MOLDY MODELS

[AdriaN (MLT)]

Recently I discovered white, "dusty dots" on my 3 models. Now im pretty sure that this is mold! funnily enough this mold was present on my 3 plastic models, but not on the other die-cast models!! These 3 models happened to be finished in Klear. Another model, which is dull coated, didn't seem to have any dots on it.

The blue one featured here had most mold. While the other 2 (polished metal & silver,white,red) had less. maybe it is because of the dark colour? These models are kept in a glass/wooden showcase in a room which sees light, but not direct sunlight. Other models closed up in a cupboard, in a warm room, didn't have any mold....

I noticed that it the mold only grew on the top side of the model... while the bottom was clear!

Is it mold?

Why did it show up on "Kleared" glossy models?

How to remove it?

Is it a reaction to sweat/grease from touching?

Edited March 4, 2015 by AdriaN (MLT)

[old thumper]

To be honest I don't have a clue why a model would go mouldy unless it is because of butter stains from crumpets. Could it be lime or salt, or have they been near a plant?

[depressed lemur]

It does look a bit mouldy, doesn't it? Traditionally, the best way to get rid of mould is to use bleach, but this might not be the best approach here as it may result in paint strippage. One option may be to dip a cotton bud in IPA (75% or higher) and gently work each growth, as this will kill the mould and any spores. If care is taken you should not need to remediate the paint after.

Good luck.

[Paul J]

Warm soapy water may get rid of it and worked in with a soft tooth brush. I fear IPA may work into your final top coat and decals.

Its happened to some of my older models too but they are kept in boxes stored in a shed where its quite cold and dampish which would probably cause mould.

By the way and Better still in various hardware shops you can buy mould remover for UPVC windows/doors. This stuff could well be safer than IPA .

Effective weathering though...

[depressed lemur]

Warm soapy water may get rid of it and worked in with a soft tooth brush. I fear IPA may work into your final top coat and decals.

Its happened to some of my older models too but they are kept in boxes stored in a shed where its quite cold and dampish which would probably cause mould.

By the way and Better still in various hardware shops you can buy mould remover for UPVC windows/doors. This stuff could well be safer than IPA .

Effective weathering though...

You want to be careful with the mould remover in shops as it tends to contain bleach (or a bleach provider) along with solvents and surfactants. They tend to work on UPVC by removing the top few microns of UPVC. Warm soapy water would work visually, but would not kill the spores so you could see regrowth.

edited because I found I couldn't spell (again )

Edited March 5, 2015 by depressed lemur

[AdriaN (MLT)]

thank you guys!

I was thinking of cleaning it with a sanitizing hand towel, since it contains alcohol, which will kill the germs on the surface. I think it may be due to oily finger residue. I was told it is due to the high levels of humidity here in Malta and the air inside the cabinet not circulating. I will also try change the models position. this modl has been in the same place for 2 years and only recently did this show up...

To be honest I don't have a clue why a model would go mouldy unless it is because of butter stains from crumpets. Could it be lime or salt, or have they been near a plant?

well malta IS very humid and surrounded by the sea!

[depressed lemur]

Hi Adrian, sorry if I sound a bit anal here, but I work for a chemical company, so have a bit of background here. Before using a hand wipe, be very careful which you choose. There are quite a few ways in which wipes work, some are pure alcohol, some are a mix of alcohol and surfactant, and some (hand wipes especially) contain alcohol, surfactants and/or emollients. The job of an emollient is to re-introduce moisture into the skin whilst being cleaned, so if you use a hand wipe you run the risk of smearing a layer of, what is effectively hand cream, on your model. Baby wipes are an absolute no-no. A pure IPA wipe will work, and I would suggest that, rather than using the wipe over the whole surface, I would wrap it round a cocktail stick, and take your time. A wipe with a mix of IPA and surfactant may not kill all the spores (and some surfactants are a food source for mould spores), so you may just create a long term problem. Whatever your course of action, good luck.

[AdriaN (MLT)]

Hi Adrian, sorry if I sound a bit anal here, but I work for a chemical company, so have a bit of background here. Before using a hand wipe, be very careful which you choose. There are quite a few ways in which wipes work, some are pure alcohol, some are a mix of alcohol and surfactant, and some (hand wipes especially) contain alcohol, surfactants and/or emollients. The job of an emollient is to re-introduce moisture into the skin whilst being cleaned, so if you use a hand wipe you run the risk of smearing a layer of, what is effectively hand cream, on your model. Baby wipes are an absolute no-no. A pure IPA wipe will work, and I would suggest that, rather than using the wipe over the whole surface, I would wrap it round a cocktail stick, and take your time. A wipe with a mix of IPA and surfactant may not kill all the spores (and some surfactants are a food source for mould spores), so you may just create a long term problem. Whatever your course of action, good luck.

That is exactly what passed through my mind right after I read "with moisturizer aloe vera" on the hand rub package!! IPA may be a bad idea since the model was finished using Klear which is acrylic.. and modellers use IPA to clean Klear! I think ill just clean it with soapy water.....