The sun bleaching X-periment so far (Ultimate Chess sets: light armies)

This is the progression so far to date as far as trying to literally "lighten" the butter yellow color of my new version Ultimate chess sets using the natural UV rays of the sun. I can see a slight change in pigment but it seems it will need a few more months of sun bathing to get any real significant results but it's a step in the right track. A few shots to compare of the queens (sun bleached queen on the right and original color on the left) and the whole collection of 4 sets on a cutting board laid out daily from sun up to sundown. 

I can see a big difference in the first picture. Job well done.  Why go any lighter? 

To tell you the truth I really was a proponent of the ivory white version of this set not so much the beige. I went as far as trying to talk Shelby into selling me the prototype he had displayed when he was marketing the set during the production phase but he said that the powers that be declined that offering and the deal was for practical purposes dead at that point. A few shades lighter would satisfy my yen for the color variation I seek.

What do you think about potentially buying a powerful UV lamp and a cheap record player to rotate them? I wonder how long it would take with this method.

Also have you thought about using hydrogen peroxide?

I've already done the research on this myself and it's a bit costly to obtain a very good uv lamp plus I don't want to invest so much when I can do it at no cost the natural but slow way, the only downfall to this procedure. I'm patient I can wait. The good thing is I started this experiment in June when the sun began to blaze in the summer here in New York. We've had many rainy days so this process could've been accelerated by at least a months time if there weren't so many "rainouts" of cloudy days inhibiting the clear exposure  to the sets. Quite alright though I'm patient and if I can get 2 to 3 months of good exposure I can be satisfied with the end result. BTW I have used ultra type clorox bleach and hydrogen peroxide at different intervals of experimentation and neither did any significant change to lightening the color, full strength mind you. They were submerged for 72 hours and nothing...

Direct sunlight can do damage to wood! I'm sure you have done the research,but it's a gamble I'd not take.....Meant as advice only.-

Point taken this is plastic not a problem. I usually don't bring any of my wood sets to the park or outdoor activity wood sets are strictly indoor usage.

I can see no appreciable difference...except for the glint/reflection of what I take is the sun off of the base and crown of the Q on the right (based on the fact that the photos are taken outdoors and noting the location of the shadow cast by the Q on the right).  So any locations on the pieces where the sun is reflecting back toward the camera more intensely will appear lighter.  For the purposes of photographing the pieces the lighting needs to be uniform over all pieces in the photo and steps taken to alleviate glare, reflections, etc.....i.e., professional photography or close to it....

The best way to reduce/eliminate/improve the issues I refer to is by use of a photography diffuser....

https://www.ultimate-photo-tips.com/photography-diffuser.html

https://www.adorama.com/alc/0013910/article/Improve-Outdoor-Portrait-Photography-with-a-Diffuser

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wwv7WuJOCkU

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=using+a+photography+diffuser

Aw, give the guy a break.  He did say that he noticed a slight difference and that he thinks it will take a few more months of having the pieces sunbathe to see an appreciable difference.

Of course the daylight time is shortening (I've noticed almost an hour difference since June).  Because of this there will be less UV exposure for his pieces, which means it might take a bit longer time of exposure.

Also, he's not hurting anyone or anything by trying to get his pieces to get a tan, so lighten up,... all puns intended.

In no way were my comments personal....so lighten up on me....

These puns are beyond the pale.

You know, if the pieces were pale in the first place, we would not be having this discussion...

 RussB & EyeC: Your assertions and viewpoints (despite the banter in between discussions) are both well received and I'm thankful for the advice, however there is no need for an investment of photo equipment just to take a picture, although the diffuser advice is quite a welcomed idea and doesn't cost much to attain. Therefore in a few months I shall take another set of photos using said diffuser to give the truest color rendition of both the UV exposed piece and the original color queen for comparisons without any harsh lighting interfering. I believe there will be more of a distinctive color variation to see the difference.

I sure wish that Shelby does reconsider to request an ivory white colored version of the Ultimate chess sets whenever his current stock is depleted and is ready for a new reorder from the overseas company he established the contract for production of the new set. I'd buy two more of the ivory Ultimates asap if that ever manifested itself in the future.

The previous photos were taken with natural daylight inside of my kitchen area. This is another shot of the same setup on a different cutting board using a "homemade diffuser" (a plain sheet of copy paper) eliminating said glare/glint from the sun as you had stated. There is still a noticeable color loss in the sun bleached queen on the right. More prolonged exposure will lighten the piece considerably which I wish to attain. Perhaps 3-4 months. I'm patient I can wait...

I'm not sure if the sun bleaching technique is working, the one on the right actually looks like a darker tone once you ignore the change in colour. This can be confirmed by grey-scaling the image above. 

Everyone has an opinion and you are entitled to yours. The extent of trying to convince anyone who differs on the color changes has been exhausted with said diffuser. Nothing further will I attempt to produce a satisfactory photo to appease the contradictions. I will further subject the light armies to the UV rays for an extended period which will diminish the butter yellow color to a less vibrant, much lighter "bleached" hue of yellow that will be sufficient enough for my tastes. 

The piece on the right clearly looks a little lighter to me....and this just after I came back from the eye doctor,with the drops still having their effect on my pupils.

Kinda' obvious that Qto's process is working!