Yellowing: Is it "Natural" or does it constitute "Damage"?

Do you feel that yellowing is just a natural feature of resin, or does it constitute a damaged doll? Is yellowing a sign of a well-loved doll, or is it a defect that signifies improper care?

Unfortunately, resin will yellow over time, some more/faster than others.

I've had my Volks Shinsiya for almost 5 years... I take here out very often and although I don't leave her sitting in sunlight, she goes outside for meets and photo shoots. She has yellowed some.

My Volks Magical Michael (one of the first 'new skin' dolls) yellowed significantly within one year and he spent most of his time in his box, and did not go outside.

Yellowing isn't synonymous with poor care, there are many factors involved.

When does yellowing cross the line between "acceptable" and "unacceptable"?

I, too find uneven yellowing/discoloring unattractive. I don't care for yellowing at all and I do avoid French resin for this reason, but seeing something like a 'farmer's tan' or a doll that is yellowed on one side says to me the doll has been sitting in too much light for my taste.

Would you buy a very yellowed doll? If so, would you try to "fix" it? Why or why not?

I did spend a lot of energy hunting down the perfect 'beauty yellow' body to match all my old yellow Luts heads (I'd rather my doll be all yellow than mismatched) but aside from that, I would consider the amount of yellowing when looking at the price. While I may love my yellowed dolls, I am not that anxious to pay lots of $$$ for someone else's.

If for some reason I purchased a very yellowed doll, I may try to restore it using some of the solutions in the customizing thread, unless it was a hybrid that matched... because if I tried to whiten it, the two resins may end up different tones.

 

It is a well-known fact that resin yellows with time, no matter WHAT good care you take of it. I've seen dolls that were bought, then put into storage for two years, only to come out, with a tad yellow to them. It's resin's natural way of aging. While i think you can control how FAST it yellows, you cannot prevent it from yellowing. There is also a way to reverse yellowing, using 90+ percent alcohol in a bowl, that you set in semi-boiling water (to heat the alcohol, including your resin parts) I've tried it myself, and it does work. After only an hour or so, you will see slight lightening of the yellow. If you do it off and on for a day or two, you will see dramatic results.

 

Does that work the same way for a yellowed tan doll?

 

I have actively sought out yellowed body-parts. For hybrids. I have a cream-white Soom Gem (a nice ivory color) from '07, and I wanted different hands for him, but Soom doesn't sell option Gem hands. Of the companies that made hands of the correct size, shape, & joint-type to fit Gem's wrists, the ones I found all had white resin that was too pale white or too pink. Luckily, I happened upon a pair of LUTS old-resin white hands (their new-resin white is way too pale)-- they were a few years old, & had yellowed juuuust enough to turn the perfect shade of ivory. I couldn't believe my luck when they came to me! The fit and color-match are awesome. I couldn't have gotten that with newer unyellowed hands.

So, no, yellowing isn't damage under normal circumstances, and yes, sometimes it is a good thing.

Or, if I was actively seeking a Volks old-resin doll that was very rare-- some of those ancient Michael or 4 Sisters limiteds, for example-- I would definitely not care about yellowing, because I would be too stoked to have found that sculpt in the first place. Their old-formula resin all turned some funny colors, years ago.

And if I chased & bought that hypothetical Volks Oldie, would I try to de-yellow it?... If the doll had a faceup I wanted to preserve, no, I definitely wouldn't touch it. But if there was no faceup to worry about: I guess it depends on how the doll looked, after I'd dressed it up in my intended fashion. But probably not. I would probably find the color part of its aging charm.

 

- Do you feel that yellowing is just a natural feature of resin, or does it constitute a damaged doll? Is yellowing a sign of a well-loved doll, or is it a defect that signifies improper care?
Yellowing is natural, it constitutes an aged doll, not damaged. It happens.

- When does yellowing cross the line between "acceptable" and "unacceptable"?
No, if your purchasing an older doll you should expect there to be a bit of yellow. My dolls will yellow, but they won't mean any less to me when they have.

- Would you buy a very yellowed doll? If so, would you try to "fix" it? Why or why not?
I would if I have seen pictures of the actual doll and it has yellowed evenly and nicely. It really depends on how yellowed it was as to whether I would purchase it and if I would fix it or not.

 

Seeing as how yellowing is a natural part of resin & to be expected over time, it doesn't bother me. Most dolls yellow to a pretty old wax doll type coloring anyway which just gives them a bit of a vintage patina.

The only problem that arises is when the yellowing is spotty. That can be rather unpleasant & difficult to fix.

I have no problem with buying an evenly yellowed doll & wouldn't attempt to do anything to correct the situation.

 

I've actually heard that it does take some of the yellow out, but that it can also lighten the tanning up a bit. I don't reccomend using it on Tann dolls.

 

Not really picky about yellowing myself. Probably because I'm not horribly picky about skin tone. I think it just happens. I suppose I might consider it unacceptable in the case of some french resin dolls, but even then if I really liked the mold or something, it wouldn't bug me.

As for whether I'd buy a yellowed doll, sure.. I prefer to buy used rather than to buy directly from a company when possible and I think signs of age give a doll character rather than make them undesirable.

 

My first boy Matthias (DZ Fei) was bought second hand off eBay. The seller didn't even mention his color but it was a low price and I was willing to risk it. When he came home, I noticed that he was rather yellow but I wasn't sure if that was his natural color or if he yellowed. I've since learned that he was more likely a NS Pink who'd yellowed. For the most part it's even... when he's inside the house, he has an almost white tint to him though he does look more pink when outside. When I cleaned him I discovered that his left side is more yellow but it can really only be seen when he's in pieces with the left vs. right comparison.

While I haven't seen a new DZ for comparison, I find that his yellowness is lovely. I feel that his color is natural.

 

I don't have any issues with my dolls yellowing, thus I don't view it as "damage". I don't leave them outside basking in the sunlight all day, but I recognize it is a natural part of the aging process.

As far as buying a yellowed doll, if it was even colored and a limited mold I really, really wanted then I probably would, although I'm not a huge second hand buyer in general anyway. And aside from the soapy wash-down I give my dolls once in awhile, I'd let it stay its ol' yellowed self.

 

All plastic yellows. Everything ages. If you keep your resin or Vinyl child in it's box until the end of time, he will eventually yellow (of course a LOT slower than one that is out in the sun/one that is under harsh lights/out period).

Thus, it is natural, no matter how you look at it.

Does it constitute as damage? I personally don't feel it does, as it doesn't bother ME that much, but I suppose it's enough to constitute a slight price drop if being sold second-hand if it's harshly noticeable, as would almost ANY 2nd hand doll would be price deducted jut because it's been "used" or "pre-loved". But since it's natural, I wouldn't think I am buying a "damaged doll".

I've bought a harshly yellowed doll before (french resin; yellows faster). It didn't bother me a bit, other than the fact she, as a result, smelled like oxy-clean ;D (pre-owner trying to lessen the yellow).

I won't go out of my way to prevent it, but I also won't go out of my way to cause it either. In some dolls I personally find the yellowing touch a rather lovely shade. ;D

There's my 2 cents.

 

Some of the yellowing is natural and it can't be avoided. Even with limited exposure to sunlight and keeping my room dark where Rhiannon was for nearly a year having her, she did yellow and I couldn't do anything about it. Now she was somewhat yellow when I got her, it was the nature of her natural skin tone being a little more yellow than pink. Now compared to my brand new dolls you can see she is slightly yellow, but do I care? Heck no.

Recently I bought a SwD Myu from the Marketplace and her headcap date from Volks "03.09/RE" which means this doll was released during the original batch back from the Tenshi no Sumika Utsunomiya Opening or during the after event. Now it's 2009 and this was back before UV cut resin so yes she's yellow to an extent. Not horribly yellow, but compared to my two more recent Volks dolls she is noticably yellow, but after 6 years? Come on she's not gonna be perfect and I knew that. Oldskin just isn't gonna be perfect after that long.

Unless the doll is jaudice yellow, or a few months old and horribly visible yellow, I don't expect a 100% no yellow tint at all doll. I'm not gonna out of my way to avoid sunlight at all costs, I'd have no good outdoor shots of my dolls. Although I'm not gonna leave them out in the sun longer than needed. I am somewhat careful, just not uber protective.

 

- Do you feel that yellowing is just a natural feature of resin, or does it constitute a damaged doll? Is yellowing a sign of a well-loved doll, or is it a defect that signifies improper care?
Yes, yellowing is a natural feature. A doll can yellow if left in it's box, so no, I don't believe it's a sign of improper care.

- When does yellowing cross the line between "acceptable" and "unacceptable"?
Only when, as a potential buyer, you didn't know the extent of the yellowing before purchasing the doll.

- Would you buy a very yellowed doll? If so, would you try to "fix" it? Why or why not?
I have recently bought a very yellowed doll (french resin) as the yellowing honestly doesn't bother me- the resin is almost alive, it changes colour from a pale yellow hue to a very bright yellow depending upon the lighting conditions! Under natural light, she is a pale yellow, but she looks like an antique wax doll, which I love the effect of However, if my other doll who has a pale bisque look went that yellow I would be heartbroken, as it would not suit her character at all...so I may try to fix it with her

 

- Do you feel that yellowing is just a natural feature of resin, or does it constitute a damaged doll? Is yellowing a sign of a well-loved doll, or is it a defect that signifies improper care?

only if the yellowing was uneven would i consider it improper care. if they are left somewhere, exposed to an amount of sunlight you should try and move them. you wouldn't go on holiday and only tan your back would you :P


- When does yellowing cross the line between "acceptable" and "unacceptable"?
i think its fine, since for the most part the colour still seems reasonable. only as above, when it is very patchy would it be unacceptable.

- Would you buy a very yellowed doll? If so, would you try to "fix" it? Why or why not?
if it was a great doll, then yes. i wouldn't try and fix it myself, but if i knew someone who could, without ruining the doll i might.

 

- Do you feel that yellowing is just a natural feature of resin, or does it constitute a damaged doll? Is yellowing a sign of a well-loved doll, or is it a defect that signifies improper care?
Well if the yellowing is natural, just from age, it doesn't mean damage to me... but if we're talking about massive yellowing due to smoking near the doll or leave under sunlight everydays... well that yellowing is a lot harder to sand and it's done deliberately, so it's damage for me.

- When does yellowing cross the line between "acceptable" and "unacceptable"?
You won't notice a doll is yellowing unless you put he/she aside other doll. I usually compare the doll I think is yellowed aside a doll it's new to see if there's so much yellowing. If the skintone is suppossed to be the same and it gaps between 2,3 tones or more... dude, that doll needs a sanding.

- Would you buy a very yellowed doll? If so, would you try to "fix" it? Why or why not?
I've bought very yellowed dolls, but unless the yellowing is massive, it wouldn't be so much pain to sand off. You can even don't sand a bit and go to the rubbing alcohol method. On mine it worked pretty well

 

I consider it natural damage.
I think in most cases, it's something people don't want to happen to their doll, but it is natural and not something that can really be avoided.

If the doll's yellowing is anything like that of artwork, then a lot of dolls are going to yellow even if kept in total darkness, because of the composition of their resin. On top of that, every different batch of resin will yellow naturally at a completely different speed as well.
Yeah, sitting out and getting a lot of sun will speed it up, but I would hate to say loving and using your doll is a bad thing.

Yes, I consider it damage, but I would only say it's really a negative if the yellowing is noticeably uneven, or different parts of the doll noticeably don't match. In a lot of cases you could just say the doll has a different skin color than another. Even humans in the same ethnic group don't all have exactly the same skin color.

 

- Do you feel that yellowing is just a natural feature of resin, or does it constitute a damaged doll? Is yellowing a sign of a well-loved doll, or is it a defect that signifies improper care?
No, as has been said above, every kind of plastic yellows with time (I'm just glad it's not like vinyl, that stuff melts eventually 0.o). I think my most yellowed doll at the moment is my Sabik and I love it, he's supposed to be an outdoorsy boy so it works with him perfectly. Oh and I bought him that way so I don't think is signifies neglect either.

- When does yellowing cross the line between "acceptable" and "unacceptable"?
I don't know, I haven't reached that point yet. But thinking from past experience, I love the yellowed as all get out Kenner Blythes, to me it just looked like they had a really tacky tan.

- Would you buy a very yellowed doll? If so, would you try to "fix" it? Why or why not?
I think I'd only try to fix it if it was uneven and unacceptably uneven at that. I probably fell for the doll in that it was in when I bought it so I think it just adds to their character.

 

Yes its natural.

With that said none of my dolls are yellowed that I can tell. My oldest is a Souldoll from about 2004 making him close to five years old and hes the same color as the day I got him. I was playing with him the other day and put a friends "NEW" hands on from about a month ago and they still matched perfectly.

My NS Elf El is from the 2006 batch and matches my NEW Redemption Moon doll that just came from luts in the last few months.

My DOC Kirill is only about a year or so old and I don't see any color changes in him but time will tell on that as well as my Kalix who is a WHITE....I am a bit scared about what color he may change down the road to be honest.

My friends and I were talking about this the other day with the yellowing and such. many of them have very yellow and some green dolls now and they were talking about how mine are not. I have not sprayed them with anything and I dont take them out side really, my souldoll once or twice for a few (less then 10 min) and my Kalix once to a park. I keep my house in the 70's most of the and its pretty dark my mother comes over and calls it a Morg LOL and I clean them with NON fragrance baby wipes and MR Clean sponges pretty regularly as I am a spaz about them being grubbie.

I want to bring this up as no one seems to have mentioned it.
Does everyone know that with antiquities that the way they wear and the color they have changed affects their value?
For instance Lewie the 15th dresser that has been refinished and "looks" newish is worth about half of what one with sings of wear and the darkened stain is worth.
The same can be said about the Bisque dolls form the turn of the last centure the ones that have been "up dated" or refurbed are not worth as much as the dolls that have just been taken care of and that are well loved and changed in color all on their own.

I think the same can be said for our dolls. We will see it in the long run, I think in 20 to 50 years I think that will also be the case. The ones that have yellowed naturally and that are taken care of will be worth more then the ones "made" to look new.

And to back up what some one else said. A lot of it is care. I know of an owner whos dolls are VERY VERY VERY GREEN...you know from the very well know Luts Beauty Green Era. They take them out side all the time, leave them in Hot cars ECT. you can see these dolls form 80 feet away as GREEN..Now the owner LOVES their dolls A LOT and could care less what color they are and makes jokes about it. These dolls are nto as old as mine but are very yellowed/green from what I consider owner care.

 

- Do you feel that yellowing is just a natural feature of resin, or does it constitute a damaged doll? Is yellowing a sign of a well-loved doll, or is it a defect that signifies improper care?

IMO yellowing is natural. Oxygen can even cause yellowing, so I don't generally see it as damage. Now, this doesn't mean I don't want to know if a doll is yellowed because if I'm looking for a body to match a head I'd need to know how yellowed it was. I don't expect people to keep their dolls in dark closets though because I don't and my dolls 'yellow' out.

- When does yellowing cross the line between "acceptable" and "unacceptable"?

If you leave a doll in a window or with the sun falling on it or if its got obvious 'tan lines' then its unacceptable yellowing and I would call that damage. Like I said above, yellowings fine and they don't have to be kept in a closet, but some precautions can be taken easily.

- Would you buy a very yellowed doll? If so, would you try to "fix" it? Why or why not?

I actually have a yellowed doll. I bought a doll I believe was 3 years old so I assumed some yellowing had happened. I did some work on the doll and bought replacement hands and the yellowing was much more obvious then, but I just evened out the sanding and I tend to keep the wrists covered so I'm not really all that concerned. The colour isn't way off anyway. I would buy other yellowed dolls if it was a mold I liked. Its going to yellow in my care anyhow and so far I have yet to have one turn out a horrendous colour. Even my 5 year old MSD whom I did leave in sunny places for lack of knowing any better at the time isn't a banana yellow or otherwise dreadful colour. She still has a very even and natural tone.

 

- Do you feel that yellowing is just a natural feature of resin, or does it constitute a damaged doll? Is yellowing a sign of a well-loved doll, or is it a defect that signifies improper care?

I see it as damage if it happens too quickly; as such, it is something that I try to avoid. I try my best to keep the little ones out of the sun and away from smokers because of this. However, it is also one of the more interesting aspects of the dolls; their natural tendencies to change over time adds to their realism. I think that I will be fine with it so long as it happens slowly over time, rather than within a few months of bringing them home new.

Since it is inevitable that most -if not all- of our dolls will yellow to some degree, I consider it quite natural. Just as I would prefer not to gain wrinkles on my own face, I don't lament the reality of it. lol. To answer the last part of that question; Yes, mistreatment can definitely speed up the process, but I don't think that the yellowing itself always signifies improper care. Since it is their natural tendency to yellow, I figure that there shouldn't be too much stress about fighting it.

- Would you buy a very yellowed doll? If so, would you try to "fix" it? Why or why not?

-Probably not, but I would definitely consider purchasing one who has been restored by someone more able than myself at restorations.