Stained armor

[suttontech[TK]]

Ok here’s one I cant find on forums.

 

I just unpacked my TK to clean it for a troop tomorrow.

 

I had worn new soft parts last troop. Apparently, either my new gloves or new compression shirt dye somehow bled into my armor in a few spots after throwing everything in the bin after my last sweaty troop.

 

I’ve tried alcohol and Novus, but that blue-ish dye literally absorbed into the ABS.

 

So this is a question and a warning...

 

Anyone else had this? It looks like a coat of paint might be only option.

 

 

 

 

 

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[suttontech[TK]]

Update: I think the culprit was my brand new black leather ammo pouches for my in-progress HWT upgrade. They were in the bottom of my bin. Ugh.


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[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

I have had dye from black pouches I had for around painted armor run, just on the high spots of the armor touching the pouches but managed to use polish to remove them. I also had the black from an Aker amp microphone leave a stain when they rested on one of the boots, couldn't rub off so had to use a shoe whitener over the top.

 

I did find with the armor I needed to use a coarser cutting automotive polish, it's a little more abrasive and once the stain is removed use a softer polish.

[Cricket[TK]]

Ugh, that totally sucks.  My neckseal did that to my armor when I threw everything together in the bin after one of my first troops.  I was shocked at how much bleed there was, and this was after I'd washed the neckseal a few times.    

It took wet sanding with 400 grit sandpaper, then moving up to finer grits until I reached a polish level to remove the stains.  A lot of time and elbow grease were necessary to eliminate the purple discoloration.  In my bin now, I keep all of my black goods in separate old white pillowcases just to be on the safe side.    Good luck!

[suttontech[TK]]

Ugh, that totally sucks.  My neckseal did that to my armor when I threw everything together in the bin after one of my first troops.  I was shocked at how much bleed there was, and this was after I'd washed the neckseal a few times.    

It took wet sanding with 400 grit sandpaper, then moving up to finer grits until I reached a polish level to remove the stains.  A lot of time and elbow grease were necessary to eliminate the purple discoloration.  In my bin now, I keep all of my black goods in separate old white pillowcases just to be on the safe side.    Good luck!

Thanks! It’s hard to tell how deep that absorbed in... guess we’ll see


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[starsaber25[Admin]]

Cricket nailed it. This has happened to me before after just throwing everything in a bin. Exactly what she said. Wet sand with 400 grit, then move up to 600, etc I did all the way to 1600. Then once it was gone I used novus to polish it back up. I spent probably 2 hours total on it one night while watching TV. I had two spots to do. 

[Alay[TK]]

dye stains are a monster to get out.  Almost worth re-staining it with white dye to combat.

 

High grit sandpaper and patience of a saint unfortunately is how I got the one off my shoulders.

[LightBox]

Dang, that's unfortunate. I've had this happen a bit before, and I think that polishing may also help a bit. I've personally used Meguiar's Polishing Compound. Takes quite a bit of elbow grease, but it should help, especially if you plan on sanding it. Good luck! 

[justjoseph63[Staff]]

Not sure if anyone has tried Trooperbay's ArmorWhite gel for this particular issue, but it could be worth a go.  I have heard several positive comments on it's ability to remove yellow from ABS.  I would be interested in seeing if it works on these type of stains.

 

https://trooperbay.com/trooperbay-armorwhite-plastic-whitening-gel

[starsaber25[Admin]]

19 minutes ago, justjoseph63 said:

Not sure if anyone has tried Trooperbay's ArmorWhite gel for this particular issue, but it could be worth a go.  I have heard several positive comments on it's ability to remove yellow from ABS.  I would be interested in seeing if it works on these type of stains.

 

https://trooperbay.com/trooperbay-armorwhite-plastic-whitening-gel

 

I can confirm it does not remove these stains. I’ve used it to whiten my armor in which it does a good quick fix. It’s not long lasting and the armor will yellow again within a month or so. But if you do pull your armor out for a troop and it’s yellow you atleast can try and whiten it the day before and have it white again.

[TK3645]

On 7/12/2019 at 1:21 PM, starsaber25 said:

 

I can confirm it does not remove these stains. I’ve used it to whiten my armor in which it does a good quick fix. It’s not long lasting and the armor will yellow again within a month or so. But if you do pull your armor out for a troop and it’s yellow you atleast can try and whiten it the day before and have it white again.

 

I too have used the gel to help restore the white back to my yellow armor but like you say it's a quick fix and not long lasting. I found it's effect lasted for the next troop and then the yellow came back very quickly.

 

I was wondering if I should try the gel again or admit defeat as to get the gel shipped to the UK from trooperbay would cost me $26.

 

I don't want to derail the thread but has anyone else on here had long term successful results when they used the gel to whiten their armor? I thought I might drop trooperbay a message to see his take on whether it's worth trying again to get a good result long term.

 

 

[starsaber25[Admin]]

1 hour ago, TK3645 said:

 

I too have used the gel to help restore the white back to my yellow armor but like you say it's a quick fix and not long lasting. I found it's effect lasted for the next troop and then the yellow came back very quickly.

 

I was wondering if I should try the gel again or admit defeat as to get the gel shipped to the UK from trooperbay would cost me $26.

 

I don't want to derail the thread but has anyone else on here had long term successful results when they used the gel to whiten their armor? I thought I might drop trooperbay a message to see his take on whether it's worth trying again to get a good result long term.

 

 

 

Honestly I think the only long term fix would be to paint the armor.  I've done the whitening job about 4 times on my backup ESB helmet and it comes back every time.  It's okay because I don't really use it.  But my armor is the same plastic as that helmet and I've done the whole suit twice now.  So I'm almost to the point that I will just be upgrading my armor this fall.  My armor is already 5 years old.  I will also say it certainly comes down the type of plastic that was used.  I got my first helmet from troopermaster which is over 5 years old and it has not yellowed at all.  My ESB helmet and my everyday armor is MTK.  If I stand next to a newer set of armor you can really tell how yellow I am.  

[sharkbait[TK]]

You might try a combo approach- one of those headlight polishing kits.  It consists of a more abrasive start to grind away impurities, then a lighter one to smooth, then you buff it with a polish and filler/sealant.  Maybe in between, like after the abrasive layer, dry the whitening stuff from TrooperBay- you put it on, put it out in the sun, and basically sun-bleach it with added chemicals to assist in the bleaching process.  

 

I mean it's worth a shot- it might just make it lighter or less noticeable, but it's still a start.  If it doesn't work, then you might already be in paint territory anyway so you just lost some time and effort.  

[suttontech[TK]]

These threads always end up being full of great ideas and info!


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[starsaber25[Admin]]

Just to go back a minute to the armor white.  I just so happened to take my MTK out of my helmet bag earlier today and here is a current photo of it next to my troopermaster helmet which is actually older then the MTK.

 

 

 

Now mind you I've done the armor white on this helmet now 3 times and it keeps coming back.  The last time I did it was before the last troop and then I put it right back into this bag.  So what does this all tell me?  I certainly believe it comes down to the type of plastic used.  I'm not sure what type of plastic MTK uses.  And also I think that once it yellows then the armor white is only a temporary fix.  Unless @TK-4510 says differently. 

 

[Sly11[Admin]]

Wet and dry fine grit and Novus Plastic polish also does the trick.

If you wish to bleach the armour you simply need to go to one of those big chain pharmacies and buy a bottle of peroxide.

Make sure its the  Cream peroxide, 40 Vol, 12%.  Costs about $5 and works perfectly.

Edited July 25, 2019 by Sly11

[kman[TK]]

12 hours ago, Sly11 said:

Wet and dry fine grit and Anovos Plastic polish also does the trick.

If you wish to bleach the armour you simply need to go to one of those big chain pharmacies and buy a bottle of peroxide.

Make sure its the  Cream peroxide, 40 Vol, 12%.  Costs about $5 and works perfectly.

Anovos plastic polish?  Is that a new thing, or did you mean Novus?

Edited July 25, 2019 by kman

[Sly11[Admin]]

3 hours ago, kman said:

Anovos plastic polish?  Is that a new thing, or did you mean Novus?

I meant Novus, stricken the other filthy name from the record books

 

[justjoseph63[Staff]]

16 hours ago, Sly11 said:

I meant Novus, stricken the other filthy name from the record books

 

I think "Those that shall not be mentioned" does make a plastic polish, but please allow 24-36 months for delivery.

[kman[TK]]

16 hours ago, justjoseph63 said:

I think "Those that shall not be mentioned" does make a plastic polish, but please allow 24-36 months for delivery.

Are you sure you don't mean 24-26 years? LOL

[TK-4510[501st]]

All plastic will yellow. Basically you have to store it in a cool place, away from light and any source of heat. 

I wonder what type of bag? Maybe thats it? 

Could also be the batch of plastic. 

Armorwhite usually does the trick. Paint it on and let the armor set out in the sun for the day... thats it...Rinse it off and your done.

 

Something else I just thought of.... If you are out trooping then the armor is exposed to the UV's and will yellow faster than a helmet that is just stored at home away from light and heat.

Edited August 5, 2019 by TK-4510

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

Forgot to mention earlier that I have had dye from an Aker amp mic bleed on to boots, wouldn't come out and had to use a boot whitener, glad they where an old pair I was going to use for a Sandy.

[TK3645]

On 8/5/2019 at 9:17 PM, TK-4510 said:

All plastic will yellow. Basically you have to store it in a cool place, away from light and any source of heat. 

I wonder what type of bag? Maybe thats it? 

Could also be the batch of plastic. 

Armorwhite usually does the trick. Paint it on and let the armor set out in the sun for the day... thats it...Rinse it off and your done.

 

Something else I just thought of.... If you are out trooping then the armor is exposed to the UV's and will yellow faster than a helmet that is just stored at home away from light and heat.

 

Hey Mike,

 

So are you saying that using Armorwhite should resolve the yellowing on a permanent basis? - *(after one or two treatments)*

 

I ask as I have found that it's only a temporary solution - armor is stored in a plastic heavy duty trunk away from light/heat not on display and rarely trooped in sunlight! (in the UK).

 

The results soon fade away after 2-3 months. I appreciate that it's hard to confirm/guarantee the gel working on everyone's armor but it seems myself and some others have seen the same result in that the yellowing returns.

 

 

[TK-4510[501st]]

No, I am actually not saying that at all. All plastic will yellow and nothing can stop it. You can restore the white with ArmorWhite, but its not permanent. From time to time you will have to re apply the solution to keep your old armor white. Look at the armor in the Lucasfilm archives. Its all yellow. Look at your old computer from back in the day... its yellow. That's why all computers are BLACK now, lol... All ABS plastic turns yellow over time. Does not matter if its in the sun or not, it will still yellow. The sun and heat of any kind will quicken the yellowing however. Sooooo if you troop alot then your armor will turn yellow faster. Warm parts of your body will also cause the armor to turn yellow. 

A UV additive can be added to the plastic to fight off yellowing, but it doubles the cost pf the plastic. So the armor prices would be much higher as a result.

PVC or Kydex would be a better plastic for armor. Kydex is what Lucasfilm used for the SE armor. Its still white. Kydex pricing is insane however... PVC is not glossy nor is Kydex...

The struggle continues.....

[TK3645]

1 hour ago, TK-4510 said:

No, I am actually not saying that at all. All plastic will yellow and nothing can stop it. You can restore the white with ArmorWhite, but its not permanent. From time to time you will have to re apply the solution to keep your old armor white. Look at the armor in the Lucasfilm archives. Its all yellow. Look at your old computer from back in the day... its yellow. That's why all computers are BLACK now, lol... All ABS plastic turns yellow over time. Does not matter if its in the sun or not, it will still yellow. The sun and heat of any kind will quicken the yellowing however. Sooooo if you troop alot then your armor will turn yellow faster. Warm parts of your body will also cause the armor to turn yellow. 

A UV additive can be added to the plastic to fight off yellowing, but it doubles the cost pf the plastic. So the armor prices would be much higher as a result.

PVC or Kydex would be a better plastic for armor. Kydex is what Lucasfilm used for the SE armor. Its still white. Kydex pricing is insane however... PVC is not glossy nor is Kydex...

The struggle continues.....

Thanks for clarifying...I appreciate that.

 

Guess I need to get some more Armorwhite gel then as I've used up the last of my bottle a few weeks back.