Plastic experts weigh in on Sun fading please.

[harveybirdman]

Anybody know the melting/deforming temperature for what I assume is ABS?

Here's my mad scientist idea for making light blue coin rejects (see pic)

Madness or Genius?

[yotsuya]

If you lived here in Arizona, those would be done in 10 minutes.

[blacketj]

Most windshields are designed to block UV light. And I believe UV light is the primary cause of fading. So you might just want to leave them on a sunny windowsill in your house, or just outside somewhere they won't be disturbed.

[chopperthedog]

My guess, It won't do anything at all to the color. Probably has something to do with the same reason that blue is the only color left on a full color poster after being sun bleached.



good day.

[yotsuya]

I read melting and deforming in the post. Yeah, fading? Not likely.

[harveybirdman]

Lol well my wife said she'd take them to the tanning bed for me if I'd remind her, its not Arizona but I'm willing to try anything in the name of science.

Any other "bright" ideas? What about switching the incandescent wedge bulbs for retina blasting LEDs?  Different voltages would be necessary i assume? Is the JAMMA standard for those lines 12 or 5 V?

[yotsuya]

I picked up a ton of arcade stuff over the years, & I have never seen those things faded before. If anything, I've seen them dark and burned.

[SavannahLion]

IIRC, red is more likely to fade, blue tend to be resistive. Blue is sometimes added to light colored plastics to combat yellowing.

If the color in plastic fades you're likely also damaging the structural integrity as well. In addition, of most faded (as it were) plastics I've seen, it doesn't fade evenly. Edges will appear more whitish than broad flat surfaces. It looks like ---steaming pile of meadow muffin---. Different plastics behave differently in said circumstance and I'm not 100% certain what those buttons are made of. Acrylic? I never bothered to find out.

I would consider making molds and casting my own using resins if I was having such a hard on for a specific color.

[harveybirdman]

I have spent over a month dealing with humidity,  discovering my masking tape skill defeciancy, peeling paint, copious wet sanding, not to mention working cows with my old man to make a few bucks towards this thing all to make a coin door that is so chuffing tits that I can tell myself that I was totally right not to listen to pros on this site and just paint the damn thing hammered black.  And ---gosh-darn--- it you are going to be able to see my custom coin reject inserts!

 

[Green Giant]

I have spent over a month dealing with humidity,  discovering my masking tape skill defeciancy, peeling paint, copious wet sanding, not to mention working cows with my old man to make a few bucks towards this thing all to make a coin door that is so chuffing tits that I can tell myself that I was totally right not to listen to pros on this site and just paint the damn thing hammered black.  And ---gosh-darn--- it you are going to be able to see my custom coin reject inserts!

 

Why not just paint them the blue you want?

[SavannahLion]

I have spent over a month dealing with humidity,  discovering my masking tape skill defeciancy, peeling paint, copious wet sanding, not to mention working cows with my old man to make a few bucks towards this thing all to make a coin door that is so chuffing tits that I can tell myself that I was totally right not to listen to pros on this site and just paint the damn thing hammered black.  And ---gosh-darn--- it you are going to be able to see my custom coin reject inserts!

 

Why not just paint them the blue you want?

That would make lighting them a bit difficult.

[Malenko]

so you took these:
http://www.twistedquarter.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=171_175&products_id=1094

and are trying to fade them? Tanning bed isnt a bad idea (actually telling your wife to stop doing that is whats best for her)  but you are more likely to get better results with just wiring up LEDs instead of wedge bulbs.

[harveybirdman]

but you are more likely to get better results with just wiring up LEDs instead of wedge bulbs.

As per usual you da man.  Tutorial?  or point me to a project thread where you've done it?

[RandyT]

UV is the natural enemy of plastic.  Even UV treated plastics will eventually break down, just not as fast.  Ever see sunglasses which claim 100% UV blockage?  The fact is that most plastics have this property by default, as they absorb that UV energy.  The result can be yellowing, hazing, cracking and weakening of the structure.

Blue is also at the higher end of the color spectrum, so it won't be as affected by the UV as reds and yellows.

Like SavannahLion stated, by time you see any marked change in the color from UV exposure, you'll likely have damaged the plastic and greatly reduced it's longevity.

[Malenko]

As per usual you da man.  Tutorial?  or point me to a project thread where you've done it?

I just ran a line from the 12V of the power supply to a couple of 12V LEDs. You can use 5V LEDs and just tap the 5V rail instead. That picture is from my 60 in 1 Galaga that I sold off

[harveybirdman]

So hoping for a hassle free LED solution I did some research and came up with what I beleive is plug and play baby.

Perhaps it is presumptuous of me to assume that any other noob out there might be disappointed with the visability of their coin reject art in certain colors but sharing nonetheless.







Can't really tell from pic but its a huge difference.  Note to others, the LEDs I got are polarized,  had to make sure they were on correctly.

[Malenko]

try taking the pic in a dark room without the flash?

[blacketj]

I know this thread has since moved on from the original question, but I just saw this video thought it was applicable.