Possible to fade yellow vinyl?

[Egon Spengler]

Is it possible to fade yellow vinyl?

Once I get my cash flow going again I'd like to start another costume project.

Part of it has yellow vinyl that needs a sun faded look. Now I guess I could just leave it out in the sun day after day, but is there another way to do it? Something faster?

Thanks!

 

[darthgordon]

hmmm... what if you got white vinyl and used a thin yellow dye on it?

 

[roboprop]

acetone perhaps?

 

[DB73]

This may be daft but i used to keep snakes and the real sunlight light tubes you get together with being in a tank would probably fade it properly

 

[Darth Lars]

I wouldn't try acetone on any kind of plastic or rubber ...

I have tried white shoe polish on grey leather, but it got into the wrinkles and pores, creating a white mesh that didn't look very good.
I don't know about vinyl, but I have tried three kinds of bleach on leather: chlorine, benzoyl peroxide and sodium percarborate. Chlorine kills leather, shrinking it and turning it to paper. The other ones can be used. The peroxide was part of an acne cream. Although it was only 5%, it was quite potent. I have accidentally ruined a couple of T-shirts when using it for its intended purpose. Anyway... the cream can be brushed onto the leather, to create highlights. Let it sit until it dries, then brush it off. Again, I can not say whether it will work on vinyl or not, but if you have something like it around the house then maybe you could try it out.

 

[ItsThatGuy]

hmmm... what if you got white vinyl and used a thin yellow dye on it?

This sounds like a better idea.

Ask Fetthunter. He makes vinyl decals - he might know more about vinyl than most of us... worth a shot.

 

[TridCloudwalker]

You're really better off just airbrushing a lighter yellow or white where you want the fading. If you use anything to actually fade it (ie. chemicals, UV light, etc.) you're going to break down the molecular structure of the polyvinyl chloride, making it brittle. You can get vinyl dyes, but they're fairly expensive and hard to use. So unless you're planning on wearing this costume everyday, your best bet is airbrush. Use something with some elasticity like acrylics. It may scrape off in places, but it can be easily and quickly touched up.


EDIT: Oh, one more option: Have a sign shop print you a sheet of vinyl with a gradient.