Aging and discolouring pieces?

[klinton]

This might be an odd request, but does anyone here know how one might go about accellerating age wear on Lego pieces?

I just finished building the Sea Cow sip last day, and while it's a lovely model, I can't help but feel that the pristine white sails on a coal powered vessle seem wildly out of place.

I assume that over time they'll yellow, but I was wondering if there was a way to induce that?

[naf]

Leave them out in the sun perhaps? I don't know if modern bricks are prone to yellowing though.

[klinton]

Aye, so I've heard.

Someone suggested airbrushing to me last day. I've no skill for it, but it sounds like the best option. Just a light dusty coat should do the trick. :D

[VintageLegoEra]

This might be an odd request, but does anyone here know how one might go about accellerating age wear on Lego pieces?

I just finished building the Sea Cow sip last day, and while it's a lovely model, I can't help but feel that the pristine white sails on a coal powered vessle seem wildly out of place.

I assume that over time they'll yellow, but I was wondering if there was a way to induce that?

Bear in mind, LEGO use different mold for brivks and parts and will look like yellow/ Tan color.

Since you just build it ( I guess it is a new set ) then this is a mold issue.

It happened with me fir 1 of my new sesled set when I noticed most if the white plates and tiles tilting to yellow/tan color.

Regards

[Boulderer]

You might try using coffee or tea to stain the sails. I've not tried this but, they do a pretty good job on everything else that you want to keep white

[TheLegoDr]

Just throw them under some dirt and rub that in. It will help dirty them up while still leaving hints of white underneath??

I know they are plastic sails, so it can be a bit different than cloth sails.

[Tech Artist]

On the reverse side of the coin, is there a way to reverse the aging and discoloring process?

[TheLegoDr]

Take a look here. It talks about de-yellowing.

I've used peroxide without oxyclean and it works great. Maybe the oxyclean will help speed it up?

Edited July 28, 2014 by TheLegoDr

[naf]

Take a look here. It talks about de-yellowing.

I've used peroxide without oxyclean and it works great. Maybe the oxyclean will help speed it up?

Oxyclean acts as a catalyst, so if you have badly yellowed bricks it will speed up the process significantly.

I think airbrushing or brush painting is the way to go with regards to the OP's question. Any other method will just make the sails look dirty and damaged, not the weathered look he/she is going for.

[Faefrost]

If you are just looking to discolor the sails for weathering effects, rather than paint or discolor the plastic try using pastel chalks to weather them. It's an old model railroad and plastic modeler trick. It's cheap and easy. And can be washed off if you don't like it. The only catch is it is for display models only and will not stand up to handling or play, unless sealed with a clear spray.

http://modeltrains.about.com/od/modelrailroadtrains/ss/weatheringwithchalks.htm

You might try using coffee or tea to stain the sails. I've not tried this but, they do a pretty good job on everything else that you want to keep white

Tea works great for weather cloth like cloth sails. It's effects are generally erratic and unpleasant on plastic.

[Boulderer]

Thanks for clarifying that Faefrost. I've never used tea for colouring plastics before but, thought it was worth suggesting.

[ShaydDeGrai]

I've never tried this with Lego (ABS) but for what it may or may not be worth...

Back when I used to do plastic models I'd sometimes do the following to create rust patterns on parts:

1) Prime the part with a flat base coat of paint.

2) Mix a bit of ground up instant coffee crystals with a bit of rubbing alcohol to make a stain (don't use water as the bipolar properties of water will cause it to bead up in ways that make it difficult to scale realistically. The runniness (versus uniform tint) is a function of the ratio of coffee to alcohol - I never got it right on the first try and used to practice on a piece of cardstock before applying to the model.

3) Fix the piece in it's 'natural' orientation and brush or spray the stain on in thin applications. The stain should run down the piece pooling and streaking in appropriate places to mimic rust.

4) Let the alcohol evaporate then spray the piece with hairspray to help affix the residue to the surface.

Again, let me repeat, I've never tried this on ABS plastic let alone LEGO so I don't know how well it works (if at all). Model planes, tanks and cars are typically made from polystyrene (like the back panel of a CD case or the handle of a disposable razor) which is an entirely different beast from ABS used in LEGO today. If you're adventurous enough to try this, I'd strongly recommend some practice runs on a few small, sacrificial 2x2 tiles or something first in case the primer or the hairspray reacts badly with the material (or you just really need to practice making rust patterns before compromising an important piece).

Edited July 31, 2014 by ShaydDeGrai