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September 11, 2008
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Hello fellow collectors,
I have a few boxes of Winchester ammunition from the 1910s whose red labels have darkened significantly. You can hardly read anything on them anymore. Does anyone know of a way to restore them and make them lighter in color?
Greetings from Germany
Stefan
April 15, 2005
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Exposure to U.V. light.
WACA Historian & Board of Director Member #6571L
September 11, 2008
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Have you actually done that already, and what kind of UV lamp did you use?
April 15, 2005
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steff said
Have you actually done that already, and what kind of UV lamp did you use?
No I have not. I just know that exposure to U.V. light will usually cause colors (ink) to fade.
WACA Historian & Board of Director Member #6571L
January 20, 2023
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And if I recall correctly, the color red fades in response to UV radiation more rapidly than black, which is actually the absence of color. Red color reflects low energy, long wavelength visible light and absorbs all the high energy, short wavelength visible light — which means the red ink takes a relatively severe beating compared to colors that reflect more short wavelength visible light.
While black absorbs all wavelengths of the visible spectrum, the most common component of black ink is carbon black, which resists degradation because of its structure.
So, if you expose the dyed cardboard to UV radiation, the black lettering should become more visible as the red fades.
What UV radiation does to the underlying cardboard itself….. “further affiant saith not.”
- Bill
WACA # 65205; life member, NRA; member, TGCA; member, TSRA; amateur preservationist
"I have seen wicked men and fools, a great many of both, and I believe they both get paid in the end, but the fools first." -- David Balfour, narrator and protagonist of the novel, Kidnapped, by Robert Louis Stevenson.
September 11, 2008
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Thanks for the advice. I’m going to get a UV lamp and try it out with an empty box first.
Here are two pictures of the box on the “dark side”.
Stefan
May 23, 2009
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The top box label may actually have been purple in color to start with and not red. I think one of Dan Shuey’s books has such a label in it.
Sincerely,
Maverick
WACA #8783 - Checkout my Reloading Tool Survey!
https://winchestercollector.org/forum/winchester-research-surveys/winchester-reloading-tool-survey/
January 20, 2023
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Good point, Mav.
- Bill
WACA # 65205; life member, NRA; member, TGCA; member, TSRA; amateur preservationist
"I have seen wicked men and fools, a great many of both, and I believe they both get paid in the end, but the fools first." -- David Balfour, narrator and protagonist of the novel, Kidnapped, by Robert Louis Stevenson.
May 23, 2009
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Here is a nice purple label box.
WACA #8783 - Checkout my Reloading Tool Survey!
https://winchestercollector.org/forum/winchester-research-surveys/winchester-reloading-tool-survey/
September 19, 2014
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If at all possible, I would directly contact some cartridge collector, such as Ray Giles, and ask if he would prefer the label to remain dark or if he would prefer it to be lightened if that is possible without damage to the lettering. Just my thoughts as I am NOT really a cartridge collector. Serious collectors may be like us rifle collectors and prefer them left alone. Tim
December 9, 2002
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Just more FYI!
- Natural Pigment Vulnerability: In the late 1800s and early 1900s, vibrant red inks commonly relied on carminic acid derived from cochineal insects. These natural organic dyes are chemically unstable—often classified by artists as “fugitive”—and highly susceptible to ultraviolet (UV) light. [1, 2, 3]
- The “Fading” Mechanism: When exposed to sunlight and atmospheric oxidation, the red/orange components of the dye break down and fade away first. Because cochineal and other early red pigments contained subtle bluish/magenta undertones, the loss of the dominant warm red hues leaves behind the cooler, bluish-purple remainder.
Tony
September 11, 2008
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Maverick said
Here is a nice purple label box.
Wow. A box of this caliber is my absolute dream.
Anthony said
Just more FYI!Natural Pigment Vulnerability: In the late 1800s and early 1900s, vibrant red inks commonly relied on carminic acid derived from cochineal insects. These natural organic dyes are chemically unstable—often classified by artists as “fugitive”—and highly susceptible to ultraviolet (UV) light. [1, 2, 3]
The “Fading” Mechanism: When exposed to sunlight and atmospheric oxidation, the red/orange components of the dye break down and fade away first. Because cochineal and other early red pigments contained subtle bluish/magenta undertones, the loss of the dominant warm red hues leaves behind the cooler, bluish-purple remainder.Tony
That means these labels have gotten darker because of UV light, right?
January 20, 2023
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Sure looks like it.
- Bill
WACA # 65205; life member, NRA; member, TGCA; member, TSRA; amateur preservationist
"I have seen wicked men and fools, a great many of both, and I believe they both get paid in the end, but the fools first." -- David Balfour, narrator and protagonist of the novel, Kidnapped, by Robert Louis Stevenson.
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