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Discolouration of white sport band
- Thread starter magicMac
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Your statement that Fluoroelastomer "...will disintegrate..." when exposed to detergents is FUD. Fluoroelastomers is a super strong and resilient synthetic rubber that tolerates heat and chemical contamination better than natural rubber. You could likely leave it soaking in pure liquid soap for several years with no effect and certainly NO chance of disintegrating.
In 500 years you could dig these straps up in a land fill and they will still be intact.
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Oh wow are you angry. I didn't say it HAD to be something he was doing, and I am certainly not insisting he's doing anything wrong. All I insisted on is the band is white the whole way through which I know to be true because I cut one open. The white band won't turn blue just in the air all by itself. So maybe it isn't something blue that he's coming in contact with, maybe it's something pink that is chemically reacting with the white band and making it turn blue.
Sheesh, calm down. The last thing anybody would call me who knows me is an Apple apologist.
Oh wow are you angry. I didn't say it HAD to be something he was doing, and I am certainly not insisting he's doing anything wrong. All I insisted on is the band is white the whole way through which I know to be true because I cut one open. The white band won't turn blue just in the air all by itself. So maybe it isn't something blue that he's coming in contact with, maybe it's something pink that is chemically reacting with the white band and making it turn blue.
Sheesh, calm down. The last thing anybody would call me who knows me is an Apple apologist.
Yes, apologies. I guess I just got too fed up after reading this forum for the last couple of days. There's a guy with a black sport band that began peeling off after just ONE day of use, and some people here claimed it was "normal wear and tear".
Please !
However going back to your post, white dyes can change colour under a number of conditions. I obviously don't know the chemical composition of the rubber ("fluoroelastomer") or the white pigment, but it's certainly possible that a white dye changes colour due to a number of things: heat, pH, UV light, etc.
I 100% agree people are too quick to dismiss legitimate issues as not Apple's fault. A band that falls apart after one day's time is not normal wear and tear. A band that discolors all on it's own is not simply wear and tear. I was only trying to help by pointing out the band is white the whole way through, so whatever is happening is (likely) not a result wear, and more likely contact with something that is discoloring the band. Possibly that is not the case, but I really was trying to be helpful. Not apologize for Apple.
That is why there are cases where layers are peeling off then, I suppose.
Thank you Oracle to share your endless wisdom.
I agree with holding companies accountable. That said...
There are dozens of posters on MR wearing the WSB (myself included). If there were many reports of discoloration, I'd be more concerned about defects. Right now, these incidents are so isolated that it's far more likely that exposure to some chemical, dye, etc is the most likely culprit.
You mean like this:[polite] Go to hell! [/polite]
The Mr. Clean sponge is just a very mildly abrading cleaner which takes off the very thin layer of plastic into which the blue dye has soaked and stained. I would not try bleach...that can really disintegrate plastic. I think the Mr. Clean sponge is safer.
And yes, the blue was indeed Bay State Blue (wouldn't you know it...it had to be BSB).
Oh, and when I got simple dirt on my strap I used Dawn dish washing liquid and water and that did a great job.
I've worn my white band since launch. Only swapped it for my new black one this weekend. It was only when I took it off that I noticed it had discoloured but not to the extent of the pic above. I have worn a new black hoodie this week and I think the discolouration is from the sleeves of the hoodie. Anyway I wet the band and gently dried it off with a towel but it has not removed the discolouration. The bit that tucks under is still super white so I can easily see it's still there. I'm not too concerned though as I have a new black band to watch peel and turn shiny
Ok so after trying 96% pure alcohol, it was no better or worse. I also tried a variety of other chemicals.
In the end a mixture of oven grease remover, hot water and the brisk side of a washing up scrubbing brush for quite some time and it's like new again.
Thanks for all the tips and clues, looks like it was dye which can only have come from my jeans. So for clarification, the sport band is sweat and chemical resistant (very chemical resistant in fact), but most certainly not dye proof.
In the end a mixture of oven grease remover, hot water and the brisk side of a washing up scrubbing brush for quite some time and it's like new again.
Thanks for all the tips and clues, looks like it was dye which can only have come from my jeans. So for clarification, the sport band is sweat and chemical resistant (very chemical resistant in fact), but most certainly not dye proof.
Glad you got it. The problem or more precisely the compromise is Fluoroelastomer must be made porous for comfort and breathability. This makes it more susceptible to absorbing stains, paint, dyes and ....
So Apple needs to make sure the band is dye proof in the future. Thanks for owning up to your mistake. My white band is set to arrive this week.
Does Amodex do anything for Bay State Blue? It works wonders with the inks have, but I don't have any Noodler's. (Waterman and Levenger, mostly.)
I doubt that Amodex is any match for BSB. I had to scrub for a good 15 minutes with the Mr. Clean sponge to get it off and Amodex is far milder. It's great for Waterman.
Sorry, I hate being the "grammar police".. but I KEEP seeing this on the forum.
That's not SUPPOSED to happen.
I SUPPOSE that you will tell me "eff off" for correcting you.
I know it's one letter different and maybe a typo, but it drives me nuts. Sorry!
Fluoroelastomers are known for their chemical resistance. However, there are several kinds, we don't know the exact characteristics of the material Apple is using.
In any case, detergents and diluted bleach should be safe, if used sensibly. Things to avoid are vinegar and acetone. Fluoroelastomers don't like those.
One thing I wonder about is the metal pin on those sports bands. The one that came with my wife's SS watch has an SS pin. Do the bands that come with aluminium watches have an aluminium pin, or stainless steel, too?
Chlorine bleach will make stainless steel sparkly and clean, but will corrode aluminium.
In any case, detergents and diluted bleach should be safe, if used sensibly. Things to avoid are vinegar and acetone. Fluoroelastomers don't like those.
One thing I wonder about is the metal pin on those sports bands. The one that came with my wife's SS watch has an SS pin. Do the bands that come with aluminium watches have an aluminium pin, or stainless steel, too?
Chlorine bleach will make stainless steel sparkly and clean, but will corrode aluminium.
1. You had no need whatsoever to call him an apologist.
2. What he said makes sense. The pictures don't lie - that's not inherent discolouration, it's a stain from something rubbing against the watch. It definitely looks like denim IMO.