Will LED strip lights damage 26 years old foam prop?

[Petar]

Hello everybody,

I just made a bit of ''mod'' to my display case from my Jurassic Park's Velociraptor Claw.
I installed LED tape inside the case,and it looks great,but since it's 26 years old prop made from light and fragile latex,I'm afraid that LED( although they produce a bit of heat) will damage or shrink latex and thus destroy prop after some time.
There is no air in case,and it can get a bit warm.

What is your opinion,will constant illumination damage and make prop shirked or make it fall apart once I touch it over time,or will it be OK?

PS
I put this in ''replica props'',because I thought it will better suit for this section,because many of you have foam props,and not everyone have original foam props.

Kind regards,
Petar

 

[LabApe]

Its so weird you ask this question. Two days ago I pulled my Kylo Ren Helmet and Hood out of my Ikea display case where it has been sitting since I got it from my wife last Christmas. Included was a little LED puck light for each shelf of the display. The hood has a bleached spot just larger than the size of the puck, with a slightly less bleached spot in the center like it was exposed to too much sun/sun damaged. Now Im freaking out because I think those LEDs put out too much UV or something.

It DEFINITELY Damaged my Hood. Id be skeptical of putting Latex under one now! Never would have suspected before this tho.

 

[oblagon]

My understanding is time alone will damage latex. I've never had an issue with LED's damaging something personally. LabApe that's strange about what happened to your Kylo, I have puck lights in my displays and like I said never had an issue with any damage.

 

[zapwizard]

White LEDs do emit ultraviolet light. The actual LED chip inside is a UV light source, with a white phosphorescent coating placed on top. They work just like any regular florescent light source.

Fortunately UV light blocking products are easy to come by. You can get them in films, coated glass, or acrylic sheets. Either wrap the whole LED strip in a UV blocking film. Or use a LED strip holder, which are usually just a U shaped aluminum channel. The LED strip channels also dissipate heat better.

 

[lmgill]

There are special LED lights used for museums and I would imagine they must be set up to emit little or no harmful UV. You might look for something like this.
Edit: for a couple of links:
Museum Lighting | Philips Lighting
https://www.standardpro.com/led-lights-museums-art-galleries/

 

[MangyDog]

ImI glad zap already mentioned it as it just confirms for me what we already thought.
Yes white leds do leak a fair bit of UV, because they're actually UV leds with a phosphorus coating...

Weather that alone will damage latex i cant say...

I do know that foam latex is just very very fragile to age... And takes a lot of care to keep it looking good... Ie a humidity controlled display case. Not too wet not too dry...

A dry display case will make it crumble really quick.

Because latex foam degrades so easily, I wonder if there's any point in collecting pieces it just wasn't designed to survive beyond the film shoot.

Anyway good luck

 

[Petar]

ImI glad zap already mentioned it as it just confirms for me what we already thought.
Yes white leds do leak a fair bit of UV, because they're actually UV leds with a phosphorus coating...

Weather that alone will damage latex i cant say...

I do know that foam latex is just very very fragile to age... And takes a lot of care to keep it looking good... Ie a humidity controlled display case. Not too wet not too dry...

A dry display case will make it crumble really quick.

Because latex foam degrades so easily, I wonder if there's any point in collecting pieces it just wasn't designed to survive beyond the film shoot.

Anyway good luck

Yeah,that's what I was afraid of...
You said it needs to be in humidity controlled display.
I just have it on the wall in case it came with.
What can I possibly do to make it more ''wet''?

PS
Is it possible that foam latex shrinks after sometime?

 

[MangyDog]

Im no expert and i dont know what humidity level is best, just the air doesnt want to be too dry...

Too dry it would crumble, too wet it would rot...

There are humidifier units out there.... but i honestly dont know too much about what the setup needs to be...

 

[Nicodema]

One option is to use RGB LED strips, as the individual red, green and blue devices actually emit their own narrow spectrum peaks, rather than using UV and phosphors. The blue device actually cuts off around 450-460nm which isn't even particularly far into the visible violet. The only real downside is the low CRI you get, which can make some colours read a little odd compared to daylight.

 

[dropshipbob]

In some cases, foam latex can shrink.

Personally, I have stopped collecting anything made from latex or foam as they just don't hold up to time. I know that in latex mask collecting circles, there are some people that have masks that are several decades old and still look o.k. However this is the exception and NOT the norm. Eventually, anything latex WILL break down.

 

[Tatooine_Todd]

In some cases, foam latex can shrink.

Personally, I have stopped collecting anything made from latex or foam as they just don't hold up to time. I know that in latex mask collecting circles, there are some people that have masks that are several decades old and still look o.k. However this is the exception and NOT the norm. Eventually, anything latex WILL break down.

The biggest threat to latex is sunlight, oils from handling, and dirt. Also the thickness of the latex plays a part. I know mask collectors with rare pieces from the 50's, 60's, and 70's that are as supple as the day they were made.

It's like anything, give it the right care and you'll be firn, neglect it and you're asking for trouble.

Good article on latex mask care