16 replies to this topic

[dielaughing]

Hi all,

I've got four soft rubber beb figures and am wondering how do you go about looking after them so they don't go bad for want of a word:-D I've got two that are in great shape, one has what looks like a crack on it and another had really gone to pot. It has colour fade or something along those lines, and is going brown in places as well as going hard.

How does everyone store or display their figures to avoid them going this way?

[Soupie]

This is an excellent question. I think step one is determining what material they are made of. I think Eric Nilla has one, and he has good knowledge of plastic materials. Maybe he can guess what material they're made of. Once we know that, we can best determine how to care for them.

[TheRiddler]

That's the only reason why I decided to only collect the hard plastic BEB. I actually like the soft one a little more, but cant afford to have them break down on me!

[Strontium Dog]

First off though, does it happen to all the soft BEB colours? I've seen blue and purple definitely have this problem, but I've not seen a red, yellow or green that has degraded (my memory may be faulty here).

Edited by Strontium Dog, 31 August 2011 - 05:18 PM.

[dielaughing]

I cant vouch on green or blue as I don't have any but I certainly remember photos of the blue ones going emssy. My red one is cracked but not leaking or drying up though.

Also strontium, did my stuff arrive to you yet? Yours came yesterday morning thanks:)

[SaltLakeToyJunkee]

So I have a soft purple BEB that when I displayed it in my glasss case it began oozing an oily substance. What causes this and how do you stop it? Is anyone looking to buy a soft BEB?

[Strontium Dog]

I'm fairly sure there's no way of stopping it. Within a short period of time your soft BEB will become a malformed, brittle, worthless piece of perished rubber.

[SaltLakeToyJunkee]

I'm fairly sure there's no way of stopping it. Within a short period of time your soft BEB will become a malformed, brittle, worthless piece of perished rubber.

Doh!! Looks like this bad boy is hitting eBay before it becomes worthless.

[Jackson]

I've only been collecting for a little less than 2 years, but from what I've noticed the soft purple figures have the worst issues with degrading.

[fkro6784]

Does anyone have experience with soft BEB figures that have totally hardened to feel pretty much like firm plastic, but otherwise are totally intact and don't really have any flaws? If they reach that state, do they still continue change over time?

 

I just got got my first BEB figure (green Deviled Egg) and it's like that. I knew it was a soft version before I got it in hand so I was curious to see what it would feel like. I'm actually glad it's hardened because with the way it feels now, it doesn't seem like it's going to deteriorate. 

[Sluglord]

MASK helmets (masks) are also prone to these problems.

While I was studying in Hamburg some months ago I ran into some 2nd hand MASK figures with a couple of helmets. There were two clear orange Matt Trakker helmets that had made it fine, then the same version but in a solid tan colour, but this had hardened and turned more red-brownish. They were really brittle, another solid gold coloured mask litterally snappped between my fingers. You know the feel of a still pliable MASK helmet, I bet it's exactly the same as a soft BEB figure.

 

Ole

[Strontium Dog]

I've had my soft figures for years, and other than a purple Egg Crusher that was already drying up when I received it, they've been fine.

However when I took them out of their plastic box to photograph them the other day, I found my two purple and one green figures (but not my yellow one) had begun to "leak" fluid.

It's absolutely bizarre, you would not imagine that rubber toys would contain fluid like that. The liquid is odourless and colourless (I decided against tasting it). It does not seem especially oily or greasy. If I didn't know any better, I would say that it was actually water.

There are a few questions I have:

1) What type of rubber is this that leaks fluid and dries up over time? Are there any other figures like this?

2) Is there any way of stopping the process before the figure dries up? My figures still appear fine, but once the process of drying has started, it seems inevitable. Could I perhaps coat them and seal the figures in some way?

3) Is there any better way of storing them? (I suspect not)

[Sluglord]

I've had my soft figures for years, and other than a purple Egg Crusher that was already drying up when I received it, they've been fine.

However when I took them out of their plastic box to photograph them the other day, I found my two purple and one green figures (but not my yellow one) had begun to "leak" fluid.

It's absolutely bizarre, you would not imagine that rubber toys would contain fluid like that. The liquid is odourless and colourless (I decided against tasting it). It does not seem especially oily or greasy. If I didn't know any better, I would say that it was actually water.

There are a few questions I have:

1) What type of rubber is this that leaks fluid and dries up over time? Are there any other figures like this?

2) Is there any way of stopping the process before the figure dries up? My figures still appear fine, but once the process of drying has started, it seems inevitable. Could I perhaps coat them and seal the figures in some way?

3) Is there any better way of storing them? (I suspect not)

 

I've read a bit about the "dried out rubber" phenomenon, and one article said that as long as it's used, it keeps its elasticity (and integrity).
So on a weekly basis I massage and knead my red Larvegg. It makes sense, I think, that you can keep it soft and limber by moving it.
Regarding a cure, I think you might be able to find some rubber lubricant that matches the rubber's composition. Rubber is rather porous if I'm not mistaken, so that might be a solution.
 

No omega solutions here, sorry. We can crack the code, though.

Edited by Sluglord, 05 March 2018 - 02:36 AM.

[Sydot]

I have one yellow soft that is in good shape, but I am afraid to wash it too hard or soak it so it remains a bit dirty.

 

I have another that I suspect is a dried up soft as it has a matte finish unlike the other hard ones I have. 

 

My potentially dried up one is green which seems to be common. Based on observations is this how soft ones change over time?

 

Green - Hardens

Purple - Leaks

Yellow - Remains Soft

Red - Remains Soft?

[EdGein]

I've had my soft figures for years, and other than a purple Egg Crusher that was already drying up when I received it, they've been fine.

However when I took them out of their plastic box to photograph them the other day, I found my two purple and one green figures (but not my yellow one) had begun to "leak" fluid.

It's absolutely bizarre, you would not imagine that rubber toys would contain fluid like that. The liquid is odourless and colourless (I decided against tasting it). It does not seem especially oily or greasy. If I didn't know any better, I would say that it was actually water.

There are a few questions I have:

1) What type of rubber is this that leaks fluid and dries up over time? Are there any other figures like this?

2) Is there any way of stopping the process before the figure dries up? My figures still appear fine, but once the process of drying has started, it seems inevitable. Could I perhaps coat them and seal the figures in some way?

3) Is there any better way of storing them? (I suspect not)

It's going to be some kind of polyurethane which means it's petroleum based, which means it's leaking oils. and there's really no way to stop it.  This is typically called "leeching," it happens with a bad mix, an unstable mix, or sometimes just due to the ravages of time.

 

Many (if not most) urethanes break down to some degree at some point, depending on their composition.

 

Keeping them out of sunlight (UV) is most important, and in moderate temperatures (I doubt in daily use/display they're going to ever reach a harmful temp unless you set it on the oven) are really the best things you can do.  And maybe keep them from being in contact with other plastics--not too sure about this one, but I'd assume if one urethane starts to break down and is in contact with another, it could have ill effect.  Maybe this is less about preventing a particular toy from breaking down, but more about preventing other toys in proximity from being damaged.

Edited by EdGein, 06 March 2018 - 02:32 PM.

[PaulEWog116]

If I can add a suggestion as a non-BEG collector. I have many Sonrics monster in my pocket from Mexico that suffer from what I understand is a similar dry, cracked and white powder degradation like BEG. I have found that using maguires upholstery wipes for cars completely restores the rubber and prevents the degradation. It's really amazing how well it works. It might be something you BEG collectors might want to try.

Edited by PaulEWog116, 17 March 2018 - 08:54 PM.

[Muckoid]

I recently opened a sealed soft BEB and it was in pristine condition - My (totally useless) answer would be to keep your soft BEB's in an airtight and tempered container, out of sunlight.
I'm also pretty sure those are the 3 factors that'll bleach plastics in general.