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Hello All! I have seen many messages about trying to whiten parts but I want input on how to preserve them. I don't know if it is best to leave them in the plastic or boxes or if the plastic leads to yellowing? I figure that sunlight is bad and of course somke. Just any other ideas?

When I was in high school, I used Aerospace 303 to successfully protect all the old plastic and vinyl in my old '68 BMW 1600-2, and I even sprayed it on stickers that I put on my windows, and it kept them from fading.

http://www.303products.com/

Whether or not it can keep white nylon white is another question...

Sometimes the parts yellow under the best conditions. I've never used Aerospace 303 as UV protection, but it looks very interesting. At my job, there are a few standard practices we use when storing all our plastics. In addition to sunlight, keep the parts out of any light with a high UV component; such as fluorescent. If they're NIP, leave them in there. The plastic bags are polyethylene or polypropylene and neither will react with nylon. If they're loose in cardboard boxes, put them in polyethylene or polypropylene containers. Most cardboard is very acidic and will yellow the nylon over time. Keep them out of very hot areas such as attics. Nylon contains some water and it will dry out over time; hot areas speed this up. This probably won't yellow the plastic, but it will make it brittle.

Regards,

Robert