White toys yellowing.

Discuss any and all Transformers toys and merchandise here, from G1 to Kingdom and beyond!

Moderator: Jose

Post Reply
IDontThinkSoTim
Targetmaster
Posts: 51
Joined: Mon Mar 29, 2010 9:04 pm
Location: RI

White toys yellowing.

Post by IDontThinkSoTim »

I'm sure I could look this up on google or something, but no harm in starting a conversation here!

What causes older white toys to turn yellow? Is it sunlight or just being out in the air? And if a toy is 20+ years old and it hasn't yellowed at all yet, does that mean it won't ever or that it just hasn't been in the proper environment to change colors?
"I don't think so, Tim."
Swindle
Gestalt Warrior
Posts: 338
Joined: Sat Jul 25, 2009 11:47 pm
Location: U.S. MN

Post by Swindle »

Lots of sunlight definitely causes yellowing and I have heard that if the air is very polluted it causes it to yellow as well.
"Make deals, not war!"

Image
skywarp408
Custom Rank 4 U! Ask an Admin!
Posts: 626
Joined: Sun Jun 14, 2009 8:23 pm

Post by skywarp408 »

keep them away from heat as well.
PETER IS GOD!Image
Jakalair
Minispy
Posts: 29
Joined: Sat May 01, 2010 12:27 am
Location: Texas

Post by Jakalair »

Swindle wrote:Lots of sunlight definitely causes yellowing and I have heard that if the air is very polluted it causes it to yellow as well.
Polluted in my case means my mother smoking in the house my entire life and when I get some of my older toys back, white = yellow. Though others still bright and clean. I think the type of plastic might play a role in it as well.
Dinobot
Warrior With No Equal
Posts: 2156
Joined: Sun Aug 12, 2007 11:41 pm
Location: The Axalon really crashed in prehistoric Oklahoma.

Post by Dinobot »

We actually had a discussion about this a while back, food grade or 35% peroxide can get rid of the yellowing. You would have to submerge the figure in a tub of it with sunlight hitting it if I remember it right. Regular peroxide will work too, but just takes longer. I have several figures including non-TF items that are horribly yellowed.
Image
R.I.P. Menasor
IDontThinkSoTim
Targetmaster
Posts: 51
Joined: Mon Mar 29, 2010 9:04 pm
Location: RI

Post by IDontThinkSoTim »

oooh yeah. I see that thread now. Might have to give that a try. Cool trick, I had never heard of that. I had just always figured once it was yellow it was always yellow.
"I don't think so, Tim."
Dinobot
Warrior With No Equal
Posts: 2156
Joined: Sun Aug 12, 2007 11:41 pm
Location: The Axalon really crashed in prehistoric Oklahoma.

Post by Dinobot »

Here is the thread on yellowing if anyone else needs it. Works for just about any toyline, not just TF's: http://www.transformerland.com/forum/vi ... php?t=2125
Image
R.I.P. Menasor
skywarp408
Custom Rank 4 U! Ask an Admin!
Posts: 626
Joined: Sun Jun 14, 2009 8:23 pm

Post by skywarp408 »

I just look at the yellowing as a bad repaint. :wink:
PETER IS GOD!Image
Rhymus
City Commander
Posts: 494
Joined: Wed Mar 17, 2004 5:26 pm
Location: Earth, North America, East Coast

Post by Rhymus »

Burning justice! Super mode!

Joking aside, i don't know that i've experienced this problem firsthand, but http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Photodegradation has a number of explanations, theories, and potential solutions you may wish to consider.
One shall stand; one shall fall; and the one who stands shall help the one who falls to stand once again.
--Rhymus (also known as STARS Commando 539, also known as transit)
cjwang2
Decoy
Posts: 12
Joined: Fri May 21, 2010 12:14 pm

Post by cjwang2 »

Just as an FYI, a few months ago I submerged some yellowing pieces of an Ultra Magnus cab into a glass jar of regular hydrogen peroxide (the kind you buy at the store for $1.00). It was a really sunny day, around 80 degrees and left them out in the sun for an afternoon. When I checked on the container, there was a lot of condensation on the glass and bubbles around the plastic pieces. When I opened the lid, there was a little popping sound, followed by a hiss. I took out the pieces and they were all bone white. The stickers were really faded by the hydrogen peroxide, but the results were great. Now all my yellowing transformers are white. Just make sure that the day is really sunny and that you don't leave them out for a week (tried that when it was overcast...the paint on some of my pieces got discolored).
DrAquafresh
Targetmaster
Posts: 63
Joined: Sat Mar 13, 2010 4:03 pm

Post by DrAquafresh »

What % peroxide did you use? Also, aside from the stickers fading were the colored parts of the toy affected?
Blaster
Targetmaster
Posts: 71
Joined: Wed May 13, 2009 6:18 pm
Location: Jonesboro, Ar.

Post by Blaster »

Also CFL light bulbs can cause some yellowing. I use them in my house but I am now switching to LEDS to prevent this.
Image
Post Reply