Well, As you know I have no digital photography skills, but I am going to report my experience with this hydrogen peroxide experiment. IT REALLY WORKS GREAT!!!!!
Ingredients
1. Sodium Carbonate
The cheapest form of this is not the "oxy" detergents at the stores, but rather
Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda. Krogers, 3lb 7 oz box-around $4
2. Hydrogen Peroxide 20% -called wella Color Charm volume 20 (means 20 % h2o2)
Sallys Beauty supply house- I quart $5.00(get the clear liquid NOT the cream)
3. The hard one -Arrow Root Starch/Flour . Very expensive. 20 oz bag (smallest I could find--$7 at a local natural food store. I bet corn starch @ the Kroger for .99 cents may work, but I followed the formula precisely.
I started with the 10% formula (1/3 cup 20% peroxide, 1/3 cup water), but all subsequent applications I used 1/3 cup peroxide (abbrev. H2O2) , than divided the other 1/3 cup into 1/2 of it water (H20), 1/2 H2O2. (ends up being 15% concertration-which has worked better.
Mix the 15% mix with two heaping tablespoons arrowroot in microwave 15 secs, stirring every 15 secs. After about 45 secs total, it will get very thick, like shaving gel consistancy.This is the thickness you want.
Add heaping 1/2 teaspoon Arm and hammer "oxy"to the hot H2O2 gel and it will froth and bubble up nicely.
The Phones Cleaned up.(oxygenated)
1.WE500 Light Blue ( slightly yellowed but not turquoise yet)
2. WE500 1962 White, badly yellowed
3. White princess 1966 -almost dark tan, lift the handset and where the cradle sat it is white
4. 1959 Soft plastic tenite white WE500. Yellowed a lot, not as bad as #2
I took the caps off and took the dial plates off and the housings off. This mixture will treat two housings, two handsets and caps .Paint the phones with a brush. THICK almost like frosting a cake.I did not have the patience of the retrobrite guy, who had a thinner mix and reapplyed it every hour after it dried. The thick mix stays wet for HOURS.
Set the phones under a 100 watt regular (not fluorescent ) bulb. Leave alone for six hours. After three or four, it looks like they aren't doing so well but once six is up, rinse off the phones in warm water (or wipe the handsets off with a warm wet wash rag since you can't immerse them. I taped off the insides of the handset with masking tape to prevent gel from going inside.)
THE RESULTS
1. WE light blue worked well, needed two applications, six hours each.
2. White 1962 hard plastic. Worked, but needed three applications to finally approach the whiteness of the inside of the caps and housing.
3. Soft plastic 1959. I was affraid of the soft one, being more valuable, but the results were great. I did two applications to get her beautiful. Whitened a little easier that the thermoplastic.
4. Princess--the biggest bear yet, on it's fourth round, but it will get there.
Summary.
I am finally just doing them before bedtime now for 6 to 8 hours, it doesn't matter timewise after six hours , I believe.. Wipe them off when you wake up. Put a nice wax on them after you are done.
This sure beats sanding. Wash your hands a lot (or wear gloves), but you won't get burns or peeling. (they use 6% H2O2 on teeth bleaching, so it isn't that caustic).
If Someone with photography skills could do this, you will see what I mean!