Possible Solution to Yellowing Armor

[stoner529[TK]]

My TK armor has yellowed like many and I may have found a way to stop that although I have no way too test this out myself, other than to share my knowledge. I am very messy with CA glue. This is the start. i have noticed that where ever the thin CA glue dripped and ran on my suit, that spot or run underneath is still white. Everything else turned yellow. Perhaps dipping the armor in thin CA glue may prevent this.  I do lots of parades and outdoor trooping in heat. Here is a crappy photo of one spot. You'll see the run is white and armour is yellow. 

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

I've never heard of this before, although I would suspect it would be a costly and less accurate way to coat the plastic.

 

Here are a few other threads on armor yellowing:

 

 

http://www.vintagecomputing.com/index.php/archives/189

[justjoseph63[Staff]]

The issue with CA glue is that it becomes brittle over time, and depending on the manufacturer it can also turn an ugly (and permanent) shade of yellow.  If applied is large areas it could potentially ruin the appearance of some parts (especially the calves, which are opened and closed a lot) with spiderweb type exterior cracks.

 

I always suggest that it never be used on a build.  I built the majority of my first set armor using it and ended up selling it on ebay because of the dripping issues.  The gel type is easier to work with, but it also become brittle with age and can cause joins to fail.  Trust me.

[Morgi[Staff]]

vor 13 Stunden schrieb gmrhodes13:

I've never heard of this before, although I would suspect it would be a costly and less accurate way to coat the plastic.

 

Here are a few other threads on armor yellowing:

 

 

http://www.vintagecomputing.com/index.php/archives/189

Those are amazing resources for making your armor white again, but I was wondering, whether there's anything you can do to protect your armor from the beginning? 

 

Especially in the last post they mentioned UV protectant wax/spray and I was wondering, whether there are any recommendations as for what to use, or whether there are other options available to protect your armor. 

[justjoseph63[Staff]]

There are a few variables, including what type of ABS your armorer uses.  I have trooped for countless hours in the Florida sun in my AM armor with no noticeable yellowing, but my Anovos (Hero) armor has only been used a few times (it stays in a bin otherwise) and has gone darker.

Even without sunlight, heat can (and will) cause yellowing, so it's best to store your bin in a controlled environment if possible.

 

Once I get it back to it's original color I will be trying this product.

[TK-4510[501st]]

You guys should try my ARMOR WHITE. Works great to restore the white your armor and can be re applied as needed with no harm to the armor or paint.

[tat2trooper[TK]]

2 hours ago, TK-4510 said:

You guys should try my ARMOR WHITE. Works great to restore the white your armor and can be re applied as needed with no harm to the armor or paint.

Where may I find this armor white? 

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

1 hour ago, tat2trooper said:

Where may I find this armor white? 

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

 

[toybiz[TK]]

On 7/15/2021 at 5:01 AM, justjoseph63 said:

There are a few variables, including what type of ABS your armorer uses.  I have trooped for countless hours in the Florida sun in my AM armor with no noticeable yellowing, but my Anovos (Hero) armor has only been used a few times (it stays in a bin otherwise) and has gone darker.

Even without sunlight, heat can (and will) cause yellowing, so it's best to store your bin in a controlled environment if possible.

 

Once I get it back to it's original color I will be trying this product.

I've used that UV protection for 3 years now. It seems to slow down the yellowing but I haven't had any luck with it stopping it altogether. The biggest challenge isn't reversing the yellowing using hydrogen peroxide, but it just seems that some ABS will continue to yellow and no matter what, seems to with or without being exposed to UV and/or heat. In my experience, the yellowing seems to occur even faster and darker after treatment. So like so many TKs before us,  the only permanent solution is to paint or apply for a TD build or paint it black and apply for a shadow TK.

 

Has anyone had any experience with clear coating the ABS after treatment as a preventative? I would hate to clear the armor, only to have it yellow under the coating. 

 

Yes, that photo is of how bad mine as gotten. 

Edited March 6, 2022 by toybiz
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[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

It's interesting to see some armor has yellowing issues yet others don't, my original ATA armor is now 9 years old and has spent some time in the sun, on very hot days and has not suffered any yellowing, suffered a lot of scratches and a few cracks and is now a Sandy but still no yellowing. I guess it comes down to the base product and were it comes from.

 

I have some Star Wars toiletries which all came from the same supplier, they sit on a shelf with a small amount of sunlight, only one has yellowed and that one is only on the chest, but I've seen this with old Star Wars figures too.

 

Be interesting to hear from others who have yellowing armor and what make and year.

 

 

[Zugor[TK]]

I went through all the posts listed above and quite a few videos on how to whiten plastic and ended up using SalonCare 40.

I had a badly yellowed TK bucket.

 

I slathered the peroxide creme over the parts and wrapped them in plastic wrap to keep the creme from evaporating and left the parts out in the sun for about 6 hours.

 

[Zugor[TK]]

After 6 hours I brought the parts in and washed them with soapy water to get all the Hydrogen Peroxide creme off and there was no sign of yellowing anywhere.

 

[Zugor[TK]]

I would also like to point out that the decals and paint on the helmet were not damaged in anyway.

[Aradun[TK]]

Peter this is awesome! Thanks for taking the time to post this up on the forums. It’s definitely one that I’m filing for future reference should I ever have to address this issue with my TK. It’d good to share over at the PFD too . Sometimes Scouts with older armor sets have yellowing issues.


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[tarok[TK]]

Nice one Peter. I posted the question over on PFD but will do so here for those not following along there: is this something you bought locally or online? Any recommended resellers?


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[justjoseph63[Staff]]

45 minutes ago, tarok said:

".. is this something you bought locally or online? Any recommended resellers?

 

I looked at several options online, and that particular product seems to only be sold in 4 oz. (113 grams) bottles for $15.00 or so.  Since I will need a lot more for my Anovos armor I Googled "Stabilized 40 volume cream developer" and ordered a gallon of the product (albeit a different brand) for less than $17.00 on Amazon (link here).

Strange thing is that on the Anovos armor the majority of the yellowing is on the INSIDE.  As soon as it arrives I will be testing it out (inside first) and will post up here with results.

[tarok[TK]]

 
I looked at several options online, and that particular product seems to only be sold in 4 oz. (113 grams) bottles for $15.00 or so.  Since I will need a lot more for my Anovos armor I Googled "Stabilized 40 volume cream developer" and ordered a gallon of the product (albeit a different brand) for less than $17.00 on Amazon (link here).
Strange thing is that on the Anovos armor the majority of the yellowing is on the INSIDE.  As soon as it arrives I will be testing it out (inside first) and will post up here with results.

Fantastic! Thanks Joseph.

I could make some comment about the inside yellowing first, but this is a family show lol

I’m amazed how quickly my Anovos armour is yellowing (not to mention stress cracks). It’s not exposed to UV much and stored in the crate when not in use, yet I’m still seeing minor discolouration.


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[justjoseph63[Staff]]

4 minutes ago, tarok said:

I could make some comment about the inside yellowing first, but this is a family show lol
I’m amazed how quickly my Anovos armour is yellowing (not to mention stress cracks). 

 

Despite my use of adult undergarments (just kidding.... seriously) the yellowing is mainly on the inside of the chest/ab and posterior plates.  I knew going in that Anovos was famous for cracks, so I reinforced those areas during the build.

[Zugor[TK]]

I also have an old FX kit that is severely yellowed that I plan to try this on. I will post up how it turns out as well. 

[Zugor[TK]]

I tried it on this pretty old FX chest plate

 

Edited March 18, 2022 by Zugor

[Zugor[TK]]

This is how it turned out

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

Some great examples there, nicely done