Can discolored polyethylene be cleaned or fixed?

[rodman75]

Forgive this question if it has already been answered in a previous thread ( I couldn't locate an answer). My question pertains to Polyethylene (PE). A lot of the older Popy Jumbos have dirty, discolored Polyethylene legs or arms. Is there a method or product that can be used to make the PE bright white, like when it was new? In the alternative, is there a method of cleaning or product to stay away from?

I'm just curious in the event I get a chance to buy a beater Popy JM with faded plastics. I'd like to know that I could have it restored to perfect or near perfect condition.

Thanks for any suggestions,

Rodman75

[willohio]

Faded plastics like from the sun would need to be dyed to restore a color. Or, as
some people have done:Repaint. But the later is not a durable solution. As paint is
difficult to get to adhere to PE. If it was going to be for display only then the painting
method would be fine.

Restoring Whites. I believe Bourno has some some expirementation here with
his Combattler. You might want to look on his Restore thread for info.

Grimy, marker colored or mildew. You can use a variety of methods to clean and restore
the PE that has dark blotches, yellowing, etc. I first use hot water & soap. Then proceed to
acetone. Putting it on a rag and rubbing the offending part vigorously. Note: I use acetone on
on PE parts. It will move paint like butter on painted vinyl parts such as heads. Use caution.
I also use rubbing alcohol. It is generally safe on cleaning up soft vinyl heads & other non PE
parts.
And I use a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser for the real stubborn areas. I bought a Mazinger Z earlier
this year that had serious stains on the light blues of his upper arms & thighs. And the magic eraser
did the job here! Be warned, it slightly scuffs the upper surface of PE. Meaning the typical semi-satin
shine of the molded PE parts looks slightly matted. It's an easy fix using a microfiber cloth or similar to
Rub/buff back the shine.

Will

[bourno]

To whiten up the parts, I followed this thread robotjapan.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=Popychogokin&action=display&thread=16865

I got some liquid peroxide from a beauty salon, can't remember if it was 20 or 30% stuff. Instead of a couple hours as some mentioned in the thread, I had the leg parts in the sun all day.


** Looks like I need to go through my jumbo pages and get them up to date. I am terrible at leaving pages around 80% done.

[1oldrobot]

PE cleans fine with acetone or goof off (same thing). the peroxide trick is great, but mostly for plastics that cant withstand what PE can. itd be too costly to clean your PE with specialty peroxide. chemistry dictates that acetone will not harm PE. ive seen a lot of old posts where people state "just in case, i dont use acetone on PE." this is a sign of a critical failure in the compulsory educational system of the united states. those people should have paid closer attention in high school. jumbo heads are not PE, nor are the firing mechanisms.

[luclin999]

I can say from experience that no paint I have tried will adhere well to polyethylene (at least not without having had the hell sanded out of it first).

Even the paints formulated specifically to bond with plastics are repelled by this stuff.

For Jumbos where the colors have actually faded over time, the only thing which might work would be to dye the polyethylene again and frankly I suspect that would be more of a mess than it would be worth.

[rodman75]

Anyone ever hear of using whitening toothpaste to clean up the yellowed polyethylene? Sounds interesting....

[xtrlowz75]

Use Peroxide 30 from a beauty salon to brighten things up. You can also buy so plastic cleaner or restore like stuff from any automotive store for dash boards or removing oxidation from headlights.

Now to restore some color, Easter egg kits using the water based dye can help if you soak it for a few days, after you use some automotive paint cleaner buffing compound (with no wax in the compound) called Race Glaze. The Race Glaze makes near microscopic scratches in the plastic. This allows the dye to adhere into the pores of the plastic as the Easter egg dye is very thin, but stains great. The only draw back is you need to use a near dry rag to dust it forever afterwords, and the outer paint will always look slightly dull compared to a newer one, as the Race Glaze may remove some of the outer plastic clear coat. But overall your jumbo will have nice looking paint for display. It will be best to test this all on a junker before attempting restoration on a nicer or more rare jumbo.

[1oldrobot]

ive never seen a situation where color needs to be restored on a jumbo or PE. ive seen discoloration, but that doesnt require peroxide. the peroxide trick is for your toys made of ABS, etc. looks cool to dip stuff in peroxide and when friends come over theyll say stuff like "oh man, hes really into that robot stuff."

[luclin999]

The PE Jumbo parts can end up sun faded.

As can be seen here.



The darker colors seem to hold up fairly well but the thinner blown red pieces in particular seem to be prone to sun fading.

I've also seen cases where the chest emblems on Mazinger Z and Great Mazinga figures have faded from red to a pale orange.

And since paint is not going to adhere well, finding a way for the polyethylene to absorb new pigment would be to only permanent solution.

[xtrlowz75]

You could try a light dusting of model paint primer, not totally coating it, to provide some adhesion and then do a full color airbrushing. The paint should stick once primed. But really I would try the Easter egg dye and Race Glace first. Even though the dye is water based, it also has vinegar in it. The vinegar really helps it stain any surface. Thats why its still a pain to get it off your fingers even with soap. I would also stain or submerge the more faded areas longer than the other parts to hopefully balance it out.

[1oldrobot]

ahhh, the fading problem. youre right, the thin stuff does lose color over the years if exposed to harsh conditions. i doubt that many of us use jumbos outside of display, so the best bet may be to prime and spray. that would be good enough if its not going to be handled.

[faulkners2]

Luclin -- I notice that the left wing on the Voltron you have pictured is broken. I have an extra left wing if you want it. PM me.

[luclin999]

The isn't my Voltron (mine is in near mint condition). I grabbed that picture from an Ebay listing I saw a while back that I remembered showed the faded PE issue clearly.

But thanks anyway, offers of help are always appreciated.

[faulkners2]

Yeah, I saw that one for sale on ebay too. I thought maybe you bought it.

[willohio]

Wings would be an excellent piece to offer a repro cast since they seem to be most often missing on the Voltrons.(aside for the sword). The issue though, may be the different black plug pieces needed to hold them in. I think there are at least 2 different styles.