Resin Yellowing: Causes and Protections

I think yellowing is likely to SHOW more on white skin, especially if it's originally paper white, than on a normal skin tone. I suspect normal-pink skin tones will show yellowing the least of all.

I don't know that they actually yellow more or faster or differently, just that it SHOWS more on some skin tones than on others.

And of course all resin mixes are different - some have uv protectant added, some are french resin which yellows faster, some have different pigments in them, there was a batch or two of white CP resin which greened instead of yellowed, some tans go green... pigments degrade at different rates, so each batch will change color differently.

 

Some white skins go green rather than yellow... which tends to be more noticeable than yellowing because... well skintone is kind of yellow so it's not that bad. But skin isn't supposed to be green so it looks...odd.

Some white resin goes green, some yellows o_O Depends on the company I suppose.

If you're basing the decision of which doll to buy on this, I suggest you ask owners of dolls from that specific company to get a feel of what their resin is like.

Also, I would think yellowing on a white doll would be more noticeable because... well white->yellow is more drastic than natural skintone->yellowy natural skintone lol

As a final note, apparently French resin yellows incredibly fast and some companies are casting white/normal skinned dolls with UV protect resin so... really depends on the company

 

Thanks so much everyone! Yeah, I really want to get a dolkot..but I am so very leary and nervous..:/

-kitten

 

If it helps, my (regular, not albino) white skin Dolkot Day is over a year and a half old now, and is still gorgeous. I've not noticed any yellowing since I've had him (I got him in January) and if there is any it's totally even all over. He still looks really white in person, and photographs a gorgeous pale skin color. I keep him covered up when I'm not playing with him, but he's been out to a meet and outdoors for photos several times too.

 

Hi! Thats really incouraging! By regular skin/white skin is that dolkots "normal" skin that he has??

thanks so much for your help!

-kitten

 

He's their "white skin" not the "normal skin". They also have "albino skin" which right now appears to be a premium order only available on their star type dolls. I think the albino skin is supposed to be paler than their regular white skin. He's seriously pasty, though, so the albino must be REALLY white!

 

Dolkot's Albino skin makes their White skin look like natural. It is seriously white. I am dying to see one in person but no one has posted yet. Dolkot does have a photo if you go to the Albino skin (or at least they used to ) that showed the white skin and Albino next to each other. Dolkot also just came out with a new body that looks really amazing.

 

And I thought the white skin was pale enough to be albino already xD

 

okay.. i never knew BJD's turned yellow, may I ask why? and how do they turn yellow?


im asking this because i havent gotten a bjd yet and I want to make sure when I get it I can protect it from any harm.

 

It's just how the material ages. Sunlight and extreme heat will make it happen faster. Basically, don't display them in a sunny spot, don't leave them in a hot car, and keep cigarette smoke away. Really, yellowing tends to not be that bad and it happens gradually over time. I have dolls who are 3 and 4 years old, and while I'm sure there's been some color change, I don't look at them and think "wow that's so yellow." I take mine outside to take pics and to meet ups, I just make sure they don't spend a lot of the time soaking up the sun on a day to day basis.

 

Yep, exactly that. It is a gradual thing though. My dolls are not that old (couple of years the eldest) but because my room is always lit in some way my dolls have turned a little yellow over time, never noticed until I compared them with someone else's doll of the same colour. Sun is a major factor, and my dolls are often outside. Is not a defect, just something that happens.
Oh, and apparently tan colour dolls turn green instead of yellow.

 

Thanks for the tips whewww okay, well my room is moving down to the basement so ill be fine down there. they turn green? well im not planning on ever getting tan one anyway thanks fellow DOA-ers

 

This thread made my brain start thinking. *shakes fist* Darn you SlytherinCupcake!

Anyway, what I'm curious about now is the 'science' behind why the resin turns colors in the sun or whatever. Does anyone happen to know what it is about the resin that makes it so reactive (over time, but still)? Although on that note, it might be more important for me to have a better grasp of what exactly resin is in the first place. Ha ha ha.

 

If you've heard stories about "green" dolls, it was likely one of two things:

• Certain batches of Delf dolls sold at Luts in the "Beauty White" color did turn greenish over time instead of yellow. This happened for dolls that were cast during a certain time period (I think it was in 2006?). This color is now sometimes jokingly referred to as "Beauty Green", but new dolls shouldn't have the same problem.
  
• Some companies' tan resin does take on a greenish hue when exposed to sunlight, but I can't recall which companies.

As a general rule, yellowing is usually more noticeable with white-skin dolls than with normal skin. It happens to both, but it's more obvious with white. So if yellowing concerns you, getting dolls in NS color might be a good choice.

Personally, I have a couple of white-skin dolls that have yellowed somewhat... one was purchased that way, but another has just yellowed over time. He's about 3 years old now, and he's starting to look a little buttery. My "normal skin" dolls that have yellowed just seemed to turn more "peachy" than "pinky". It doesn't really bother me, since it's a consistent yellowing (not blotchy), and it's just a natural quality of the resin.

 

If you do a 'title only' search for "yellowing" in the Workshop subforum you will come up with a long list of threads that discuss yellowing, why it occurs and what to do to slow it down, attempt to prevent it, remove it etc.

 

Yellowing is so natural. It's really funny. I compared my littlefee's sleeping plate to his normal one and he's already started that process. My beauty white has a slight tinge of green now. It's an aging thing. Just like you change as you age...so do these dolls!

 

Just a quick ref: Yellowing occurs due to oxidation. So even a doll constantly kept in its box and never taken outside will very slowly change colour.
BJD yellowing is kind of like people aging. It happens and you can't 100% fix it but you can slow it down or cover it up.

In addition to what TheFontBandit said, French resin dolls are well known for yellowing in a more noticable way than their regular resin counterparts (Narin and LimHwa are the main companies I know of who use it).

Rubbing alcohol can help reduce yellowing a bit (though to get the best results I think you'd have to soak, one would have to follow Twigling's advice and check the workshop subforum for more details). I've heard of bleaching dolls, but that really is extreme oxidizing, so it can make them yellow much faster D: in future.

Anyways, most dolls age in a way that's not noticable. I have found that you have to be careful with leaving them in sunlight and having certain clothes on or they get "tan lines" so to speak XD. My oldest doll would be four this year and she's aged really well (a 2005 Luts Soony). Don't worry too much, but do be careful outdoors (UV rays are just as bad for them as they are us).

Hope that helps

 

Re: the "Beauty Greens"... There were batches of dolls all the way from the fall of 2005 through the late summer of 2006 that have that green undertone. Even though not *all* BW CP dolls produced during that period had it, and some are more obvious than others, it's a pretty distinct coloration. They really do turn greener as they age.

 

lmao do you think if we had to store a doll for a very long period of time we could keep him/her in a fridge..? i know oxidation is inevitable but if air exposure is limited (the vaccuum bags) and activation energy (heat) kept to a minimum (hence the fridge..!) it should be alright? I recently have had to decline a year-long scholarship in Japan because of personal reasons, but it got me thinking - i wouldnt be able to bring my boy over there, and i wouldn't have wanted him to yellow while i'm away..

 

So this means that keeping my dolls sitting on my bookshelf is a bad idea? I don't want them in a box when I'm not using them... if I and others can't see them, I don't know what the point is in having them....

 

I suspect that room temperature is probably cool enough. I keep mine on shelves in a room that's kept dark, plus have curtains in front of them to further screen the light. I don't even HAVE boxes for most of mine! Just use common sense caution... no leaving them in the windowsill, if your room is bright maybe toss a t-shirt or something over them when you're not in there, don't sit them on the heater, don't leave them in a hot car, don't leave them sitting out in the sun. I think vacuum sealing might be a bit much and would be annoying for regular use, but if you were leaving them stored for a long time you could try it. I'd be concerned about the bag itself reacting with the resin, possibly though, so maybe more research before doing that.

I haven't seen anything to show that the MSC UV-Cut really does that much to protect, and the regular MSC won't protect against much other than dirt, I'd think. The UV-Cut coated pieces in the tan resin experiment thread changed the exact same as the non-coated pieces, last I checked. I do however know that the last head I bought arrived looking VERY yellow, but when I removed it's company default faceup it turns out it was the sealant that had yellowed, less than the head itself.

 

Sonar, I think it's really up to you. If you don't mind your doll yellowing (Heck, I don't! My first boy who was second hand came to me yellowed) then keep them out on your bookshelf. My bedroom is naturally dark, so sunlight isn't really a problem for me, (My kids live on my computer desk for now!) however it's entirely up to you.

 

But that sounds so bad!! XD It just sucks so much.... I know it's inevitable... which is very scary for me. But I wonder just how yellow they will get.... maybe it's only a slight tint and it won't matter so much to me... is there a thread anywhere on here with comparison pictures?

 

Erm, I think there are a couple of threads lurking about in the forums here, you'd have to go hunting!
I found that with one of my boys, he looked healthier with a slight yellow tinge (He was a bit too pale to start off with :B) but of course, it all comes down to character ^____^

 

I was wondering....
I've read that "White skin/Beauty white" resin turns an ivory-ish color when they yellow, but they still look natural. What about "Normal skin" resin? Since they already have a yellow tinge to them, will they turn into a weird butter or mustard yellow? Or will they yellow less than a paper white resin?

 

Normal skin resin dolls... "tan". At least, all the ones I've seen just looked darker with a slight orange-yellow tinge.

Of course, these are ones that were displayed out of direct sunlight or uneven heat for most of their dollie lives.

 

Oh, I see. Well, when I get my girl, I would be playing with her a lot I think, but I won't be putting her under direct sunlight (can't do anything about heat since I live in the Philippines). I'm worried she'll turn into an unnatural color, like she looks sick or something...!

 

Yeah, I've noticed most normal skin dolls just get a little darker and turn more peachy over time. I have a NS Delf girl from 2005. If you put her next to a newer Delf, it's noticeable that she's darker and more peachy than the newer pinkish shade. But on her own she just looks like a healthy normal color. She has been taken outside for occasional photos but she is usually kept in a room with the shade down and dark curtains kept closed... so very low levels of light in a fairly regulated temperature most of the time.

 

That's good. I'd have no problem with her changing color over time, but I'd want her to still look normal. By the way, when you say "peachy tan" color, does it look kinda like the light yellowish tan someone in a tropical country would have? (Sorry I'm asking so many questions..)

 

Sorry for the late reply! In my doll's particular case, the color hasn't actually darkened enough that I'd call it "tan"... she's just less pale, if that makes sense? Definitely not a tropical tan, that's for sure. On her own, I'd even call her relatively pale... it's just when she's put next to a newer doll that you can tell she's darker. But even then, it's still a fairly minor color shift.

I'd try to take some photos, but the difference doesn't really show up much in pictures. It's definitely noticeable in person, but not a large difference.

 

Lighting makes a difference in what any doll looks like too, so keep that in mind. My newest is an at-lest-third-hand El head who is yellowed, but in some lights he's greenish! In most of my photos so far, the difference from his body isn't that noticeable, and even the yellowing isn't that noticeable. In person sometimes it is very noticeable, sometimes it's more subtle.

I kind of like the greenish, actually. It suits him.

 

Hi, I am new to BJDs and am planin to get one but am getting worried after reading this.. T_T
One question has been bugging me, does humidity plays a part in its ageing process? (I live in Malaysia and it is very humid, hot)

 

Hi Ong,
I am also from Msia, Yes humidity plays a factor. But dont worry too much. Dolls will eventually Yellow but there are preventive measures.
Use MSC (Mr. Super Clear UV Cut - only found in one or two places in KL)
Keep out of direct sunlight (long exposure)
Appreciate some of the yellowing. It shows age and that is not necessarily a bad thing.

 

Evapilot: Hey there! nice to know there r Msians around! Thanks for the reply, it gave a lot of comfort (was imagining the worse ageing image prior ==ll) hmm, I might get one when i hav the money. =)

 

hi well i was wondering if indoor lighting yellows dolls? because my roomate likes to keep the rooms very bright and we're all night owls so when my doll is out most is during the night under fairly bright lights. i've taken other precautions and never leave her in the sun and all that jazz (my house is naturally very dark during the day due to all the trees around the house). i've also sprayed her with a uv cut msc. just wanting to know if the brighter lights are going to make her yellow faster?

 

Three threads discussing this question:
http://www.denofangels.com/forums/showthread.php?t=183380
http://www.denofangels.com/forums/showthread.php?t=73487

I found them by using the "Search this Forum" button in the upper right corner of the screen, and typing in "incandescent and yellow".

 

Long answer search the forum.
Short answer: Yes but no. Depends on the bulb, type & etc. UV produced is less than sunlight but not totally zero.

 

I noticed lately that my dolls have yellowed so I thought I'd offer whatever information I have on this topic of perpetual interest.

All my dolls are around four years old. They are from Angel Region, Dollmore, and Dream of Doll, respectively. I've done my best to keep them out of direct sunlight, but unwittingly kept them in rooms with flourescent lighting for the past three years. Doing some calculations using numbers I found online, this is roughly the equivalent of leaving them outside in the sun for a total of 12 hours. In addition, in the past one year they may have been exposed to more indirect sunlight than previously.

The yellowing I noticed occurred on the hands and arms, even on dolls that always wore long sleeves (!!). It's quite noticeable by holding the doll's hand to its belly, which is still the original color, or by comparing the hand color to that of spare sets of hands which had been stored in plastic in a closed box the entire time and were completely unchanged.

Initially I thought the AR doll had the worst yellowing, but a quick wash with a magic eraser improved the situation a lot. However, switching into the spare hands made the color difference obvious. The yellow color isn't unpleasant per se, but it isn't as nice as the original color. This doll always wore either no sleeves or short sleeves.

The Dollmore doll was least noticeably yellowed; even comparing the hand to the belly you'd have to squint to tell the difference. To be fair, this is also the one doll for which I didn't have spare hands for comparison. This doll wore medium-length sleeves.

The DOD doll clearly changed from a pinkish color to, quite frankly, a corpse color. Again, switching into spare hands made the difference obvious, and the color change was not for the better. This doll always wore long, but loose, sleeves.

If I had to draw a conclusion from all of this, it would be that time alone is not enough to cause yellowing. If this was the case, the dolls' bellies and spare hands would have yellowed as well. At the same time, protection from direct sunlight alone is not enough to prevent yellowing. If this were the case, the doll that always wore long sleeves would not have yellowed arms. Judging from the pattern of yellowing, exposure to sunlight did play a role, but it occurs to me that the non-yellowed parts, i.e. the bellies and spare hands, would have been the least exposed to air. Lastly, the original color/type of resin obviously played a role.

Has anyone else noticed tight-fitting vs. loose-fitting clothing playing a role in yellowing?

Also, has anyone found a particular company's resin to be relatively yellowing-resistant?

As for me, I plan to keep my boys in their spare hands and long sleeves. Thankfully I now live in a cloudy place with no flourescent lights.

 

I've had my boy for aboutsix months now. I actally just undressed him this evening to do some suieding in his joints and I noticed that his head, neck and what of his chest was exposed has yellowed some. After only six months!!! But the rest of his torso and legs are the same pinkish hue as when I received him.

I noticed you mentioned flourescent lighting. I don't have flourescent lights in my house but the room my doll is in, He's never exposed to direct lighting,and we're a none smoking home... but the lights are those kind of harsh ceiling pots, with really strong bulbs. I did wonde rif that had anything to do with it...

 

well to be fair (re: the clothing) cloth is not exactly uv-resistant. there is, however, some stuff you can wash with your clothing that can do that but i've never looked into how much of an effect it has or whether or not it has some bad effect with resin *shrugshrug* (though personally i'd rather have even yellowing rather than the doll being unevenly colored because of its clothing)

fluorescent lights can play a major role, including energy-saving bulbs (which should go without saying but sometimes it just doesn't occur to people). other things like heat and such, or having a smoker in the house (which wouldn't cause yellowing necessarily but it would collect on the resin and make it appear yellow). then of course there is whether or not the dolls have been cleaned or sanded at all... some of the "yellowing" could just be grime and oil from being handled or collecting dust etc... and sanding makes the resin's resistance to yellowing worse.

 

chaos_zebra, you did not compare feet/legs, or were there not much difference there?
Also, speaking of weather and temperatures in general, what is the climate like where you live?


Seeing differences in face resin is a bit trickier I imagine, given the nature of removing/adding faceups, and the fact that the faceup sits in place more or less over the resin, with additional coats of sealer etc. Maybe keeping not only spare hands, but a spare head might be a good idea..


So, in other words, even if one did store ones BJD in a air/UV/humid/dust-filtered environment, it'd still yellow/change over time (some more than others due to resin and/or casting method used and modifications made), only it could take somewhat longer? From what I've read, some seem to be of the opinion that UV protective sealer, like the MSC UV stuff should only be used on blushed bodies, but I'm guessing opinions can vary.

 

I have a recipe that worked for me only yesterday

Get yourself some OxyCleaner or Vanish or one of those poweder to remove stains . Depending on the yellowing, test one of the doll's extremities in warm water, diluted Oxypowder, a teaspoon of peroxide and baking soda. Leave first for 1 hour, and then continue, ifyellowing is severe.

 

just make sure not to use oxyclean with bleach!

 

absolutely! anything BUT bleach! they will never go back to their original glory, but the difference is remarkable ^^

 

My Dream of Doll girl is secondhand, but I'm not really sure if she's yellowed at all because she's the only doll I've ever seen in person. To me, her skin seems very white, actually! But maybe I should put her hand to her belly to check!

 

On subject of dream of doll I can at least add in that their resin does yellow pretty evenly. I have a boy that's been with me about 2 years and when I was prepping him for his sales pics and pulled out his alternate hands was when I noticed he was a differnet color... not extremly different or anything, I took the same care of him as with everyone else, no direct sunlight and regular cleanings, but his difference in color is completely even thoughout his body.

 

I ordered a pair of MnF hands for my girl several months after she was made. The hands I ordered her are much pinker than her resin (I think the resin batch changed because they're pinker than her inside pieces that never see the light of day too...)

So I decided to solve this problem I'll yellow them some. Only I don't want to overdo it. How much sunlight exposure do they need to yellow up a few shades? (I have classes and am debating whether to leave them unwatched for a few hour span or not...)

Thanks for any help and info

Nana

 

That's a risky experiment... since there are more factors to yellowing than sunlight alone. But I suppose I wouldn't do more than an hou at a time, especially since you'll need to rotate them so they don't go unevenly.

 

It is a bit risky, but it really irks me that her hands are much pinker compared to her arms and face. I left them in the sun for a while today and see no noticeable difference thus far between the tops of hands (exposed) and the bottoms (not exposed).

I'm definitely planning on rotating them too :3

What other factors are there to yellowing? I always assumed it was just sunlight (specifically UV) exposure...

 

Heat can also speed up the yellowing process.

 

Just exposure to air can affect it, too. I'd be concerned that a fast-yellowing might act differently than a slow yellowing over time.

You also might to consider just blushing the hands to match. Even just spraying with Testors tends to affect the color of the resin slightly.

 

True... maybe I could try blushing... just seems hard to blush pink to yellow ^^' Using Testors is a good idea, because that turns yellow-ier fairly quickly.

 

A day or so in direct sunlight will change the colour significantly. I usually turn the part over on the second day.

 

Well, I don't have summer sun, but I have been sunning the hands every time I'm around and get direct sunlight in my room, so many hours of sun so far. The hands seem to be resisting yellowing >.<

I'm going home this weekend though (I live in a dorm) and will be able to give them a good layer or two of testors dullcoat, and hopefully that will yellow up quickly and get them to match my girl!

(and to think I once worried about yellowing when I took her outside for a short while to photoshoot!)

 

I think someone did an experiment a few years ago, about the effects of sun on doll parts... but it was several years ago, I wouldn't know where to find the the thread.

 

I noticed something odd....

My Homme Ducan (DoD of course) that I bought is two years old. I love the pinky resin color that DoD has, so when I bought him, I was very excited.

I removed his bodyblushing, only to find some yellowing. Not a big deal. Only, then I realized something odd while sanding off a seam (just trying my hand at it). I noticed that only his front was yellowed! His back was the lovely pinky, and his front was the kind of corpsey yellow! I almost started to cry, it made me so unhappy... But this was so weird, really, the previous owner stated she had not left him in sunlight, and that he'd been clothed the whole time... ;A;

Also, I've found that you almost have to work for an eternity on the parts to get down to a non-yello layer... I sanded my Woory boy (from 2005, a rather old WS that had turned a buttery yellow) down and it took a while, but white was definitely under there. With the DoD, I think that some of the pink is just gone by that point... I need to body-blush him to the color I want, it bothers me... u.u

 

I did quite a search in this area of DOA but could not find any definitive answers so thought I would ask as its something I worry about. Please feel free to merge or direct me to other threads if I have missed them.

This sounds like a really paranoid thread actually but its something I have recently thought about and dont know much about.

This is more to do with materials rather than UV protect sealants etc

When it comes to covering up your BJDs from sunlight what have you found the most protective?

Have certain clothing types leaked in sunlight? Netting, patterned, lighter fabrics etc Have you ever found a doll 'striped' by sunlight because of clothing?

What do you use to temporarily cover your dolls with? A sweater, a piece of fabric etc. What type is best to shield them? Would knitted fabrics or lighter fabrics draw in some light?

Would it matter what colour you used to cover them, would this lend to how yellow they would go and would certain fabrics or colours turn them a certain colour or warp them in a certain way? Such as black, leather etc

When it comes to cupboards, what cupboards do you use to put them in. This sounds a bit thorough but does glass protect against sunlight at all? Are there certain display cabinets that are better than others in your opinion?

Anything else useful and relative is welcomed

 

Glass - it depends on the glass. Some glass has UV protectant in it, some glass does not.

I don't bother with covering mine with fabric when I'm out photographing since I am usually doing things with them actively. When I'm not playing with them, my dolls are either out in my room (with the drapes drawn), or else in their cases, so they are protected from sunlight in that way.

 

For general storage, mine stay in a shelving unit with a room-darkening curtain that pulls across the front when I'm not there. The bigger guy doesn't have space there, I throw a white t-shirt over him (white to prevent staining and because white reflects sunlight rather than absorbing it), but he's also in my dark room so it's just protection from indirect sunlight and not much of that. If I'm out taking photos I don't worry about it much, though I do keep them in shade rather than in direct light in between shots. For travelling in the car they're in the carrier or I toss a t-shirt over them.

 

Oh wow, I never realized this thread had been revived!

Koitten, from what I understand it's UV that causes yellowing, so regular lights no matter how strong should not have an effect. Maybe the yellowing you noticed was due to exposure to air or heat?

Mendokusai, I was under the impression that clothing did block UV, hence why you only get suntanned/sunburned where your skin is exposed.

Miravisu, I noticed the biggest difference in the hands/arms, with the feet/legs being relatively unchanged. The only thing I can think of is that maybe the thinner parts yellow faster? As for climate, I owned my dolls for about a year in a very cold place (but in a well-climate-controlled room), then for two years in a place where my house got rather hot in the summer and cold in the winter, then for one year in a very humid place (mold grew everywhere!). For the last three years I was living alone and so when I was at work during the day, the heaing/air conditioning was not on, causing more temperature variations.

Mishita, thanks for the tip, but I'm loathe to mess with my dolls until the yellowing gets really unbearable.

Mel-mel-chan and Astarvingartist, that's interesting. I wonder why some DoD dolls yellow evenly and others unevenly?