Black, soft parts turning white

[AmperZand]

I ordered a couple of black, rubbery hair pieces from BrickLink. They were listed as new and they do appear to have not been played with. But they both have a faint, pale grey, uniform hue in their recesses. They don't smell and their elasticity seems normal. I tried washing them in soap and water but it hasn't helped.

What is the cause and how can I reverse it?

Also, if I store them with other soft pieces, will they be affected too?

Unfortunately, my camera set-up isn't good enough to capture the discolouration, so I can't post pictures.

Apologies if this topic has been covered on EB before. I did a search but couldn't find any posts.

Edited July 22, 2015 by AmperZand

[samurai-turtle]

It sounds like it is from old age. I heard other "rubber" parts doing similar things.

[Peppermint_M]

It may simply be the lubricant/separating substance from the moulding process. What hair parts are they? If the recesses are complicated then something is required to stop the rubber sticking in the blanks.

[mostlytechnic]

It could be blooming of some of the chemicals in the rubber. Nothing to worry about from a health standpoint, mostly just a cosmetic issue. It could lead to it getting brittle or cracking over time (depending on what chemicals are coming out), but probably not. Does it look like this blog post shows: http://www.thesouthernthing.com/2014/11/how-to-clean-your-hunter-boots-remove.html ? Other than the fact you said yours is in the crevices rather than all over... probably just means the boom on the outside of the parts has rubbed off.

But to answer your other questions... probably nothing you can do about it. It won't affect other rubber parts if you store them together.

(source: I'm a rubber compounder in the tire industry, meaning I develop and test various rubber formulas for tire repair products)

[AmperZand]

Thanks, samuraiturtle and Peppermint_M.

The part is the Hagrid's hair/beard piece from the Harry Potter line: http://alpha.bricklink.com/pages/clone/catalogitem.page?P=40238#T=S&O={"ii":1} .

I have three in total: two from the seller mentioned in my opening post and one that has no problem from another BL seller. The parts were first sold in 2001 and last produced in 2011 as far as I know, so they're all at least 4 years old but possibly as much as 14.

It could be blooming of some of the chemicals in the rubber. Nothing to worry about from a health standpoint, mostly just a cosmetic issue. It could lead to it getting brittle or cracking over time (depending on what chemicals are coming out), but probably not. Does it look like this blog post shows: http://www.thesouthe...ots-remove.html ? Other than the fact you said yours is in the crevices rather than all over... probably just means the boom on the outside of the parts has rubbed off.

But to answer your other questions... probably nothing you can do about it. It won't affect other rubber parts if you store them together.

(source: I'm a rubber compounder in the tire industry, meaning I develop and test various rubber formulas for tire repair products)

Thank you, mostlytechnic. I really appreciate your expertise. Yes, it does look like the boot in your link, but not as bad. I tried the olive oil method suggested there, but it only works while the oil is in place. I strongly suspect the oil is just disguising the white. I don't really want any of my LEGO covered in oil. When I removed the oil with soap and water, I could see the white again. I think you may be right that there is nothing I can do about it.

[talos]

Kind of like oxidation, I have had it happen, and rubbing and flexing the rubber will clean it off...its been sitting too long untouched...