MV lenses changing color

[JJER]

Over time many of the clear MV lenses I've purchased and used (or not-still in bags)) have turned yellow. Any advice/info on this occurrence ? Thanks.

JR

[Snake45]

This has come up on my model airplane boards viv-a-vis vacformed canopies on some limited-run kits. It's a function of the type of plastic itself and it can't be stopped or reversed--there's no fix and all sorts of things have been tried. If the plastic is going to yellow, it's going to yellow and there's nothing you can do about it.

And for those who will say this is a function of sunlight--I have a kit (about a decade old) with a yellowing canopy and that box has only been opened twice in all that time--once when I got it and a few months ago to look for that yellowing. Another copy of the same kit, about the same age, had no yellowing at all. It's just the (bad) luck of the draw.

BTW, some have tried bleaching such yellowing canopies by deliberately exposing them to sunlight in a window, as you can do to bleach out darkened decals. It doesn't work.

Edited October 20, 2014 by Snake45

[Matt T.]

Same here. I have new, unused, in-package MV lenses from ten years ago in a closed toolbox under my workbench. They'e all yellowed. Must be a function of the product used.

[935k3]

They probably are made from epoxy which turns yellow. I have got them to clear up by letting them in sunlight for a few weeks. I wish somebody would come up with an alternative to use.

[JJER]

Thanks all. / JR

[mnwildpunk]

Is it all through the lens or is it something you can polish out like lenses on your 1:1 car when they yellow?

[Snake45]

Is it all through the lens or is it something you can polish out like lenses on your 1:1 car when they yellow?

As I said in my post above, it is IN the plastic and not on the surface. There's nothing that can be done about it.

[mnwildpunk]

Oh ok sorry I must of missed that

[Maindrian Pace]

I bought a bunch to use behind headlight lenses, they all yellowed and I tossed the whole lot. Crummy product, those train guys must be very forgiving.

[Art Anderson]

I bought a bunch to use behind headlight lenses, they all yellowed and I tossed the whole lot. Crummy product, those train guys must be very forgiving.

For model railroaders, "yellowing" isn't that much an issue, certainly if they are modeling older diesels, or steam locomotives, given that back years ago, those engines tended to use headlights having separate lightbulbs with polished brass reflectors--which gave a slightly yellowish glow.

But, I agree, that yellowing can be a real detriment with model cars.

Art

[fantacmet]

In place of them, I've used woodland scenics realistic water, and after it sets up several times to the desired thickness, it won't yellow. Downside is it's expensive, but on the plus side one bottle will do several thousand dollars worth of MV Lenses.

[fseva]

I bought a bunch to use behind headlight lenses, they all yellowed and I tossed the whole lot. Crummy product, those train guys must be very forgiving.

I don't think so... heard MV was out of business...

[Art Anderson]

I don't think so... heard MV was out of business...

MV Products is still around: Walthers (the biggest model RR suppy vendor in the US, still lists them even now.

Art

[fseva]

MV Products is still around: Walthers (the biggest model RR suppy vendor in the US, still lists them even now.

Art

That could be old stock...

Here's a piece a found on the web...

http://www.trainboard.com/grapevine/showthread.php?98336-MV-Lenses-the-way-of-the-DoDo

Edited April 29, 2015 by fseva