrogen Peroxide bottles, 2 for $3.

ok here we go.

using 3% hydrogen peroxide you get great results. i just pulled parts i tossed in under the uv light god knows when. the pieces are clean and look great. the parts show no damage due to the time that they were exposed.

using 35% hydrogen peroxide you only get marginally whiter parts (when compared to 3%) but the stronger solution does degrade the parts. the parts are the whitest associated "white" parts i have ever seen but looking closely at the shock collars you can see a lot of micro cracks. on the lower spring cups and antenna mount you cant see these cracks. i do not suggest to use a solution this strong. if you do don't use it on parts that that take force. i should also mention that the 35% does not whiten any faster than the 3% solution.

I wonder if time will also affect the part or if you can leave them in 3% for a few days? Thanks for the info. Great science experiment.

fastang wrote:Im trying this as we speak. The parts have been in the peroxide for about 3 hours so far and the results look promising. I also went to harbor freight and bought an ultrasonic cleaner so I tried it out on a yellowed a arm and I don't think it did a thing. I used just straight tap water. When using an ult. cleaner shouldn't there be a ripple on the surface of the water? Im not sure the thing is working? The water is calm as can be. I've seen some ammo handloaders use these to clean brass and in the pics there is always a wavy look to the surface of the water. Did I buy a piece of junk?

I'm not sure about the ripple on the surface. You figure there would be some movement. Try going on YouTube to see if you can find videos of comparable models operating to see what they do. Even if it is working properly I don't think just water would do anything.

LowClassCC wrote:ok here we go.

using 3% hydrogen peroxide you get great results. i just pulled parts i tossed in under the uv light god knows when. the pieces are clean and look great. the parts show no damage due to the time that they were exposed.

using 35% hydrogen peroxide you only get marginally whiter parts (when compared to 3%) but the stronger solution does degrade the parts. the parts are the whitest associated "white" parts i have ever seen but looking closely at the shock collars you can see a lot of micro cracks. on the lower spring cups and antenna mount you cant see these cracks. i do not suggest to use a solution this strong. if you do don't use it on parts that that take force. i should also mention that the 35% does not whiten any faster than the 3% solution.

If the 35% forms visual cracks then its possible that the 3% forms microscopic cracks. Probably not but its just food for thought.

I would suspect that 3% solution does indeed form some microscopic cracks or other damage; nylons do not get along well with oxidizers like hydrogen peroxide, bleach, acids, etc. I also suspect the damage isn't significant, however. Someone needs to do another science experiment where they whiten all the parts on one half of the car and then go bashing to see if the whitened parts break. It would make a good science fair project .

Lowgear wrote:

fastang wrote:Im trying this as we speak. The parts have been in the peroxide for about 3 hours so far and the results look promising. I also went to harbor freight and bought an ultrasonic cleaner so I tried it out on a yellowed a arm and I don't think it did a thing. I used just straight tap water. When using an ult. cleaner shouldn't there be a ripple on the surface of the water? Im not sure the thing is working? The water is calm as can be. I've seen some ammo handloaders use these to clean brass and in the pics there is always a wavy look to the surface of the water. Did I buy a piece of junk?

I'm not sure about the ripple on the surface. You figure there would be some movement. Try going on YouTube to see if you can find videos of comparable models operating to see what they do. Even if it is working properly I don't think just water would do anything.

I think you have a bad one. Every one I've ever used you can see ripples and also hear the unit buzzing. Also, to clean/degrease, add a little TSP (Trisodium Phosphate, found at Lowes, Home Depot, Ace, ETC.) to the water, it'll do wonders. You can find it in the paint section.

LowClassCC wrote: using 35% hydrogen peroxide you only get marginally whiter parts (when compared to 3%) but the stronger solution does degrade the parts. the parts are the whitest associated "white" parts i have ever seen but looking closely at the shock collars you can see a lot of micro cracks. on the lower spring cups and antenna mount you cant see these cracks. i do not suggest to use a solution this strong. if you do don't use it on parts that that take force. i should also mention that the 35% does not whiten any faster than the 3% solution.

Does anyone think this will have long term side effects on the parts? I'd sure hate to see all these works of art crumble and turn into powder in a few months/years. Kind of like tires have a tendency to dry rot with UV exposure. If you think white parts are at a premium now?!

Tom

If this compromises the structural integrity in any way I would become paranoid about every vintage white part I bought off of eBay.

I think the parts will be fine. Here is a paper on the tensile strength of nylon sutures after exposure to 3% hydrogen peroxide:

http://www.utsouthwestern.edu/utsw/cda/dept28151/files/338868.html

Per table 3, there was a slight reduction in the tensile strength, but it was not statistically significant.

Good find with that link. I suppose the parts shouldn't be whitened more than a time or two since they would start to significantly break down.