Displaying Megos - How does light affect Megos?

[vman]

Hi everybody,

I just purchased a few nice glass cases to display my Megos and I was wondering if adding some nice lighting in the case would affect my Megos.

I'm not talking about melting them but more on the lines of excellerating graying or discoloration of clothes, etc.

[MegoNinja]

Hey Bill,

I have all my collectables with various lights shining on them, I really dont think that they make a difference unless of course the lights are too hot and too close (for obvious reasons). Generally it is the UV and UVA rays from the sun that makes everything fade and look just aweful. So long as the sun is kept away you should find that you are ok.

Hope I was helpful :)

[Mikey]

I think to stay on the safe side, go with fluorescent lights.

[Lynn TXP 0369]

I think to stay on the safe side, go with fluorescent lights.

Fluorescent lights and plastics don't mix well unless the fluorescent lights are covered with museum archival UV ray sheilds.

Fluorescent lights can be about as bad as putting them in the sun because fluorescent lights put out UV rays as does the sun and can degrade plastics over time and turn white plastic items yellow.

Natural lights bulbs are about the best to display your items with.
Lynn

[Mikey]

Fluorescent lights and plastics don't mix well unless the fluorescent lights are covered with mesuem archival UV sheilds.
Fluorescent lights can be about as bad as putting them in the sun and can degrade plastics over time and turn white plastic items yellow.

Natural lights bulbs are about the best to dispaly your items with.
Lynn

I did not know that.....

Thanks for the great tip :2thumbsup:

[Marvelmania]

Go with a soft watt bulb. It'll still give them a nice glow and display them well. Lynn is right fluorescent ligths are bad news and will fade with.

[vman]

Thanks, that helps alot.

How about the Hologen type lighting that usually comes in display cases?

[Earth 2 Chris]

While the floor is open on lighting, another question:

I have my Megos in a large display case. The case is near a corner of a room. The case is backed against one wall, while the adjoining wall has a standard size window in it. The window does not have curtains or blinds, just a valance (it's our dining room window, and we like to look out it while we eat). This is at the back of our house, and the sunlight does not shine directly at the back of the house, due to the position of the house and a big row of trees around our perimeter. And my case seems to have UV coating. The glass is somewhat dark, "sunglassy" looking.

From what I've described, do you think there is still danger of some sun-fading? I really love my setup, and I'd be hard pressed to find another place to put this case in our house, but I don't want to risk fading my Megos. The more and more I think about it, the more it worries me.

Any advice?

Chris

[Lynn TXP 0369]

I did not know that.....

Thanks for the great tip :2thumbsup:

Your welcome!!
That is one of the things I have learned over the years of prop collecting.

Lynn
__________________________________________


While the floor is open on lighting, another question:

And my case seems to have UV coating. The glass is somewhat dark, "sunglassy" looking.

From what I've described, do you think there is still danger of some sun-fading?
Any advice?

Chris

You "may be" alright, if you still have any paper work from your display cabnets, or know the maker contact info, I would call them give the model # and ask.

The best place to keep this stuff OK, is to keep it in a room that gets little traffic, dark with no windows allowing direct sunlight in to be on your collectables, dry, and cool. Indirect sun light like what you have "may be" OK.

Sun, UV rays, moistier, dust, and dirt are your # 1 enemies.

Lynn

[Earth 2 Chris]

I got the case from a flea market that was closing, but the manufacturer's number is on the side. I think I'll give them a call.

Thanks for the tips!

Chris

[vman]

Thanks for the info everyone. This is perfect!

Now to the next task of displaying everything nicely... :biggrin:

Thanks again

[batmanmc]

i will display my megos in a case with soft white ge bulbs. the room should be an even temperature too right ? i thought if it was too cold or too hot it wuld damage the plastic , is that right ? i am currently redoing my upstairs when im done i will get display cases and display all my mgeo goodies. just want advise before i get the room setup. mike

[Hulk]

I only turn on the lights in my display when I am showing my collection off, and turn them off when I'm done. If they get 15 minutes of that light a year, I'd be surprised. My display cabinets are also angled to avoid almost any chance of direct sunlight, with minimal indirect reflective light from the walls. They do get some low wattage light from a ceiling fan fixture, but even with that I have removed the bulb that points toward the display.

[LovetheLizard]

i will display my megos in a case with soft white ge bulbs. the room should be an even temperature too right ? i thought if it was too cold or too hot it wuld damage the plastic , is that right ? i am currently redoing my upstairs when im done i will get display cases and display all my mgeo goodies. just want advise before i get the room setup. mike

First off, let me just say that the advice Lynn provided is dead on. I have collected vintage comic books as well as toys for over 22 years and have discussed this very topic with people who operate businesses soley devoted to the conservation of collectibles. I would NOT recommend any form of lighting for long periods of time. The best solution is a completely dark room 24/7 or at the very minimum it should be dark 95% of the time. Day time blinds work great. While not at all cheap I believe I purchased 4 for around $100 at Home Depot and was well worth the money. Also, as long as your room is not a freezer you should be 'OK'. I strongly recommend an air conditioned room set at about 70 degrees. The air conditioner sucks out the moisture in the room which is ideally what you want. Remember, the warmer the temperature the greater the chance is that your precious figure's ticking time bomb will speed up and destroy your valuable collectible. If you have a carded and/or boxed mego, the best solution is acrylic cases because the acrylic keeps out humidity which is very very bad for the glue not to mention the figure. It also prevents dust from destroying the collectible. Bottom line, just as Lynn put it...Dark, cool but dry, and you should be fine.

[Lynn TXP 0369]

Well put Lovethelizard...
Also if you have them in a basment, a dehumidifer is must have. I've got three going in mine year round. One pulls some moistier year round.
Lynn

[Tom L]

I am way late to this great thread, but I have another question. What is considered a safe relative humidity range (in %) for storing collectibles?

Can a higher humidity, but low temperature do damage? My basement is usually 73 degrees with 65% humidity without the aid of air conditioners or dehumidifiers.

Tom L.

[Lynn TXP 0369]

I'm not sure of a "safe" level, but the dryer the better. The temperature is OK.
My basement stays mid upper 60's and three dehumidifers going year round.

I've got a big fan in the basement that keeps the air moving constantly and circulating in the basement and it stays bone dry.

If I didn't do all that I would have sweaty walls because the humidity can be so bad. It took me a full year or more to get my humidty level under control during all the seasons so that I can have stuff in the basement, 6 years later, I havn't had a problem since, knock on wood!

Lynn