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?
I echo the 'resin yellows over time, keep your dolls out of the light when not in use' sentiment. Also, yellow > beauty green.

- When does yellowing cross the line between "acceptable" and "unacceptable"?
Uneven yellowing would be it for me. I'd love the doll all the same, but that unmatched look would drive me batty.

- Would you buy a very yellowed doll? If so, would you try to "fix" it? Why or why not?
If I wanted the sculpt enough or if the price was right, I'd buy a yellowed doll. Sometimes, yellowing isn't an 'ugly' feature.

 

- 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 echo KarieChaos; Resin. Yellows. It just does and there is nothing we can do to stop it. I think as long as it yellows (mellows?) evenly, it's not a bad thing, but I find greening unsightly. My heart goes out to the people with the jolly green giants Iplehouse sent out. That's just wrong.


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

When it's horribly uneven. Simple as that.

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

Probably not, unless the yellowed skin was even and looked nice. Aged dolls aren't neccesarily unnattractive, so I wouldn't try to fix it.

I wouldn't buy a greened doll, however, under any circumstance.

 

I think it is only damaged when someone hangs his or her doll outside everyday in the sun for this yellowing to happen or something similar.

However, I do believe that natural yellowing shouldn't be considered damage because as with all resin, when it ages, it yellows. It is acceptable when there isn't blotches of white and yellow all over.

I do take it though that most people like to buy new dolls as with any other items.

 

I don;t care for the look of yellowing. I have one doll that has yellowed some and I feel she is here for good because if I ever did decide to replace/sell her; I worry the new owner would be dissatisfied.

 

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 feel that yellowing is like damage. Maybe this sentiment stems from ignorance and how new I am to the doll hobby, and maybe this sentiment is subject to change. Saying yellowing is a doll being "well-loved" is just making an excuse and making the damage sound acceptable. If the doll is three years old, then yes, it should have SOME even yellowing. I have volunteered to sand and paint a doll that was BEYOND "well-loved" (the doll had a deep goggle-tan kind of yellowing) and no matter how much I love the owner, I feel like that was all due to improper care. Again, if the doll is three years old, then there should be some even yellowing. But a year? The doll should be hardly yellowed. If it is a newer doll and yellowed, there must not have been good care (because of that sentiment I am freaking out if my dolls have yellowed because I can't tell).

- When does yellowing cross the line between "acceptable" and "unacceptable"?
A doll should NOT have a distinctly yellow tone when photographed. That is unacceptable. If the resin merely has a yellow hue (for being years old) then that is fine. But a newer doll and having yellowed, even or uneven? I feel that is unacceptable. Also, again, a deep goggle-tan? That means the doll was kept in direct sunlight for a long time! Even though the doll was taken everywhere, some care should be taken to shield them from the sun.


- Would you buy a very yellowed doll? If so, would you try to "fix" it? Why or why not?
If the doll has extremely yellowed, not unless it was an extremely discounted price and that I would try to mod or tinker with it (but not fix it, because very yellowed means it's deep, and if it's deep that's a lot of sanding and I might mess up the fit of some pieces that way). If it was just lightly yellowed I'd bust out the sandpaper and go happy with it. But very yellowed? That just seems so mistreated.

 

I personally don't mind the yellowing of some dolls, I feel that it makes the skin tones a little bit natural where as new skinned dolls feel less realistic to me. My Halloweird has yellowed some and I don't love her any less, she actually looks more real than my other newer dolls. Unless It's electric lemonade I don't feel the yellow stands out that much in photographs so it's not a big issue.

 

i wish i can see the comparison pics between yellowing and not in real full doll...
i've seen the comparison pics but in resin sample...
and may be this is useful: http://iplehouse.net/board/view.php?board_name=DREAMBOARD16&choose2=&choose1=&pagenow=1&CB=&ID=2

 

I'm probably the minority here... but I really can't stand yellowed dolls. Yes, it's natural, frequently doesn't signify dolly neglect or abuse, but it's still damage to me. I would never buy a yellowed doll. If one of my own dolls yellowed, I'd be pretty tempted to just sell it and buy something different. If a doll that I bought on a pre-order shows up and the skintone is too yellow, I'll immediately sell it (Soom Glot, case in point...)

So, it goes without saying that none of my dolls are yellow. My oldest doll is a SD13 Megu from 2003 or so, and it's not one bit yellow actually. Don't know why! As for when it crosses the line... it doesn't take much. My Anais II, in excellent condition with only slight, even yellowing, just was too yellow for me (it's the nature of pureskin before UV-cut...). I sold her, deciding that I could always get a Tae later with better color.

Trying to fix a yellowed doll is unpredictable and spotty in its success at best. I'd rather just sell it to someone who doesn't mind than risk damaging a doll, and buying something different.

 

I am a noob, but yes, this is an issue I am concerned about as I order my first BJD. My primary collection for years has been Lego. I have Lego sets from the 70s that look as new as anything, no fading or discoloration. To hear that this new hobby I am embarking on, includes inevitable yellowing?

I know nothing of resin or how it ages, but it just seems to me that manufacturers would develop a better formula, mix, combination, of ingredients to get a non-yellowing resin. If I am missing some glaring reason why this is not possible, I am all ears.

If these dolls were $100 or so, it wouldn't really be an issue, but most nice dolls i've seen are hundreds up to a grand or so. It's just a bit disappointing for the cost involved...

 

deco_droid, I have to agree with you. I am new to this hobby too and already have two (U-noa) BJDs. I would hate for them to turn yellow, it would be really disappointing if in time they did because I am sure it would turn me off the hobby.

 

I have been long into the hobby and the fact that the Dolls age in time does not bother me.

The mild yellowing on an older Doll to me is a sign that the doll is very much loved, loved so much that it would not to be sold off once it had yellowed.

On the flip side, yellowing on a newer doll says that the previous owner did not love the doll nor cared enough to keep it safe(away from the window and direct sunlight)

I have a slightly yellow Shirou-head that was my first BJD purchase. He may need his MSC replaced, but he has sentimental value to me. I would never sell him.
While I would try to clean him and try to prevent him form yellowing farther, I do not think him damaged.

I think one would have to be in the hobby for a few years to appreciate the nature of collecting BJD. It's a bit like caring for children. You must keep them safe, clean them once in while, all the dolly care requirements while they are in your possession.


Reading through this thread has opened up my eyes on the opinions of some people.
(I am sad to say, that I am making a list of people whom I'll never sell a doll to.)

It seems to me that "collectors" expect their dolls to be perfect. Even if they buy an older doll secondhand (or third-hand ect.)

"Hobbyist" on the other hand, are willing to accept some yellowing and would be willing to try their hand at restoring the doll to it's original condition. Hobbyist are also the ones who customize their dolls to how they want.

I believe that most of us are "Hobbyist"

"Adopters" are that rare branch of us who are willing to take in any damaged doll and do anything to turn the poor dolly into a great looking doll, no matter if they have a modd/scar or missing ears. With so much love and hard work put into them, "Adopters" usually keep them or find loving homes for them.


.....Ok, I'm ending my rant before I go fearther off topic.

 

Elysion, that was wonderfully put, even for a rant

I haven't read the replies, and may come back and comment again once I have... but here is what I think just from the OP:

When I got into the hobby, I DREADED yellowing... it was something to fear... however as time goes on, my first BJD (nearly two years old now ) is noticibly creamier than my newer dolls of the same company, and I think it is beautiful I agree completely that a new doll with yellowing would maybe not be so good, but as such I am the sort that would want to take that doll in and care for it/restore it

 

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 feel that yellowing is a natural feature of resin. No matter how careful you are with a doll, some yellowing will happen, it's inevitible.

When does yellowing cross the line between "acceptable" and "unacceptable"?
I would say when the doll is unevenly yellowed, such as a head is very yellow and a body is not, or when the yellowing subtracts from the dolls overall appearence.

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

I might, if A. it was a doll I really wanted that is no longer made or B. if it was a doll I really wanted that was less expensive to buy second hand. Whether or not I would try to fix it would depend of the things I mentioned above, if the doll was unevenly yellowed or if the yellowing subtracted from the overall appearance of the doll.

 

Elysion: I agree with you completely.

I really don't think collectors are bad though. I don't mind people buying dolls and not playing them. We play with them, but some people just like to admire them. It's a different sort of love, but love nonetheless. And some people don't really want yellowed dolls, but it's a fact that's inevitable, so if they are interested in them, they should look deep into this and a company's reputation on this if they're worried and understand what comes with the resin these dolls are made of.

I do agree though that I have lots of older dolls that I could get for less that don't yellow as fast, and it's daunting that I pay $600(give or take a few hundred dollars) for a doll that might turn green, or its skin become unevenly yellow. I like the color of a lot of yellowed dolls, but I've seen ones that I don't like.

If a doll severely yellows even after a few years, that's not a long time compared to dolls I've owned since I've yellowed where their skin doesn't really change all that often and I think it has to say something about the product these dolls are made with, it is kind of outrageous, but I'm still going to love my dolls.

Because of this "issue" I don't really think this is a collector's hobby and I think this is what turns potential BJD collectors(that their already doll collectors, enthusiasts, etc.) and the people that stay with it have a more attachment love to the doll than a collector's love for their beauty and craftmanship.

I love the dolls so it's not keeping me away, but this is kind of a perspective that's always going to be there. I love the look of a doll that looks loved, so I'm totally okay with it.

Whether it constitutes damage or naturalism depends really on that specific doll. Is it french resin or not? Is the company which it comes from known for yellowing quickly? Or is the owner's doings by keeping it in the sun too often(or on a part of the room that gets too much sun)? Or is it just that the owner played with the doll and loved it to its core? These are all questions besides the age to me.

 

- 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?

It depends, id say if the yellowing is uneven, then its annoying, but
otherwise im not that bothered about the yellowing.


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

yes i would, if it wasnt damaged in any other way. i might want to blush it though
or create a character that goes well with the yellowing

 

Yellowing doesn't seem like a major problem. I would buy a doll even if it had yellowed a little. Is it possible to fix the yellowing? (I'm new, and a future doll owner, but do not, as of the moment own my own doll.)

Also, I was planning on getting my first doll in tan skin, but I was told that tanned skin greens over time. Is that the same as it yellowing, or is it worse? I'm reconsidering and thinking about just going with the normal.

 

Yellowing doesn't bother me as such; the obvious difference between an old yellowed part and a new head/hand/foot etc can be a bit annoying, but it's not something I'd agonise over either. With a little time and maybe some help it will hopefully even out anyway.

 

Nope nope nope, I hate the idea and I'll fight against it as hard as I can: I love my dolls and I enjoy them hugely when I have them out and I'm doing something with them, but when I'm not directly paying attention to them then I keep them tucked safely away out of sunlight in their boxes to keep them unyellowed for as long as possible. My oldest doll is just over four years old and he's changed colour ever so slightly through via natural oxidisation, but he's been kept out of sunlight for all the years I've had him and so the change is all but negligible (and I'd be quite upset if he was much more yellowed than he is, honestly). I know that further yellowing is inevitable sooner or later, but I'll stave it off for as long as possible and I'm doing a pretty good job so far!

I've got three tanned dolls myself (one Volks sunlight, one Volks ebony and one CP tan) and with careful measures taken my oldest tanned buy - who's now three and a half years old - hasn't changed colour at all. If anything, my tanned boys are holding up much better than my normal skinned crew!

 

I bought curtains after 5+years of not having any, just for the sake of my resin. I have a bookshelf that's basically the housing unit and I'll leave them out sitting on it, although even with curtains open it would be the one with the least amount of sun. I do like to have my doll come sit on the table near me or the counter though, so he probably gets more indirect sunlight. However it's not neglect so much as doing alot with him. I've seen alot of dolls yellow beautifully, so when it finally happens, I hope the same for mine.

 

I think it's a totally natural part of the chemical life of resin. Some resin blends will naturally yellow more than others, but I would never view it as "damage."