Displaying TF's in a Sun-Lit Room

[TRUCKvsGUN]

Hey guys, I wanted to talk about my display situation, and see if you guys think I should be worried, or if anything can be done to avoid photodegradation.

I live in Toronto, sharing a 1-bedroom apartment with my girlfriend. My toys are displayed on a shelf in the living room, whose large window faces North. When I'm home, I keep the curtains closed, because people in the next building can see in. I'm out of town for several weeks though, and my gf likes to keep them open.

Do you guys think that I'm taking a risk by displaying them there? Would you consider a North-facing window direct sunlight? If you think I am taking a risk, what do you think I could do differently to mitigate any sun damage to them?

Any feedback/advice would be appreciated. Thanks in advance!

[justprime]

Use a curtain on your cabinet to block out sunlight and plastic sheeting that blocks/ filters uv rays or move your display case

[wervenom]

Is the shelf completely open? What type of shelf single or bookcase? My advice would be to ask your GF to keep them closed or see if there is another place you can display them to keep the out of the sunlight

[wedge1021]

If it's as close to north-facing as the windows in my house, I'd say it's fine. It depends on how much actual sunlight shines directly in onto the shelves, ie. direct rays, not just ambient light.

[Sir Prime A Lot]

Unless they're pre-1995, I wouldn't worry about it. Direct sunlight every day will destroy anything including your cabinet, floor, wall and furniture but if it's only periodic and the figures are recent releases I wouldn't worry.

[QuadESL63]

Even facing north the white parts will eventually turn yellow under direct sunlight.

[TRUCKvsGUN]

Originally Posted by justprime

Use a curtain on your cabinet to block out sunlight and plastic sheeting that blocks/ filters uv rays or move your display case

Thanks for the reply. Do you know of any uv ray sheeting that will stick to glass? Which leads into the next one...

Originally Posted by wervenom

Is the shelf completely open? What type of shelf single or bookcase? My advice would be to ask your GF to keep them closed or see if there is another place you can display them to keep the out of the sunlight

They are in a Billy bookcase with Oxberg doors from ikea (link below - i bought a set of 2 for $50!). The bookcase is a couple metres from the window and perpendicular to it. A small balcony for the apartment above overhangs the window by ~1.5m. Am I just fretting over nothing?
http://www.ikea.com/ca/en/catalog/products/S29155751/

Originally Posted by wedge1021

If it's as close to north-facing as the windows in my house, I'd say it's fine. It depends on how much actual sunlight shines directly in onto the shelves, ie. direct rays, not just ambient light.

This would be part of my question, is ambient light that which is diffused by a screen? If the curtains are wide open but the window faces North, is that indirect enough? Not that you're unclear, I'm just paranoid.

Originally Posted by Sir Prime A Lot

Unless they're pre-1995, I wouldn't worry about it.

I haven't heard this before. Are the newer figures believed to be of more sun-resistant plastics?

Originally Posted by QuadESL63

Even facing north the white parts will eventually turn yellow under direct sunlight.

Man I hope you're wrong... (no offense)

[Sir Prime A Lot]

Yes, the plastics and paints used on newer figures don't yellow like old plastics. Ever see an old Super Nintendo that's not yellow? Those old plastics can yellow on their own without any sunlight.

[Ninjatron]

Well in the case of the SNES that's a different story. From what I gathered, the yellowed units are due to a fire retardant chemical mixed in the plastics. Not every unit has this. Mine hasn't yellowed at all.

Sayonara.

[wedge1021]

Originally Posted by Scrapmaker

This would be part of my question, is ambient light that which is diffused by a screen? If the curtains are wide open but the window faces North, is that indirect enough? Not that you're unclear, I'm just paranoid.

Ambient light being anything other than the sun beating directly down on the figures. Even with the curtains closed, there's still ambient sunlight (unless they're blackout blinds). For instance, I once left a white action figure and small playset on a window sill shelf for a long period of time (east facing). It had a blind that was always closed but the bottom sat just a crack up from the sill. So it let just a sliver of direct morning sunlight through every day. After a few months I was moving things around and discovered my error - there was a clear line on the backside of the items, yellowed where the sun had been shining every day, and normal above that where the blind had blocked the direct sunlight. Basically like a sunburn. Luckily they weren't expensive items, and the front-sides were OK.