Mould in bottle problem.

[James w rogers]

So ive just seen the sib i made for my dad back in may and much to my dismay discovered mould growing all over the ship, im thinking that maybe it was corked to quickly and still had too much moisture content, as this was built in very very short notice. 

So now i have brought it home to try and carry out emergency mould removal, hopefully i can cure it before its irreparable! 

So was wondering before i make a huge mistake, does anyone have any advice as to what to use to remove the mould without damaging the acrylic paint! Thanks. 😁

The black marks on the hull and the furry growth on mizzen and foremast, also the whale tail are most affected. 

[exwafoo]

My experience with acrylic paints once they have dried is that they are very resistant to solvents, even acrylic paint thinners. I'd try a touch of cleaning agent such as that used for baby's bottles or the steriliser/cleaner used in home brew, which are designed not to damage the things they are cleaning, on an area on the 'off side' of the SIB first and see what happens. If that works OK, then move on to the rest.  I'd also give it a couple of hours in the sunlight afterwards - nothing like UV rays to kill fungal spores etc. This may also dry out any remaining moisture. I have heard of using an aquarium air pump to force air in to the bottle for a while to dry things out. Wish you luck.

[James w rogers]

1 hour ago, exwafoo said:

My experience with acrylic paints once they have dried is that they are very resistant to solvents, even acrylic paint thinners. I'd try a touch of cleaning agent such as that used for baby's bottles or the steriliser/cleaner used in home brew, which are designed not to damage the things they are cleaning, on an area on the 'off side' of the SIB first and see what happens. If that works OK, then move on to the rest.  I'd also give it a couple of hours in the sunlight afterwards - nothing like UV rays to kill fungal spores etc. This may also dry out any remaining moisture. I have heard of using an aquarium air pump to force air in to the bottle for a while to dry things out. Wish you luck.

Ive just tried a fungal/mould cleaner and it seems so far so good, i have also got an aquarium air pump set up and some packets of silica gel inside, so now its a waiting game! Will put it out in the sun later if it decides to come out today! Its been rather wet of late here in essex😢. Thanks for the great advice, i was very nervous as of what to do as its a first time for me and hopefully a last. I will update later, thanks exwafoo. 😊

[exwafoo]

You are welcome. Hope it all goes OK. Many, many moons ago, in the days of my youth in the Fleet Air Arm, one of the routine servicing operations on aircraft radios was to replace the desiccant crystals in the aircraft radios. The forced air cooling was blown through these to keep the inside of the radio dry. They were blue and turned pink when 'wet'.  They could be dried out in an oven and used again if need be. Later designs had single use disposable (more money to the radio manufacturer) desiccant cartridges with an indicator paper. I've looked on line, but can't find the reusable ones (they were poisonous), but they would be very useful in cases like this.

Best

Alan 

Edited August 31, 2020 by exwafoo

[James w rogers]

2 hours ago, exwafoo said:

You are welcome. Hope it all goes OK. Many, many moons ago, in the days of my youth in the Fleet Air Arm, one of the routine servicing operations on aircraft radios was to replace the desiccant crystals in the aircraft radios. The forced air cooling was blown through these to keep the inside of the radio dry. They were blue and turned pink when 'wet'.  They could be dried out in an oven and used again if need be. Later designs had single use disposable (more money to the radio manufacturer) desiccant cartridges with an indicator paper. I've looked on line, but can't find the reusable ones (they were poisonous), but they would be very useful in cases like this.

Best

Alan 

Lucky for me, my wife works in a clothing store and keeps bringing me packets of desiccant silica gel home! The sun still hasnt come out, so ive got my uv heatlamp on the go aswell. Thanks alan. 

[Bernard Kelly]

I notice that you have your bottle stood on end James,. Try putting a piece of tissue in the neck. I find it helps draw the moisture. 

Bernard

 

[James w rogers]

50 minutes ago, Bernard Kelly said:

I notice that you have your bottle stood on end James,. Try putting a piece of tissue in the neck. I find it helps draw the moisture. 

Bernard

 

I Will do that, good idea, i didnt think of that! Thanks bernard. 😁

[James w rogers]

Its been 3 months since the mould problem, and luckily it hasnt returned, made sure to glue the cork in aswell. Thanks to all who contributed the great advise, it really helped! 😁

[Donald]

Interesting thread. Along these lines, I have a bottle in my collection that has some type of either mold or calcium deposits or something on it. I have had this bottle a while with no plans to clean it as it looks hauntingly unique, but I'm curious if anyone has any idea what this might be inside?

[allan sib]

Hello Donald

I have had a look at this bottle pic and this is what happens when a model has been put into a bottle that has been washed out and not properly dried out,as you may know the bottle has a mini climate of its own and over time the damp has caused the mould,so it is always important to make sure the bottle is completely dry,I use a hair drier to blow warm air into the bottle after swilling it out with Isopropanol. 

regards

allan sib