The topic of UV degradation has been brought up more than a few times on this board, but mostly in the midst of other threads (Lixx's posts have been very helpful thus far). Everyone (hopefully) knows that direct sunlight will harm vinyl. My concern is more with indirect sunlight, and possible damage from the now ubiquitous CFL's. Any members' info or experience in the matter would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
I am sure it was mentioned in one of the threads, but general exposure to UV light, especially for extended periods of time, will damage vinyl, no matter what the source. It really all depends on the quality and material of the vinyl, the intensity of the light (and the wavenlengths, not that you can control that sort of thing). There really is no way to eliminate this entirely, but most average use of lights will not create severely detrimental effects - again, depending on the vinyl. It really becomes a question more of managing the exposure then eliminating it.
You'll get some discoloration (especially clear vinyl- turns yellow/amber) and paint fading if your toys are left in direct sunlight. By direct sunlight I mean beams of light you see on the floor of your home. I'm sure thinner vinyl is more susceptible. I assume if you put toys under an old school lightbulb you might get the same effect (damage) eventually given proximity. Play it safe don't store your collection next to continual UV exposure. Taking toys outside for a pic in the park etc is not going to ruin it, but direct sunlight from a window over time will. Personally I know from fall to early spring from 9-2pm a direct light beam loves to invade my room and pass along my toy collection. I'm so anal I've designed a large cardboard moveable 'wall' to block it while I'm away at school. Indirect sunlight though really won't cause any damage. On the flip side, being in chemistry this semester the debate about polyvinyl chloride (PVC) has re-emerged in my head. It's making me slightly paranoid that I sleep a foot an half away from a wall of possible outgassing toxins from the toys. I swear every time I try researching this online I can never actually get to the bottom of vintage vs new toys what are they made of? AND more importantly what are the long term effects to exposure really? Are the toxins mainly contained within the plastic and burning or digesting them cause harm, or do they off gas and that is harmful as well? I guess tons of vinyl toy collectors have not dropped like flies yet, so maybe I'm being paranoid.
When you say UV light does that mean regular old school light bulbs or is that more about the fancier new types of light bulbs?
Well very little UV light comes off old school light bulbs, I should clarify it by saying the heat given off by those old bulbs would probably do more damage than anything. By same effect I meant 'damage'. Really though who keeps their toys next to a old lit up light bulb? Best artificial lighting for toys would be LED.
Thanks for the reply. I actually only have old school light bulbs in my toy room but they are not near the toys at all. Kind of sad but i need to do some redecorating soon. I have been reading about this for the last half hour or so and everything so far says the old school bulbs are pretty safe. This article about CFL's was kind of disturbing... http://www.humanevents.com/2012/07/23/s ... radiation/ Would you suggest i replace my old school light bulbs with fancy LED stuff? Does LED stuff emit UV at all?
Yes Waterbear, those swirly mercury-filled compact flourescent bulbs are in question. Thanks for the link. I'm also curious if prolonged uv exposure from a blacklight can have any adverse effects as well (especially on Gid vinyl). Some sunlight does come in the room, but no strong light beams hit any of my toys. I won't stress about that too much for now. Thanks for the replies thus far. I did see the makeshift cardboard wall you made, Lixx. I would've done the exact same in your shoes.
I know one guy who uses this stuff for the windows in his art room. http://www.homedepot.com/b/Decor-Window ... 5yc1vZbrcn Basically it's similar to the stuff you tint car windows with. Just a film you can stick on windows. Depending on which kind you buy you can block almost all the UV from direct and indirect sunlight. I plan on getting some once i have things more organized.
I asked Scott/stealthtank this a while ago because we were sitting in Linda's room surrounded by toys on all sides and I remember him explaining that there shouldn't be any negative effects
Lixx It's poison! That's whats up. Good looking out. I suppose there is a reason our EPA banned all this chit right? (nothing off gasses like prepacked China toys!!)
I was researching this topic and was pleased to dig up another vintage @Lixx thread. Chris' wisdom is missed here. Would this still be the general consensus on indirect sunlight? I am vigilant on any direct sunlight year-round, but I have a large amount of indirect sunlight in my room each day.
I think indirect sunlight is ok from the practical standpoint of living in a normal house with windows. There is probably some very minor, slow degradation that occurs over time. Indirect sunlight is essentially either sunlight passed through a translucent barrier (curtains) or partially reflecting off of another surface. I have two figures with UV-reactive material (changes color when exposed to UV light) that I keep in my 'toy areas'. One is in a display case next to a window covered with normal curtains. The second is in my office with covered fluorescent lights. Both display a slight color change in their respective areas, leading me to conclude that there is some minor amount of UV light that gets through the curtains and light covers. Will this be enough to damage the toys over 5, 10 or 20 years? Perhaps, once you get further out in time. I suspect there are other environmental factors that will hasten or delay degradation as well (e.g., humidity). But for most of us that don't live in caves or museums, this is probably something we just have to live with and accept, if we want to enjoy our collection.
I have toys from the 70s-90s that were played with by children and exposed to sunlight what overall are fine- I’ve got vinyl toys that have been a part of my collection for nearly 15 years with no appreciable change dispute being displayed in rooms with light bulbs *and* windows(!) If these two observations are any indication on what I can expect from the next 15-40 years, the toys will most likely long outlast me.
It's a funny thing- I had toys from my childhood that were played with daily for years and left out in direct sunlight, but never seemed to show any signs of degradation. I stored them away in a plastic bin for 10+ years, and when I took them out, many were severely discolored. I suspect there was either some sort chemical reaction among the plastics of the toys in that bin, or a delayed effect from the sunlight damage.
